Abstract
Objective: To know the socioeconomic profile and compare the patterns of alcohol consumption among freshmen and juniors attending healthcare courses at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG), in Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative descriptive study. The sample comprised 351 college students attending Biological Sciences (both teaching degree and bachelor’s degree), Physical Education, Nursing, Medicine and Psychology. Data were collected by a socio-demographic questionnaire and by the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and underwent descriptive analysis, analysis of variance, G-test and contingency tables. Results: Alcohol consumption was higher among women. Even though their drinking pattern was considered lowrisk level, students engaged in binge drinking and had occasional blackouts after the intake of alcoholic beverages. Conclusion: It is important to plan and implement educational programs with the students in order to clarify the National Alcohol Policy and warn them about the limits of low-risk drinking.
Highlights
Alcohol is one of the most widely used drug substances in the world
Answers to questions seven to 10 of the AUDIT [3], which consider alcohol-related problems, revealed that 75 (21%) college students have already had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking: seven (2%) of them felt it monthly, two (1%) felt it weekly and one (0%) felt it almost
By analyzing the patterns of alcohol consumption of the participants and comparing the variable “gender”, this study showed that 202 (57%) women were characterized as low-risk drinkers, 34 (10%) were medium-risk drinkers and two (1%) were involved in harmful alcohol consumption
Summary
Alcohol is one of the most widely used drug substances in the world. Even though a lot of people drink alcoholic beverages, regardless of age, gender, schooling and income, their consumption pattern varies in the context they are involved in. The moment, the frequency, the kind of alcoholic beverage, as well as changes in behavior and health may vary [1,2]. In order to better identify drinking patterns in the population, health professionals may use standardized questionnaires which provide parameters to screen for problems associated with alcohol. The AUDIT [3], which was published for the first time in 1989 and developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a tenquestion test whose answers score between zero and four. The following four categories indicate the levels of alcohol consumption:a score from zero to seven means low risk alcohol consumption; a score from eight to fifteen is suggestive of some risk; a score from sixteen to nineteen indicates harmful use of alcohol; and a score of twenty or more is suggestive of a strong likelihood of alcohol dependence [2]
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