Hazardous, harmful and dependent drinking in hostel-dwelling students at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of hazardous, harmful and dependent drinking among hostel-dwelling students on the main campus of the University of the Free State (UFS), and the influence of sex and academic year on the habit.Method: A quarter of all hostel-dwelling students of UFS were selected by systematic random sampling. Willing participants completed a questionnaire comprising a demographic section and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).Results: Of the 339 participants with total AUDIT scores, 15.6% exhibited hazardous drinking, 4.1% harmful drinking and 5.6% alcohol dependence. Male students had a statistically significant higher prevalence (32.8%) of hazardous, harmful or dependent drinking than female students (18.9%). Women, however, are biologically more vulnerable to the ill effects of alcohol due to altered pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of alcohol. In addition, intoxicated women suffer more biological and social risks. When the cut-off point for hazardous drinking was adapted to account for the increased biological vulnerability of women, the difference between female and male participants was no longer significant. First year male students were less likely to engage in unsafe drinking than senior students. Female students in the alcohol dependent category showed an increasing trend over advancing academic year.Conclusions: Follow-up studies are needed to confirm whether a significant difference in hazardous drinking of first year male students compared to seniors reflects the influence of university policy or merely precedes drinking acculturation.