Alcohol and Tobacco Use Among Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Students in India: A Multicentric Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background:Substance use among medical fraternity is a well-known phenomenon among both undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) medical students. Yet, there have been very few multi-centric studies to estimate the actual burden of this problem in this important population group in India. This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use, assess the knowledge and attitudes towards this issue, and identify factors associated with substance use among UG and PG medical students in India.Methods:A pre-tested, self-report, anonymous questionnaire was administered to medical undergraduates and post graduate medical residents of eight medical colleges across India. This study used a convenience sample of medical colleges with random selection of study participants within each college for each group, UG and PG.Results:Prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use among UG students was 16.6%, 95% CI [14.5, 18.9] and 8.0%, 95% CI [6.4, 9.6], respectively, whereas prevalence was 31.5%, 95% CI [26.3, 37.0] and 14.5%, 95% CI [10.7, 18.9], respectively for PGs. For both substances, males had a higher prevalence of use compared to females in both groups (p < 0.001). Positive family history of substance use (p < 0.001 for both groups) and early age of initiation (p = 0.011 for tobacco; p > 0.05 for alcohol) were associated with a greater difficulty to quit the habit. Over 90% of study participants felt that substance use adversely affected their skills and reported not using substances prior to managing their patients.Conclusions:Since substance use is a relatively common phenomenon among UG and PG medical students in India, future prospective studies and interventions are required to better understand the pattern of substance use and reduce its prevalence.

Prevalence of Insulin Resistance and its Association with Obesity and Alcoholism in Male Medical Students of Bhopal

“…A multi-centric study across eight medical colleges of India showed the prevalence of alcohol consumption increased from 16.7% in undergraduate medical students to 31.5% in postgraduates, rate being higher in males. [20] However, even in our study, the alcoholic category had 20.4% more students with HOMA-IR>=2 as compared to non-alcoholic or abstaining students. The study was limited by its sample size, which prevented a more detailed stratified or re-gressional analysis of the confounders.…”

“…[18] Garg et al [19] reported 71.9% students started alcohol consumption after admission to a medical college, a third of which developed regular frequency. Goel et al [20] reported 16.7% alcoholism in medical students with higher prevalence in males. Prevalence of alcoholism found in our study is higher and could be a reflection of the higher socio-economic status of the students.…”

Depression and Alcohol Use in Undergraduate Medical Students in a Private Medical College

“…Hazardous and dependence level of drinking were seen more in males than females (76.1% and 87.5% respectively), which is similar to findings from other studies. [24,25,26] While hazardous drinking was more prevalent in final year (40.3%), dependence was equally present in second and final year. Hazardous (41.8%) and dependence (56.3%) level of drinking were seen more in those students who had failed once since joining the course.…”

Cross-sectional descriptive study of lifestyle patterns of undergraduate medical students in a metropolitan Medical College

“…[1][2][3][4][5] Many medical students in the United Arab Emirates were aware that their diet was unhealthy. 6 A majority of female Chinese University students with low body mass index (BMI) indicated a desire to be thin.…”