Drinking Of Alcoholic Beverages Research Articles

Profile of Patients with Oral Cavity Cancer Seen at the Department of Ear Nose Throat – Head and Neck Surgery of the Bicol Medical Center

ABSTRACT
 Objective: To determine the profile of patients with oral cavity cancer seen at the Ear, Nose and Throat – Head and Neck Surgery (ENT-HNS) Department of the Bicol Medical Center from January 2018 to December 2020.Methods: Design: Retrospective review of records Setting: Tertiary Government Training Hospital Participants: Medical records of patients with oral cavity lesions with malignant biopsy results seen at the Bicol Medical Center Department of ENT-HNS from January 2018 to December 2020.Results: Records of 42 patients were included, 30 (71%) male; 12 (29%) female with the mean age of 62 ± 10.02 (range 34 to 80 years old). Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histopathologic diagnosis (38/42; 91%), mostly affecting the anterior tongue (16/42; 38%) and buccal regions (14/42; 33%). Most tumors were in advanced stages: 25/42 (59%) in stage IVA; 7 (17%) in stage IVB. A total of 61% (17) of 28 oral cavity cancer patients with recorded risk factors practiced a combination of two or three high risk habits (betel nut chewing, tobacco smoking, alcoholic beverage intake) and a third practiced all three (10/28; 36%).Conclusion: The profile of oral cavity cancer patients in our study is different from the reported profiles in Asia and European and US counterparts. Our profile patient is a married male farmer in the 7th decade of life with poor dental hygiene and advanced stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and buccal region, and combined habits of regular alcoholic beverage drinking, chronic tobacco smoking, and/or betel nut chewing, who lives in coastal or mountainous communities where access to health care may be limited.

Correction to: Ultra-Processed Food Consumption is Associated with Alcoholic Beverage Drinking, Tobacco Smoking, and Illicit Drug Use in Adolescents: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Correction to: Ultra-Processed Food Consumption is Associated with Alcoholic Beverage Drinking, Tobacco Smoking, and Illicit Drug Use in Adolescents: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption is Associated with Alcoholic Beverage Drinking, Tobacco Smoking, and Illicit Drug Use in Adolescents: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

Abstract Background Although evidence suggests that ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption may trigger addictive behaviors, the association between UPF intake and psychoactive substances remains unclear among adolescents, a group especially vulnerable to addiction and its potentially harmful effects on health. Objective To analyze the association between the consumption of UPF and alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs in adolescent students. Method This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the National School-Based Health Survey (PeNSE 2019), which collected information from a representative population-based sample of students aged 13–17 years in Brazil. UPF consumption was self-reported in a 24-h recall. Lifetime and use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs in the last month were also reported. Multinomial logistic regression models estimated the relative risk ratios (RRR) (95% confidence intervals – CI) because the outcome variables comprised four categories representing varying frequencies of use of psychoactive substances. Results The mean ± standard error number of different UPF consumed among the 95,074 adolescents included (52.3% girls) was 4.37 ± 0.02. The results from adjusted models revealed that, compared to those who reported low UPF consumption (1st tertile), those who consumed more UPF (3rd tertile) were more likely to report frequent (≥ 3 days in the last month) drinking of alcoholic beverages (RRR = 2.19; 95% CI: 1.87, 2.56), illicit drugs (RRR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.87, 2.85) and occasional (one or two days in the last month) smoking (RRR = 1.30; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.60). Conclusions UPF consumption was associated with alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use in a national sample of Brazilian adolescents.

Monitoring of the population health and health risk factors (research methodology)

The article considers the dynamics of health indicators and health risk factors in Russia, including in comparison to the OECD countries. The study is based on the Russian statistical data, OECD data, and Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE). The key public health indicator - the life expectancy (years of life at birth) - shows the negative dynamics in 2020 (71.54), while some other health indicators, on the contrary, show the positive dynamics, such as the self-rated health (the share of population aged 15+ in poor health deceased). 10.8 % of Russian adults consider themselves to be in poor health, which is higher than in the OECD countries. The share of people who assess their health as good and very good has increased over the 25 years of the study: the share of women has doubled (17.5 % in 1994 and 35.1 % in 2020); the share of men has increased by 13.2 % (34.4 % and 47.6 %). The share of people who drink alcohol and of men who smoke has decreased. However, there are negative trends that accompany risk factors: early initiation of smoking (8.5 % started smoking at 13 years and earlier, the majority (78.3 %) started smoking at puberty - at 18 and earlier; half of smokers smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day). The majority (66 %) of the RLMS participants at least occasionally drink alcoholic beverages, including beer (69.6 % of men and 55.3 % of women); never drink alcohol 34 % (30.4 % and 44.7 %). Every tenth respondent (11.9 %) tried an alcohol for the first time at the age of 14 or earlier; 77.9 % - at 18 and earlier. Over 25 years, the share of people with normal weight has decreased: 57.3 % of men and 43.4 % of women in 1994; 43.8 % and 40.5 % - in 2020. The share of overweight people has increased from 40 % of men and 51.9 % of women in 1994 to 53.5 % and 55.7 % in 2020.

Diagnostic meaning of urinary ethyl glucoside concentrations in relationship to alcoholic beverage consumption

Incidents and accidents often involve the drinking of alcoholic beverages. We investigated compounds that indicate the consumption of alcoholic beverages even after ethanol (EtOH) becomes undetectable in blood and urine. Ethyl glucoside (EG) has been isolated as a possible drinking marker, and a GC–MS/MS method for EG isomers has been developed. EG isomers in several alcoholic beverages were analyzed. In sake, only αEG was observed in high concentrations. In wine and beer, both α and βEG were detected. Whisky, however, did not contain EG. EtOH and EG concentrations were analyzed in urine up to 48 h after ingestion. Maximum EtOH concentrations were reached in 1–2 h and was mostly eliminated in 6 h. Maximum EG concentrations were reached in 3–6 h, gradually decreased, and remained low after 24 h. After drinking sake, the αEG concentrations were much higher than that of other alcoholic beverages. After drinking wine or beer, βEG was detected, but lower than αEG. Also, αEG was detected in urine after drinking whisky that contained no EG. This suggested that αEG may be synthesized in vivo. Disaccharide-degrading enzymes such as α-glucosidase are present in the human small intestine. It was considered that αEG was synthesized when alcohol was consumed with certain foods, such as carbohydrates. In actual forensic autopsy cases, EtOH and EG isomer analysis provided useful information regarding drinking history. In conclusion, it is considered that urinary EG isomers can be used as drinking markers that complement EtOH analysis.

Impact of social environment on alcohol‐induced behavior

Alcohol consumption occurring in social or solitary settings often yield different behavioral responses. For example, drinking of alcoholic beverages in a social setting is associated with enhanced positive effects including euphoria and increased sociality while drinking in a solitary setting is linked to augmented negative effects such as depressive symptoms and anxiety. The neurobiological mechanism by which the social environment impacts on behavioral responses to alcohol, however, remains understudied. Using the Drosophilamodel, we investigated whether distinct social environments affect behavioral responses to ethanol. In this study, we focused on the hyper‐locomotor activity that is typically used as a proxy for euphoria induced by ethanol. Wild‐type Canton‐S (CS) flies were exposed to ethanol in either socially‐isolated (1 fly per chamber) or socially‐enriched (13 flies per chamber) settings and their locomotor activities were analyzed. We found that the socially‐enriched flies showed significantly more hyperactivity under the influence of ethanol compared to the singly exposed flies. This suggests that the presence of other flies amplifies ethanol‐induced euphoria. Dopamine is known to be important for social interactions thus we explored the role of dopamine in the social effect on the ethanol response by examining the dopamine transporter mutant fumin with hyperdopaminergic tone. When exposed to ethanol in a social setting, fuminmutants showed the augmented hyperactivity compared to the singly exposed fumin as well as single‐ and group‐ exposed CSflies. Together, these findings suggest that hyperdopaminergic signaling augments the effect of social enrichment on the ethanol response. The findings of this study provide important information regarding the mechanism by which genetic (dopamine transporter) and non‐genetic (social context) factors interact for the locomotor response to ethanol.

Eating and drinking habits and its association with obesity in Japanese healthy adults: retrospective longitudinal big data analysis using a health check-up database.

Few longitudinal studies have evaluated the association between eating and drinking habits and the risk of obesity. Therefore, we conducted a 5-year longitudinal big data analysis for evaluating various eating and drinking habits and the risk of obesity. We analysed individuals without obesity who received medical check-ups from 2008 to 2012 and 5 years later from the JMDC Health check-up database. The primary outcome was the incidence of obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), and the secondary outcome was the incidence of abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥ 85 cm for men and 90 cm for women). Age- and sex-adjusted, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted. Of 123182 individuals without obesity at baseline, the median age was 45 (interquartile range 40, 51) years and 76965 (62·5 %) were men. After 5 years, 7133 (5·8 %) people developed obesity and 12725 (10·3 %) people developed abdominal obesity. Among six eating and drinking habits, skipping breakfast was associated with a higher risk of obesity (OR 1·21; 99 % CI 1·10, 1·34). In contrast, occasional (OR 0·86; 99 % CI 0·78, 0·94) or daily (OR 0·79; 99 % CI 0·68, 0·91) drinking of alcoholic beverages was associated with a lower risk of obesity. According to the 5-year longitudinal data, eating and drinking habits such as mild to moderate alcohol consumption and avoiding skipping breakfast may result in better obesity prevention. However, excess alcohol consumption would be harmful and should be avoided.

Nutritional Status among Filipino Elderly: Prevalence and Correlates

Objective: The dual burden of undernutrition and overnutrition has received attention around the world, especially in the Philippines, where malnutrition is an issue that the country is continuously facing. Malnutrition have been prevalent and alarming concerns among the Filipino elderly through the years. Several studies support the claim that the prevalence of malnutrition is associated with factors, such as socioeconomic status, biochemical, clinical, dietary intake, and food security. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with the nutritional status of the Filipino elderly.
 Materials and Methods: The study utilized the 2013 National Nutrition Survey. Data of the 1,807 sampled Filipino elderly who had no physical defects were considered. The Rao-Scott test and a multiple correspondence analysis were conducted to assess the association of the nutritional status of the Filipino elderly with the socio-demographics, health/clinical conditions, and nutrient intake factors.
 Results: Majority (54.97%) of the Filipino elderly had a normal nutritional status. However, both the prevalence of underweight and overweight are still alarming with a 20.19% and 24.83% rate, respectively. The socio-demographic characteristics found that are associated with the nutritional status of the Filipino elderly include age, sex, occupation, and education. Health conditions and behavioral risk factors such as smoking and drinking alcohol beverages were also found to have significant association with the elderly’s nutritional status. Lastly, a significant association between the nutritional status and the intake of nutrients such as iron, Vitamin A, niacin, and thiamine was observed.
 Conclusion: With both underweight and overweight/obesity still rampant among the Filipino elderly, their lifestyle and food intake should be given much attention. Further studies about the nutritional status of the Filipino elderly should be conducted to have a sufficient basis on how society can help the elderly maintain and improve their nutritional conditions.

Effects of the Non-Alcoholic Fraction of Beer on Abdominal Fat, Osteoporosis, and Body Hydration in Women

Several studies have shown that binge drinking of alcoholic beverages leads to non-desirable outcomes, which have become a serious threat to public health. However, the bioactive compounds in some alcohol-containing beverages might mitigate the negative effects of alcohol. In beer, the variety and concentration of bioactive compounds in the non-alcoholic fraction suggests that its consumption at moderate levels may not only be harmless but could also positively contribute to an improvement of certain physiological states and be also useful in the prevention of different chronic diseases. The present review focuses on the effects of non-alcoholic components of beer on abdominal fat, osteoporosis, and body hydration in women, conditions selected for their relevance to health and aging. Although beer drinking is commonly believed to cause abdominal fat deposition, the available literature indicates this outcome is inconsistent in women. Additionally, the non-alcoholic beer fraction might improve bone health in postmenopausal women, and the effects of beer on body hydration, although still unconfirmed seem promising. Most of the health benefits of beer are due to its bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenols, which are the most studied. As alcohol-free beer also contains these compounds, it may well offer a healthy alternative to beer consumers.

Depression: a common comorbidity in women with rheumatoid arthritis—results from an Austrian cross-sectional study

ObjectivesPrevious research showed that depression is common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the prevalence very much depends on different assessment tools and sociocultural differences, respectively. The main study aim and...

Persepsi Kontrol Perilaku dalam Niat Berhenti Mengonsumsi Minuman Beralkohol pada Mahasiswa di Surabaya

Alcohol misuse problem has been a concern all around the world, especially among adolescent. Consume alcohol beverages might cause a several problem both physically and mentally, serious accident, and also an increase in criminality. This study was about to describe perceived behavioral control of individu which can effect someone’s intention to stop drinking alcohol. This study was a qualitative research using phenomenology approachment. The data was collected with in-depth interview technique. Informant in this study was about 7 people and was selected with snowball sampling. The result showed that all of the informant had a perceived behavioral control to support their intention not consumed alcohol beverages. There were 4 informants which had a positive perceived behavioral control whilst the rest of informants had a negative perceived behavioral control. In conclusion, perceived behavioral control may effect someone’s intention to stop drinking alcohol. In addition, peer education as a social support is needed to be an effort in controlling someone’s behavior to stop drinking alcohol beverages.

Alcohol Interaction with Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Opioids, Nicotine, Cannabis, and γ-Hydroxybutyric Acid.

Millions of people around the world drink alcoholic beverages to cope with the stress of modern lifestyle. Although moderate alcohol drinking may have some relaxing and euphoric effects, uncontrolled drinking exacerbates the problems associated with alcohol abuse that are exploding in quantity and intensity in the United States and around the world. Recently, mixing of alcohol with other drugs of abuse (such as opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, cannabis, and γ-hydroxybutyric acid) and medications has become an emerging trend, exacerbating the public health concerns. Mixing of alcohol with other drugs may additively or synergistically augment the seriousness of the adverse effects such as the withdrawal symptoms, cardiovascular disorders, liver damage, reproductive abnormalities, and behavioral abnormalities. Despite the seriousness of the situation, possible mechanisms underlying the interactions is not yet understood. This has been one of the key hindrances in developing effective treatments. Therefore, the aim of this article is to review the consequences of alcohol’s interaction with other drugs and decipher the underlying mechanisms.

HUBUNGAN PENGETAHUAN TERHADAP PERILAKU KONSUMSI MINUMAN KERAS MAHASISWA SUMBA DI DUSUN TAMBAK BAYAN KECAMATAN DEPOK KABUPATEN SLEMAN YOGYAKARTA

ABSTRACT Background: The area of Tambak Bayan Village, Depok District, SlemanRegency is dominated by boarding houses, rent houses, and student dormitories. Most of the students who live in this area are originally from Sumba Regency. In a previous study conducted in this village, more than 75% of students from Sumba in this region drink alcoholic beverages. Knowledge is the basis for the formation of a behavior. The drinking often triggers social issues such as commotion, acts of violence, beatings, and other things that disturb public security in the Tambak Bayan Village.Aim: To analyze the relation between knowledge and alcohol drinking behavior of Sumba students in Tambak Bayan Village, Depok District, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta. Method: This was an analytical observational study with a cross-sectional design. The study subjects were 80 individuals. The data was collected via questionnaires and analyzed with the fisher analysis. Results: There were 98,8 % (79 respondents) individuals who had goodknowledge and 80 % (64 respondents) individuals admitted to drinking alcoholic beverages. There was no relation between knowledge and alcohol drinking behavior of Sumba students in Tambak Bayan Village, Depok District, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta (p-value 0,2 > 0,05). Suggestion: Good knowledge does not guarantee a person not to drink alcoholic beverages.

Prevalence and co-occurrence of unhealthy lifestyle habits and behaviours among secondary school students in Tuscany, central Italy.

Unhealthy habits acquired during adolescence may persist in adulthood and eventually increase the risk of chronic illnesses. We reported on a survey conducted in 2013-2015 among secondary school students in Tuscany, central Italy. We compared the prevalence of self-reported lifestyle characteristics and overweight/obesity between genders and age groups (14-16 vs 17-21 years). We partitioned each gender- and age-specific stratum into groups based on cigarette smoking and engagement in sport activities, and compared the prevalence of other unhealthy lifestyles across groups using Poisson regression. Overall, 2167 students (53.3% males, mean age 16.8 years) were included. Males were more frequently overweight/obese than females. Cigarette smoking increased with age and did not differ by gender. Males were more likely to engage in sport activities, drink alcoholic beverages and adopt other unhealthy lifestyle habits, whereas females reported a more frequent use of painkillers. Cigarette smoking was the single lifestyle characteristic most consistently associated with other unhealthy habits. The prevalence and patterns of co-occurrence of unhealthy lifestyle habits varied by gender and age group among secondary school students in Italy. Our findings should be taken into account when planning public health initiatives aiming to combat obesity and tackle unhealthy lifestyles among secondary school students in Italy.

Association of obesity and sarcopenia among adult Filipinos

ObjectiveStudies on the association of obesity and sarcopenia are conflicting. Some studies showed that obesity is associated with muscle loss and frailty while others showed that lower body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased sarcopenia. To date, there is paucity of data on sarcopenia and obesity among Filipinos. This study aims to determine the association of obesity and sarcopenia among Filipinos. MethodsThis is a cross sectional analytic study comparing sarcopenic versus nonsarcopenic in terms of obesity as measured by BMI and waist circumference (WC). Filipinos older than 40 years were included. Obesity was defined using the World Health Organization (WHO) cutoff for BMI and WC. Sarcopenia was defined as low muscle mass and low muscle strength or physical performance. Population-specific cutoff points were used to define low muscle mass, strength, and performance. ResultsA total of 164 participants were included. The mean age is 60.33 years. Ten (6.1%) were sarcopenic and 4 (40%) of them were obese. Regression analysis showed that obesity is not significantly associated with increased sarcopenia (incidence risk ratio [IRR], 14.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96–221.92; P = 0.05). However, age (IRR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.09–1.21; P ≤ 0.01), WC (IRR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85–0.99; P = 0.02), smoking (IRR, 3.17; 95% CI, 1.11–9.03; P = 0.03), and alcoholic beverage drinking (IRR, 3.71; 95% CI, 1.26–10.89; P = 0.02) were found to be significant predictors of sarcopenia. ConclusionsThere is no statistically significant association between obesity and increased risk of sarcopenia among participants, however, older age, smaller WC, smoking, and alcoholic beverage drinking were significant predictors of sarcopenia.

Effect of Non-alcoholic Beverage Intake in Children on Alcoholic Beverage Drinking and Smoking

The early intake of alcohol and/or nicotine in childhood or adolescence is one of risk factors for alcohol and/or nicotine dependence in adult. Recently, non-alcoholic beverages with less than 0.00% alcohol are on sale for adults as substitutes for alcoholic beverages without strict legal limitations. However, it is unclear whether non-alcoholic beverages could be a risk factor in drinking and smoking in childhood or adolescence. The purpose of the present survey is to clarify the effect of non-alcoholic beverage intake in children on alcoholic beverage drinking and smoking. We examined as follows: the experience of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage intake, and of smoking in elementary school pupils and/or their family members, and interest in or motivation for drinking and smoking in the pupils. As a result, the percentage of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage intake, and of smoking in the pupils were 16.8% or 21.9%, and 0.3%, respectively. The number of family members took the alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage was larger in the pupils took it compared to the pupils did not take it. In the pupils who experienced the non-alcoholic beverage intake, interest in or motivation for drinking alcoholic beverages and/or smoking is higher than in those who did not. These findings indicate that non-alcoholic beverage intake is related to drinking and smoking. We will introduce drug abuse prevention education on the risk of drug dependence among childhood or adolescents based on the findings of this survey.

Factores comportamentales para enfermedades no transmisibles en estudiantes Universitarios.

Introducción: La universidad trae consigo nuevos retos para los jóvenes estudiantes; los estilos de vida que se adopten durante esta etapa, serán importantes para mantener una calidad de vida adecuada o deteriorar su salud con la aparición de enfermedades no transmisibles. Objetivos: Determinar los factores comportamentales relacionados con las enfermedades no transmisibles en los estudiantes de la facultad de Ciencias de la Salud y Ciencias Agrarias de una universidad pública del Cauca. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo y observacional realizado a 202 estudiantes seleccionados mediante muestreo aleatorio simple, quienes diligenciaron el cuestionario básico y ampliado del método progresivo de la OMS para la vigilancia de los factores de riesgo de las enfermedades crónicas (STEPS) validado por la OMS; se evaluaron los pasos 1 y 2 del cuestionario y cada uno de los pasos cuenta con 6 y 3 ítems respectivamente. Resultados: El cáncer es el principal antecedente familiar con el 51,5 %; el 55,4 % de los estudiantes ha pasado sin comer al menos una de las 3 comidas esenciales en la última semana; solo el 51 % realiza actividad física. Una gran mayoría de universitarios (73,8 %) consume bebidas alcohólicas, con un aumento en el consumo de un 26,7 % al ingresar a la Universidad, también el 17,3 % fuma. Conclusiones: Los estudiantes universitarios presentaron comportamientos poco saludables que los ponen en un mayor riesgo de sufrir Enfermedades No Transmisibles.

Pattern of Alcohol Use among Undergraduate Students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria

Background: Despite the major health Problems that arises from drinking of excessive alcohol; for example, cancer pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, malignancies, mental horribleness, and injury, students still indulges in the drinking of alcohol. In other to help in reducing chronic diseases and other adverse health effects associated with excessive alcohol drinking, there is the need to get a latest baseline data on alcohol use. Hence, the need to investigate the pattern of Alcohol use among Undergraduate students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria. Methods: The research design used for this study is descriptive survey research, questionnaire was used for data collection, and multistage sampling procedure was used to select respondents. Furthermore, this study was conducted in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko in Ondo State, Nigeria, and the respondents for this study comprised 500 undergraduate students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo state, Nigeria. The descriptive statistics of frequency count and percentages score were used to analyse demographic data and the research question, while inferential Statistics of linear regression was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 levels of significance. Findings: Findings revealed that 269 (53.8%) respondents do not take Alcohol at all, but 33 (6.6%) respondents takes Alcohol once a month, 44 (8.8%) respondents takes Alcohol once a week, 31 (6.2%) respondents takes Alcohol once every day, 19 (3.8%) respondents takes Alcohol twice every morning and 104 (20.8%) respondents takes Alcohol only during occasions. It was also discovered that age, gender and family background of students have no significant influence on their pattern of Alcohol use. Conclusions: It was concluded that majority of undergraduate students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba- Akoko, Ondo state, Nigeria does not drink alcoholic beverages i.e. 53.8% respondents do not drink it at all; while 46.2% of undergraduate students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo state, Nigeria drink alcoholic beverages. Also, it was concluded that age, gender and family background of students have no significant influence on their pattern of Alcohol use.

Family Social Environment and Parenting Predictors of Alcohol Use among Adolescents in Lithuania.

The role of the family as the social environment in shaping adolescent lifestyle has recently received substantial attention. This study was focused on investigating the association between familial and parenting predictors and alcohol use in school-aged children. Adolescents aged 13- and 15-year from a representative sample (N = 3715) of schools in Lithuania were surveyed during the spring of 2014. The methodology of the cross-national Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study was applied. HBSC international questionnaires were completed in the classroom anonymously for obtaining information about drinking of alcoholic beverages and family characteristics—family’s affluence and structure, style of communication in the family, parenting style, parental monitoring, family time together, etc. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied for assessment of the association between familial variables and weekly alcohol use. Analysis has demonstrated that adolescents from non-intact families tended to show significantly higher risk of being weekly drinkers (OR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.30–2.19). The following parenting factors were associated with weekly use of alcohol: father’s and mother’s low monitoring, father’s authoritarian-repressive and mother’s permissive-neglectful parenting style. Frequent family time together and frequent electronic media communication with parents showed an inverse negative effect than was predicted. The study suggests that alcohol misuse among adolescents could be associated with a non-intact family structure as well as with complex family and parenting determinants which should be investigated more thoroughly by further studies.

Spirituality as a determinant of health risk behaviour among black university students in Limpopo, South Africa

Data from 333 Black university students in Limpopo, South Africa were used to investigate the association between the spirituality dimensions of religious and existential wellbeing (RWB and EWB) and health risk behaviours. The mean scores of almost all health risk behaviours, with the exception of the daily eating of healthy foods, varied according to the levels of RWB (p ≤ 0.05). On the other hand, with regards to levels of EWB, the analysis of physical activity produced a gender by EWB interaction only, and the results pertaining to the drinking of alcoholic beverages were marginal (p ≤ 0.10). There was a marginal gender by EWB effect for cigarette and marijuana use (p ≤ 0.10), with a 0.019 effect size (partial eta squared) for each analysis, and a gender effect for both (p ≤ 0.001 and 0.01, respectively). Effectively, there were no instances of statistically significant main effect of EWB (p > 0.05). Apparently, the type or dimensionality of spirituality used is important, and future studies should investigate varied measures of the construct to establish its relationship with health risk behaviour.