P03-271 - Alcohol: use and related problems - gender analysis

Abstract

IntroductionA variety of inconsistencies in the pattern of alcohol use exists between male and female genders.AimTo examine the differences in the rate alcohol use and related problems in the general students’ population in Minsk, Belarus.Materials and methodsA total of 465 males (mean age of 21yrs) and 1030 females (mean age of 20.5yrs) were administered standardized anonymous AUDIT questionnaire. The cut-off point on the AUDIT was set at 8. Statistical analysis: All data analyses were performed using SPSS 16.0 version for Windows; the Pearson criteria and t-test. The probability value for significance was set at p< 0.05. All volumes of alcohol are in values of pure ethanol.ResultsAll in all, 85.7% males and 88.5% females were alcohol users. On the average, the total monthly quantities of alcohol use by the males and females were 131.3ml and 100.9ml respectively. Problem drinkers were 33.7% males and 10.1% females.Discussion and conclusionEven though the rate of alcohol use for the males and females was approximately the same, the percentage of related problems was significantly higher among the male population. Also, the quantity of alcohol use was higher among the males. The present study confirms that alcohol related problems are higher among males, compared to females.