Applied Theatre and Drug Abuse Prevention Among Secondary School Students in Ondo State

This study investigates the effectiveness of applied theatre in preventing drug abuse among secondary school students in Ondo State, South West Nigeria. Drug abuse among Nigerian adolescents has emerged as a critical public health concern, with codeine misuse, cannabis use, and tramadol abuse increasingly documented in school surveys. Applied theatre, which uses dramatic techniques in non-theatrical settings for educational and social intervention purposes, offers an innovative approach to substance abuse prevention. The research evaluates drama-based anti-drug programmes implemented in selected secondary schools across Akure metropolis, assessing their impact on students' knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviour regarding drug use. A quasi-experimental design was used, with pre-test and post-test measurements administered to intervention and control groups. The study finds that students who participated in applied theatre workshops demonstrated significantly greater improvements in drug refusal self-efficacy and awareness of addiction consequences compared to control groups. Peer-led dramatic presentations were particularly effective in normalising drug refusal behaviours. The research concludes that applied theatre is a cost-effective and engaging supplement to conventional drug education programmes. It recommends scaling these interventions across all state secondary schools. Keywords: applied theatre, drug abuse prevention, secondary schools, Ondo State, adolescent health.