Abstract
Objectives: This study documents the extent and impact of perceived patterns of behavior in a sample of youths of
the streets of Ibadan, Nigeria, with the purpose of implementing a Life Skills Educational (LSE) intervention.
Method: The study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Qualitatively, two Focus Group
Discussions (FGD) and two in-depth interviews (IDI) with 20 boys and 2 community leaders were conducted
on separate occasions for the purpose of eliciting commonly exhibited behaviors and patterns of street youth.
Quantitatively, 169 youths (89.3% male) were consecutively interviewed from five subcultural areas in Ibadan,
Nigeria. Street youths were accessed through a snowballing technique made possible by “Area boys” (AB, adults,
who serve as a symbol of authority for street children).
Results: The mean age of participants was 18.4 years. The majority was on the street for financial reasons, had
been on the street for more than 1 year, and had not completed their primary schooling. While youths of the
street were economically viable, 69% had a history of alcohol abuse, 14% of drug abuse, and 24% operated as
drug couriers; 46% reported school refusal, 27% school suspension, and 47% school truancy. Forty-nine percent
admitted to being sexworkers and 11% had been raped and were, therefore, at risk of contacting sexually transmitted
diseases (STD). One-third of youths had been arrested for various offenses, including street fighting and drug
use. While females were in the minority, they were more likely to engage in antisocial behaviors compared with
boys.
Conclusions: Although many youths of the street display antisocial behaviors, they also are an economically
viable group. Some of their antisocial behaviors may have been exhibited within the context of economic survival.
Olley, B (2021). Social and health behaviors in youth of the streets of Ibadan, Nigeria. Afribary. Retrieved from https://tracking.afribary.com/works/social-and-health-behaviors-in-youth-of-the-streets-of-ibadan-nigeria
Olley, B.O. "Social and health behaviors in youth of the streets of Ibadan, Nigeria" Afribary. Afribary, 23 Apr. 2021, https://tracking.afribary.com/works/social-and-health-behaviors-in-youth-of-the-streets-of-ibadan-nigeria. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
Olley, B.O. . "Social and health behaviors in youth of the streets of Ibadan, Nigeria". Afribary, Afribary, 23 Apr. 2021. Web. 12 Nov. 2024. < https://tracking.afribary.com/works/social-and-health-behaviors-in-youth-of-the-streets-of-ibadan-nigeria >.
Olley, B.O. . "Social and health behaviors in youth of the streets of Ibadan, Nigeria" Afribary (2021). Accessed November 12, 2024. https://tracking.afribary.com/works/social-and-health-behaviors-in-youth-of-the-streets-of-ibadan-nigeria