Hazardous use of alcohol among undergraduate students at a public university

Abstract

Background: The potentially harmful consequences of alcohol use among undergraduates have become a growing concern in recent years. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hazardous use of alcohol in this population and to identify demographic and psychosocial factors associated with this pattern of consumption. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using an anonymous and self-completed questionnaire in the classroom. The questionnaire was administered to 1,290 enrolled male and female students, which comprised a proportional sample of the main areas of knowledge at University of Campinas. The questionnaire produced sociodemographic and psychosocial profiles and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was used to detect hazardous use of alcohol. Results: The prevalence of hazardous use of alcohol among the study participants was 24%. Male gender, subjective perceived social support in case of difficulties, being sexually active, not dating, having smoked tobacco cigarettes or marijuana, and having used other illicit psychoactive substances were associated with hazardous use of alcohol. Discussion: Variables related to gender, sexuality, affective partnerships, and consumption of other psychoactive substances were associated with hazardous use of alcohol, which was identified in a quarter of the evaluated students, and indicate the need for strategies to prevent and to treat problems.

Child Abuse as a Predictor of Alcohol Consumption Among Brazilian University Students

“…However, university parties usually last longer than 2 hr, in which case the intake of five doses would not reach an alcohol concentration of 0.08 g/L for most young people in a period exceeding 2 hr (Courtney & Polich, 2009). As the period of consumption was circumscribed, it would be expected that the binge consumption rates found in this study would be lower than those of other Brazilian studies, however similar rates were observed (Andrade et al, 2010;Santos et al, 2014). The data presented in our investigation indicate that 25.3% of college students had taken part in binge consumption in the past month, whereas in the United States this frequency was of 39% (SAMHSA, 2014).…”

<p>Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Factors Among Jimma University Undergraduate Students</p>

“…14 The prevalence of hazardous use of alcohol among undergraduate students at a public university in Brazil was 24%. 15 Patterns of alcohol use on a South African university campus showed 8.5% of the undergraduate students have harmful alcohol consumption. 16 The relationship between alcohol consumption and perceived social support (PSS) is complex; perhaps even more so among those with AUD.…”