Actual Alcohol Use Research Articles

The relationship between obstetrical outcomes and alcohol use in the year prior to pregnancy

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to examine problems related to alcohol use as reported covering the year prior to pregnancy in a general prenatal care seeking sample. The relationship of alcohol use to a number of pregnancy and birth complications (premature rupture of membrane, birthweight, weeks gestation and APGAR) was examined.Methods. A total of 940 prenatal care-seeking women completed the TWEAK, a brief measure of alcohol use problems during the previous year. Measures were completed by women at an average of 25 weeks gestation (SD = 9.7) in the waiting areas of university-affiliated obstetrics clinics in the US. Pregnancy and birth complications were gathered via medical record search and completed on all cases.Results. Controlling for cigarette use and key demographic variables, only pre-pregnancy elevated TWEAK (≥2) was significantly and consistently related to each obstetrical outcome in multivariate analyses in the total sample. Analyses showed that pre-pregnancy TWEAK was related to PROM and lower birthweight among the sample of women (n = 800) who reported no actual alcohol use during pregnancy.Conclusions. Results suggest that a brief screening for alcohol use problems may detect women either in early pregnancy or pre-conceptually, that may be at risk for potentially harmful pregnancy and birth outcomes, including women who deny prenatal alcohol use.

The prognostic power of normative influences among NCAA student-athletes

This study evaluated the predictive power of perceived descriptive and injunctive norms on intercollegiate student-athlete alcohol consumption and attitudes toward drinking-related behaviors. The sample consisted of 594 NCAA student-athletes from two geographically opposite sites. Norms variables utilized a school and gender-specific athletic peer reference group. Results indicate that respondents reported greater perceived injunctive norms than actual attitudes, and greater perceived descriptive norms than actual alcohol use. Further, after accounting for demographics and alcohol motivations, perceived injunctive norms were the strongest predictors of athletes' attitudes with the final model explaining 54% of the variance. Similarly, perceived descriptive norms were among the strongest predictors of alcohol use with the final model explaining 69% of the variance. Future research may want to use both of these perceived norms constructs to create a more salient and targeted social norms intervention aimed at reducing risky behavior and permissive alcohol-related attitudes among this population. Utilizing this strong peer reference group as well as targeting both injunctive and descriptive norms may increase the power and saturation of prevention and intervention strategies.

Normas percebidas por estudantes universitários sobre o uso de álcool pelos pares

O álcool é a droga lícita de maior prevalência entre estudantes universitários e consumida de forma recreacional. Os objetivos deste estudo foram identificar as normas percebidas sobre o uso de álcool entre estudantes universitários, contrastar a percepção dos estudantes em relação ao uso de álcool por seus pares com a atual prevalência do uso de álcool e comparar o próprio uso de álcool com a percepção do uso de álcool pelos pares. Utilizou-se a técnica (survey) com 275 estudantes de uma universidade pública do Rio de Janeiro (Brasil), em 2008. A percepção dos estudantes sobre o uso de álcool pelos pares uma vez na vida e nos últimos doze meses foi acurada, porém, em relação aos últimos trinta dias houve percepção errônea (hiperestimativa). Os estudantes consomem bebidas alcoólicas de forma recreacional, principalmente em festas e bares, em companhia de amigos e pares. O consumo se mostra acima dos padrões estabelecidos.

Young Children, Adolescents and Alcohol—Part I: Exploring Knowledge and Awareness of Alcohol and Related Issues

ABSTRACT This article explores young children's and adolescents' views pertaining to: knowledge and awareness of alcohol and alcohol related issues; social situations in which alcohol use is present; orientation to alcohol risk; preceived and actual alcohol use; social image and reputation; and short and long term health beliefs in relation to alcohol. Forty focus groups were conducted with 240 primary school students (118 males and 122 females) and 24 focus groups were conducted with 192 high school students (90 males and 102 females); the total being 64 focus groups comprising 432 school students. Participants ages ranged from five years three months to 16 years 10 months. the videotaped discussions revealed that approximately 75% of the primary school-aged children and almost all of the high school students reported that they had tasted alcohol. Parents were primsry responsible for providing the alcohol. Virtually all participants recognised and were able to correctly name a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and levels of knowledge and awareness of the health and safety aspects of alcohol were relatively mixed. Presentation of bottles and cans was reported as being important in attracting young persons. These data suggest there is an urgent need for research addressed to the development of prevention/intervention education curriculum materials for use with primary school-aged children.

Diabetic Patients' Alcohol Use and Quality of Life: Relationships with Prescribed Treatment Compliance among Older Males

One hundred fifty-four males attending an outpatient diabetes clinic were interviewed to determine the incidence of alcohol use among them and to identify mechanisms by which alcohol use adversely affects the control of diabetes. Specifically, we determined how diabetic patients' use of alcohol is related to compliance with their diabetes treatment regimen, and diabetic patients' expectations of benefits from drinking alcohol and actual alcohol use is related to their quality of life. Greater alcohol use was related to poorer prescribed insulin injection compliance (p < 0.01), and stronger expectations of immediate, positive consequences of drinking alcohol were related to several indices of lower quality of life (p < 0.005). These results imply interactive relationships among diabetics' alcohol use and expectancies, treatment compliance, and quality of life.

Legal Attitudes, Permissive Norm Qualities, and Substance Use: A Comparison of American Indian and Non-Indian Youth

Youthful drug use violates both formal law and informal norms for conventional behavior. Analyses of influences on permissive drug attitudes and behaviors among adolescents should, therefore, focus on both attitude toward the law and the informal normative climate of these youths. Legal attitude and norm qualities, however, can vary depending on the cultural and situational context. We examine the effect of legal attitude and norm qualities on drug permissiveness attitudes, as well as actual alcohol and marijuana use of 196 adolescents comprising three cultural groups: American Indian residents of a rural community, non-Indian residents of the same community, and transient Indians attending a job-training program in the community. In general, for all three groups, legal attitude primarily affects permissiveness toward drug use, while norm qualities of peers and personal permissiveness influence actual substance use. However, the three cultural groups vary in the relative salience of these variables.

Alcohol and Drug Use, Family Situation and School Performance in Adolescent Children of Alcoholics

A survey was conducted in a population of about 8000 Greek high school students (grades 9 and 12) in order to investigate factors possibly contributing to alcohol consumption. A self-rating multiple choice questionnaire was used. The present report focuses on students with alcoholic parents. Parameters studied include students' alcohol and drug use, school performance, family relationships, socioeconomic factors and parental control. In 3.3% of the sample parental alcoholism was reported. The results indicated that parental alcoholism is a strong predictor variable for the student's alcohol and drug use. Furthermore, predictability of the student's alcohol and drug use is increased when relatives' and friends' alcoholism are taken into account. Thus, family and/or peer actual alcohol use patterns appear to be a strong influence on adolescent alcohol and drug use. School performance is worse in children of alcoholics, and family situations (eg. divorces) as well as family dynamics (relationships with the family) are disturbed, in comparison with families of students with nonalcoholic parents. These results are discussed in terms of 'modelling' for drinking and drug behaviour and the socialisation process within the family.