Khat chewing practice and associated factors among medical students in university of Gondar, Ethiopia, 2019: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background: Globally, khat chewing practice becoming an alarming and common among the youth generation especially in higher educational institutions. It may also leads to frequent misbehavior, poor academic performance and memory impairment among students. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of khat chewing and associated factors among medical students in University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019.Method: An institution-based cross-sectional study was employed on 422 medical students. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 20 software. Stratified followed by random sampling was employed to select the samples. Multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify the predictors. P ≤ 0.05 was used to select statistically significant factors.Result: The current prevalence of khat chewing among medical students was 21.5%. The odds of khat chewing was higher among males [AOR=3.353; 95%CI (1.460-7.701)], Muslims [AOR=6.390; 95%CI (1.903-21.460)], fifth and six year students [AOR= 3.391; 95%CI (1.354-8.488)], smokers [AOR=5.081; 95%CI (1.898-13.601)], alcohol users [AOR=4.872; 95%CI (2.094-11.332)], students who had khat chewer close friends [AOR=30.645; 95%CI (12.261-76.589)].Conclusion: Since a significant proportion of students chew khat, continuous awareness creation on the impact of khat chewing and counseling services are recommended.