Prevalence, determinants and impacts of khat chewing among professional drivers in Southwestern Saudi Arabia

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of khat chewing, and explore its social, economic and work impacts and examine its relation with road traffic accidents (RTA) among professional drivers in Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 215 drivers recruited from transport stations in Jazan region by random cluster sampling. An interview questionnaire was utilized for data collection, and 47.4% of drivers were currently khat chewers. Using a logistic regression, the independent predictors of khat chewing were being a citizen of Saudi Arabia, divorced or widowed, working for less than 4 hours/day, and a non-seatbelt user. Khat chewing was significantly associated with shorter working hours; higher average number of significant RTA, and higher frequency of traffic violation. In conclusion, khat chewing habit affected almost half of the professional drivers in Jazan area. Moreover, khat chewing was associated with impaired working ability and productivity, family conflicts, and violation of traffic rules.