This study explored substance use prevalence, level of risk, and associated factors, especially related to binge drinking. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 306 students using questionnaires and the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test-Youth screening tool. The associations between binge drinking and risk factors were analyzed by generalized linear models. Our results showed current prevalence rates of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs use were 56.9%, 22.9%, and 2.3%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that being a binge drinker was significantly associated with low self-efficacy, high sensation seeking, moderate to high smoking risk, and low grade point average.

IntroductionThe prevalence of alcohol use in teenagers has been increasing every year. The majority of alcohol drinkers were vocational students when compared with other educational settings. Sixty percent of Thai vocational students were found to use alcohol.MethodsOur research was a cross-sectional study in 306 vocational students, using the Alcohol Consumption Questionnaire, the ASSIST-Y (Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test-Youth) screening tool and a self-administered questionnaire. The association between alcohol drinking with sensation seeking, self-efficacy, right attitude and readiness to change factors were analyzed by binary logistic regression.ResultsMost students were males (57.5%) and 15–17 years of age (70.9%). Seventy-six-point eight percent of vocational students were in the lifetime drinker group. The binge drinker group was 32.7% and 10.5% were classified in a light drinker group. Sensation seeking was strongly associated with the binge drinker group and the light drinker group, especially the disinhibition dimension (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.34–2.00 and [OR] = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.19–2.06, respectively).ConclusionsOur research found sensation seeking, especially the disinhibition dimension was a significant factor for monitoring drinking behavior. We recommended that every vocational student should be monitored for sensation seeking factors.