Background: Previous studies have associated certain risk factors with hazardous drinking in students. However, big cultur- al and geographical differences exist regarding alcohol use. Objectives: To determine whether or not there was a difference in hazardous drinking between Belgian and South African university students and to establish the risk factors that contribute to hazardous drinking in university students (calculated using the AUDIT-C) from a developing country (South Africa) and a developed country (Belgium). Methods: An online survey assessing hazardous drinking among university students in South Africa (University of KwaZu- lu-Natal, UKZN) and Belgium (University of Antwerp, UoA) was conducted, using the shortened version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C). Risk factors in males and females for hazardous drinking were explored using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: In total, 499 students were included in the study (250 UoA and 249 UKZN students). A significant higher amount of male (94.8%) as well as female (92.4%) UoA students drank alcohol in the last year compared to the male (66.2%) and female (67.8%) UKZN students (p<0.001). Additionally, a significant higher amount of UoA students were hazardous drinkers, compared to the UKZN students (p<0.001). Multivaiate analysis showed that male UoA students were almost 6 times more likely to be hazardous drinkers than male UKZN students (OR=5.611, p=0.005). Female UoA students were more than twice as likely to be hazardous drinkers than female UKZN students (OR=2.371, p=0.016). Conclusion: This study found a significant difference in hazardous drinking between Belgian and South African university students. Keywords: Hazardous drinking; university students; South Africa; Belgium.
Background Previous studies have associated certain risk factors with hazardous drinking in students. However, big cultural and geographical differences exist regarding alcohol use. In this study, we compare the alcohol use and hazardous drinking in Belgian (BE) and South African (SA) university students. Methods An online survey assessing alcohol use among university students in South Africa (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and Belgium (University of Antwerp) was conducted, using the shortened version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C). For male students a cut-off point of 5 was used for hazardous drinking and for female students a score of 4. In total, 499 students were included in the study (250 BE and 249 SA students). A comparative analysis between both universities was performed for men and women separately with a Pearson chi-square test or Mann-Whitney U test. Furthermore, the association between hazardous drinking and several exposure variables was explored using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results A significant higher amount of male (94.8%) as well as female (92.4%) BE students drank alcohol in the last year compared to the male (66.2%) and female (67.8%) SA students (p < 0.001). Additionally, a significant higher amount of BE students were hazardous drinkers, compared to the SA students (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that male BE students were approximately five times more likely to be hazardous drinkers than male SA students (OR = 5.057, 95% CI 1.378-18.556; p = 0.015). Female BE students were over twice more likely to be hazardous drinkers than female SA students (OR = 2.371, 95% CI 0.846-6.644; p = 0.099). Conclusions BE students drink significantly more alcohol and a significant higher proportion of BE students were hazardous drinkers compared to SA students. Qualitative research in both groups has been conducted to get more insight into the reasons of these differences and will also be presented at the Conference. Key messages When studying alcohol use (disorders) in university students, it is of utmost importance to take into account the socio-cultural context. After finding quantitatively assessed differences in alcohol use (disorder) across different socio-cultural settings, it is evenly important to find out about the reasons why.
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