Abstract
ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE To describe the process of elaboration and validation of the Scale of Perceptions about Alcohol Consumption in Higher Education Students in a Portuguese sample, considering the relationship between alcohol use rates and students’ perceptions about the effects of this consumption.METHODS The validation study included 531 Portuguese college freshmen who answered the instrument, which is composed of five items that express positive perceptions and five items that express negative perceptions about the effects of alcohol consumption.RESULTS Evidence of content validity, internal structure and external variables were obtained. The results of the factor analysis confirm the distribution of positive and negative perceptions by two different factors according to the theoretical model. Adequate internal consistency indexes were obtained for each dimension. The data obtained showed expected correlations between the perceptions and consumption behaviors of the students, indicating evidence of criterion validity of the scale. Moreover, the study showed that different consumption patterns between men and women, with higher alcohol consumption in the students’ households and restaurants or cafés by male students, in addition to the similarity in the consumption pattern between the two genders in parties and bars or nightclubs.CONCLUSION The data obtained show the validity of the instrument. In the discussion, the article presents considerations about the responsibility of higher education institutions in the prevention and reduction in consumption rates among their students.
Highlights
Alcohol consumption is considered a serious social and public health problem by the World Health Organization (WHO), with a high rate in the most economically developed countries in Europe and the Americas[1], especially among the academic population
In Brazil, official data of the 1st National Survey on Alcohol Use among university students showed that 67% of men and 56% of women reported having consumed alcohol in the last 30 days, suggesting a pattern of recurrent use
The survey showed that only 27% of Brazilian higher education institutions developed some modality of prevention program or project and/or guidance and/or assistance to students regarding alcohol use[2]
Summary
Alcohol consumption is considered a serious social and public health problem by the World Health Organization (WHO), with a high rate in the most economically developed countries in Europe and the Americas[1], especially among the academic population. In Portugal, excessive alcohol consumption is a public health problem among university students, among those of the first year. WHO3 indicates that Portugal is one of the countries with the highest annual alcohol consumption among the adult population aged 15 years or over (12.9 L of pure alcohol/person), higher than 10.9 L in Europe and twice the world average consumption. According to the latest National Health Survey4, 67.3% of young Portuguese between 15 and 24 years old reported having a risk consumption pattern of alcohol consumption in the prior 12 months
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