Background: Tramadol use has become a major public health concern in Ghana, particularly among yeloyelo drivers in the Tamale metropolis. This study is set out to discuss the factors that contribute to the ustramadol among tricycle drivers in the Tamale metropolis Northern Region of Ghana. Methods: The study employed the quantitave method. The multi-stage sampling technique was used. The simple random sampling techniques wsa used to select 420 respondents from selected tricycle terminals in the Tamale Metropolis. The results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Results: It was revealed that 2.9% respondants were using tramadol under physician prescription, 97.1% respondents were using tramadol without prescription from a physician which amount to abusing the drug. The study revealed that averagely, the daily milligram (mg) intake of tramadol among tricycle drivers in the Tamale metropolis was 155.5 ± 91.6 mg, with majority of respondents using tramadol by taking in various unapproved strengths/dosages of 500, 250, 200 and 150 dosages (mg) respectively. Conclusion: The study found out that the three most compelling reasons why tricycle drivers use tramadol are; to reinvigorate themselves and become physically active (38.1%), to relieve pains (20.0%) and peer pressure (14.5%). The study finally indicates that nausea, road accident, sleepingness and dizziness are possible effects of tramadol use. While, anxiety, depression, aggressiveness, seizures and inattentiveness and the inability to focus are the other side effects of tramadol use.
| Published in | World Journal of Public Health (Volume 10, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18 |
| Page(s) | 155-168 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Tramaldol, Abuse, Yeloyelo Drivers, Sampling, Instruments, Terminal Point
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APA Style
Salifu, A., Tikumah, A. M. M., Toufique, S. (2025). Descriptive Cross Sectional Study of Tramadol Abuse Among Yelyelo Drivers in the Tamale Metropolis. World Journal of Public Health, 10(2), 155-168. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18
ACS Style
Salifu, A.; Tikumah, A. M. M.; Toufique, S. Descriptive Cross Sectional Study of Tramadol Abuse Among Yelyelo Drivers in the Tamale Metropolis. World J. Public Health 2025, 10(2), 155-168. doi: 10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18
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Download@article{10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18,
author = {Abukari Salifu and Abdul Muizz Muktar Tikumah and Seidu Toufique},
title = {Descriptive Cross Sectional Study of Tramadol Abuse Among Yelyelo Drivers in the Tamale Metropolis
},
journal = {World Journal of Public Health},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {155-168},
doi = {10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.wjph.20251002.18},
abstract = {Background: Tramadol use has become a major public health concern in Ghana, particularly among yeloyelo drivers in the Tamale metropolis. This study is set out to discuss the factors that contribute to the ustramadol among tricycle drivers in the Tamale metropolis Northern Region of Ghana. Methods: The study employed the quantitave method. The multi-stage sampling technique was used. The simple random sampling techniques wsa used to select 420 respondents from selected tricycle terminals in the Tamale Metropolis. The results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Results: It was revealed that 2.9% respondants were using tramadol under physician prescription, 97.1% respondents were using tramadol without prescription from a physician which amount to abusing the drug. The study revealed that averagely, the daily milligram (mg) intake of tramadol among tricycle drivers in the Tamale metropolis was 155.5 ± 91.6 mg, with majority of respondents using tramadol by taking in various unapproved strengths/dosages of 500, 250, 200 and 150 dosages (mg) respectively. Conclusion: The study found out that the three most compelling reasons why tricycle drivers use tramadol are; to reinvigorate themselves and become physically active (38.1%), to relieve pains (20.0%) and peer pressure (14.5%). The study finally indicates that nausea, road accident, sleepingness and dizziness are possible effects of tramadol use. While, anxiety, depression, aggressiveness, seizures and inattentiveness and the inability to focus are the other side effects of tramadol use.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Descriptive Cross Sectional Study of Tramadol Abuse Among Yelyelo Drivers in the Tamale Metropolis AU - Abukari Salifu AU - Abdul Muizz Muktar Tikumah AU - Seidu Toufique Y1 - 2025/06/19 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18 DO - 10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18 T2 - World Journal of Public Health JF - World Journal of Public Health JO - World Journal of Public Health SP - 155 EP - 168 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2637-6059 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wjph.20251002.18 AB - Background: Tramadol use has become a major public health concern in Ghana, particularly among yeloyelo drivers in the Tamale metropolis. This study is set out to discuss the factors that contribute to the ustramadol among tricycle drivers in the Tamale metropolis Northern Region of Ghana. Methods: The study employed the quantitave method. The multi-stage sampling technique was used. The simple random sampling techniques wsa used to select 420 respondents from selected tricycle terminals in the Tamale Metropolis. The results were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Results: It was revealed that 2.9% respondants were using tramadol under physician prescription, 97.1% respondents were using tramadol without prescription from a physician which amount to abusing the drug. The study revealed that averagely, the daily milligram (mg) intake of tramadol among tricycle drivers in the Tamale metropolis was 155.5 ± 91.6 mg, with majority of respondents using tramadol by taking in various unapproved strengths/dosages of 500, 250, 200 and 150 dosages (mg) respectively. Conclusion: The study found out that the three most compelling reasons why tricycle drivers use tramadol are; to reinvigorate themselves and become physically active (38.1%), to relieve pains (20.0%) and peer pressure (14.5%). The study finally indicates that nausea, road accident, sleepingness and dizziness are possible effects of tramadol use. While, anxiety, depression, aggressiveness, seizures and inattentiveness and the inability to focus are the other side effects of tramadol use. VL - 10 IS - 2 ER -
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
Department of Social and Behavioural Change. School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana
