International Study of Heavy Drinking: Attitudes and Sociodemographic Factors in University Students

Abstract

The authors studied the prevalence of heavy drinking among students in 21 developed and developing countries using an anonymous survey of 7,846 male and 9,892 female students aged 17 to 30 years. There were wide variations in the prevalence of drinking among countries, and the highest rates of heavy drinking (defined as 5 or more drinks for men and 4 or more drinks for women on at least 1 occasion over the past 2 weeks) were reported in Belgium, Colombia, Ireland, and Poland (men), and Ireland and England (women). Heavy drinking was associated with living away from home, having a wealthier family background, and having well-educated parents. Beliefs about the dangers to health of excessive consumption were negatively related to heavy drinking. Heavy drinking is a concern among students in several countries and is associated with greater affluence. Challenging beliefs concerning health risks is a crucial aspect of prevention in this population.

Socio-economic determinants for alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking in a Ugandan student population

“…In this study, however, this background was not, among the men, associated with engaging in monthly HED, as has been the case in studies from high-income settings (Dantzer et al, 2006;Humensky, 2010). Among the women, the results partially agree with the findings from affluent societies.…”

“…Our analyses showed that students from a more affluent and less traditional background-that is, those who were brought up in a relatively secular environment by well-educated parents-were more likely to use alcohol, which matches findings from higher-income settings (Dantzer et al, 2006;Silva, Malbergier, Stempliuk, & de Andrade, 2006). In this study, however, this background was not, among the men, associated with engaging in monthly HED, as has been the case in studies from high-income settings (Dantzer et al, 2006;Humensky, 2010).…”

“…A considerable body of research has studied the relationship between socio-economic determinants and alcohol use in a general population (Bloomfield, Grittner, Kramer, & Gmel, 2006;Mäkelä, 1999;Marmot, 1997;van Oers, Bongers, van de Goor, & Garretsen, 1999), as well as in sub-groups such as university students (Caamono-Isorna, Corral, Parada, & Cadaveira, 2008;Crawford, 1995;Dantzer, Wardle, Fuller, Pampalone, & Steptoe, 2006). These studies have found cultural background-specifically, faith and religious observance-to be of great importance (Bradby & Williams, 2006;Dotinga, van den Eijnden, Bosveld, & Garretsen, 2006).…”

Lifestyle habits and women's attitudes towards discussing them at a visit for contraceptive advice

“…The percentage of students (40 %) in the present study was also higher than the percentage of students in the HET (10 %). Alcohol habits among students have been studied earlier [28][29][30][31]. Dantzer et al…”

Illness Perceptions of Addiction and Substance Use Patterns among Psychology Students

“…For example, the perception that limiting alcohol consumption benefits health, correlates negatively with alcohol intake among university students [10]. Among adolescents in the Netherlands perceptions on the risk to become nicotine addicted predicted abstinence of cigarette smoking [11].…”