Prevalence of binge drinking and associated co-factors among medical students in a US Jesuit University

Abstract

Background: Alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of preventable death in the US. Limited research has been conducted examining drinking habits of medical students. Objective: This study was designed to measure the prevalence and associated risk factors of binge drinking among a sample of medical students. Methods: A total of 485 medical students at a private, Jesuit medical school in the US participated in a confidential web-based survey in April 2011. Univariate and multivariate generalized linear regressions with robust error variance were performed for estimated prevalence ratio (PR) of binge drinking. Results: The prevalence of binge drinking was 58.1% among the sampled medical students with the majority being white (67.0%) and between 18 and 25 years old (60.0%). After adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and year in medical school, there were statistically significant (p < 0.05) associations of drinking during an after-exam party (PR = 2.82), protective behavioral strategy (PR = 0.97 per 1-score increase), self-reported diagnosis of depression (PR = 1.19), tobacco use (PR = 1.21 for previous use, 1.39 for current use), and previous illicit drug use (PR = 1.24) with binge drinking. In addition, the prevalence of binge drinking decreased among this sample of the medical students with older age (PR = 0.80 for 26–28, 0.60 for >28, p < 0.01) compared to those of 18–25 years old. Conclusion: Binge drinking was highly prevalent among the sampled medical students, especially during an after-exam party. Identifying healthy coping strategies among medical students is warranted to reduce binge drinking.