Evaluation of hazardous alcohol consumption prevalence of university students in Turkey

Abstract

Abstract Background The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption (HAC) according to gender among university students and associated factors. Methods The study is a cross-sectional study conducted on undergraduate students who were studying at Eskisehir Osmangazi University in 2019. To ensure a representative sample of 26036 students from all grade levels, we used a stratified sampling technique from 11 faculties at the university and the questionnaire was applied to 2349 undergraduate students. The prevalence of HAC was determined with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). HAC was defined as getting 8 points or more from the AUDIT. Multivariate logistic regression analyzes were performed to examine HAC related factors in males and females. Results 1250 (53.2%) of the participants were male. The age of the study group ranged between 18 and 35, and the mean (SD) was 21.04 (2.07) years. The prevalence of HAC in the study group was 13.5% (18.8% male and 8.2% female), and lifetime prevalence of alcohol use was 65.3% (74.5% male and 54.8% female). In males; those whose fathers [OR = 1.74; 95% CI: (1.18-2.55)], mothers [1.52; (1.04-2.22)], best friends [2.57; (1.35-4.88)] use alcohol and those who smoke [3.11; (2.06-4.71)], use illicit drugs [2.42; (1.68-3.47)], have depressive disorders [1.68; (1.06-2.68)] were more likely to report HAC. Meanwhile in females, those whose fathers [OR = 1.93; 95%CI: (1.03-3.62)], best friends [6.21; (1.83-21.05)] use alcohol and those who smoke [4.82; (2.53-9.17)], use illicit drugs [4.79; (2.52-9.10)] have depressive disorders [2.96; (1.63-5.39)] were more likely to report HAC. Conclusions HAC prevalence is high among university students. The risk of HAC increases with the use of alcohol in family and circle of friends, smoking, illegal substance usage and depressive disorders. The factors associated with the risk of HAC in males and females are similar. Key messages The university students are at a higher risk for HAC than the general population. Strategies should be developed to identify and prevent university students who are more likely to use hazardous alcohol and the situations that trigger this consumption model.