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. 2013;34(4):389-95.
doi: 10.1080/08897077.2013.783526.

Why would khat chewers quit? An in-depth, qualitative study on Saudi Khat quitters

Rashad Alsanusy  1 , Maged El-Setouhy
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Why would khat chewers quit? An in-depth, qualitative study on Saudi Khat quitters

Rashad Alsanusy et al. Subst Abus. 2013.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Background: Khat chewing, which has many adverse health and social consequences, is highly prevalent and socially accepted in the Jazan region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with 47 adult male former khat users regarding their khat initiation, continuance, and cessation, the amounts of khat they had used, and the health and social consequences of their use and cessation of use.

Results: Participants noted a desire to show maturity, ease of availability of khat, and peer pressure as reasons for initiating khat chewing. Many noted long leisure times with little to do as a reason for continuing use. Negative consequences of khat use were seen in economic, health, familial, and sexual areas of their lives. After quitting khat use, participants saw improvements in all of these areas.

Conclusions: A comprehensive community development program (CCDP) tackling, among other issues, the normalization of khat use, substantial leisure times with few positive activities, and misinformation about the "benefits" of khat use, as well as developing peer and family training programs to help prevent or stop khat use, would be useful to reduce khat chewing in this community.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Map showing the Jazan area in the south of Saudi Arabia and its relation to Yemen (Color figure available online).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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