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

Abstract

Aims: To examine whether the socio-economic determinants of alcohol use found in high-income university student settings are also true of Uganda. Results:Multivariate logistic regression showed the following socio-economic determinants to be positively associated with alcohol consumption: having attended boarding school (for males only); being Catholic; religion not playing a big role while growing up; head of household having had secondary education or higher (for females only); being a student of development studies, tropical forest conservation or computer science (the latter two for males only). Being Muslim or, for males, being a non-Anglican Protestant were negatively related to alcohol use. Different patterns were found for heavy episodic drinking. Being a male Muslim or a male student of development studies was positively related to heavy episodic drinking; while among females, being of a non-classified faith, having had a head of the household with a secondary education, not being raised by both parents, or being a student of development studies or science were positively related to heavy episodic drinking. Conclusion:Alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking on a monthly basis among the students at MUST seem linked to a student's socio-economic background, with varying patterns for male and female students.

Is drinking alcohol associated with sexual coercion among Ugandan university students?: a cross-sectional study

“…Even though, Ugandan universities have a zero tolerance policy against drinking and no alcohol is allowed on campuses, students still continue to drink [21]. …”

Family Factors Associated with Consumption of Spirits: A Comparative Gender-Based Study of Ugandan Students in Public Secondary Schools

“…ese findings are not surprising, as several similar results show that family religiosity is protective of alcohol consumption. For instance, Stafström and Agardh [8] found that family religiosity significantly predicted alcohol consumption among students. Furthermore, in their study to determine religion and religiosity as predictors of alcohol use among adults at a fishing site in Uganda, Tumwesigye et al [28] found that people reporting low religiosity were five times more likely to have consumed alcohol.…”

“…Moreover, the patterns of alcohol consumption among the youths in Uganda show signs of family influence [5]. e family, as part of the social apparatus, defines alcohol consumption among Uganda's youthful populations [6][7][8]. Despite these sources underpinning family dynamics as controlling youth drinking in Uganda, and to the best of our knowledge, no single study has set to investigate family influences on alcohol consumption among the youth.…”

“…To another extent, family influences regarding alcohol consumption among adolescents are inclusive of other factors, such as family religious values. For instance, it has been opined that family religiosity and growing up with religious parents significantly predicted low alcohol consumption among youth [8]. It is widely believed that when parents or guardians hold strong religious values, their children are less likely to consume alcohol [15].…”

Exploring an association between online alcohol advertisements and alcohol drinking among college students in Kenya

“…In Uganda, the relationship between alcohol use and risky sexual behaviour is complex, and it may be influenced by a combination of social, physiological, and individual personality traits (Choudhry, Agardh, Stafström & Östergren, 2014). In another study, Stafström and Agardh (2012) suggest that alcohol consumption and monthly heavy episodic drinking (HED) among students in Uganda are associated with socioeconomic background factors, but with different patterns for young men and women. Similarly, Ramsoomar and Morojele (2012) report that, although South Africa has made significant strides in alcohol control and prevention of alcohol-related harm over the past decade, early alcohol initiation remains a concern and binge drinking is increasing, especially among females.…”