Richard Cooke1, Franca Beccaria2, Jakob Demant3, Maria Fernandes-Jesus4, Lena Fleig5, Jorge Negreiros6, Urte Scholz7, Richard de Visser8. 1. University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. 2. Eclectica, Torino, Italy. 3. University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. 4. ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal. 5. MSB Medical School Berlin, Berlin, Germany. 6. University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. 7. University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. 8. University of Sussex, Falmer, UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To compare patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm from a survey of university students sampled from universities in Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. METHODS: A total of 2191 university students (70% female, 90% white ethnic group, age range 18-25) completed the survey. Participants completed measures of demographic variables (age, age of onset, ethnic group and sex) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which was the primary outcome. RESULTS: Sixty-three percent of the sample scored negative for harmful drinking on the AUDIT (<8), with 30% categorized as hazardous drinkers, 4% harmful drinkers and 3% with probable dependence. Analysis of variance, including demographic factors as covariates, identified a main effect of country on AUDIT scores F(5, 2086) = 70.97, P < 0.001, partial eta square = 0.15. AUDIT scores were highest in England (M = 9.99; SD = 6.17) and Denmark (M = 9.52; SD = 4.86) and lowest in Portugal (M = 4.90; ° = 4.60). Post hoc tests indicated large effect size differences between scores in Denmark and England and scores in all other countries (0.79 < d < 0.94; all P's < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: European university students in our sample mainly reported low risk patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. However, students from Northern European countries had significantly higher AUDIT scores compared with students from Central and Southern European countries. Research is needed to replicate the present study using nationally representative samples to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use disorders among university students in different European countries.
BACKGROUND: To compare patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm from a survey of university students sampled from universities in Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland. METHODS: A total of 2191 university students (70% female, 90% white ethnic group, age range 18-25) completed the survey. Participants completed measures of demographic variables (age, age of onset, ethnic group and sex) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which was the primary outcome. RESULTS: Sixty-three percent of the sample scored negative for harmful drinking on the AUDIT (<8), with 30% categorized as hazardous drinkers, 4% harmful drinkers and 3% with probable dependence. Analysis of variance, including demographic factors as covariates, identified a main effect of country on AUDIT scores F(5, 2086) = 70.97, P < 0.001, partial eta square = 0.15. AUDIT scores were highest in England (M = 9.99; SD = 6.17) and Denmark (M = 9.52; SD = 4.86) and lowest in Portugal (M = 4.90; ° = 4.60). Post hoc tests indicated large effect size differences between scores in Denmark and England and scores in all other countries (0.79 < d < 0.94; all P's < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: European university students in our sample mainly reported low risk patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. However, students from Northern European countries had significantly higher AUDIT scores compared with students from Central and Southern European countries. Research is needed to replicate the present study using nationally representative samples to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use disorders among university students in different European countries.
Authors: Alessandra Mereu; Arianna Liori; Claudio Dessì; Mariano Girau; Derrick Clifford Mc Gilliard; Alessandra Sotgiu; Roberta Agabio; Paolo Contu; Claudia Sardu Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-07-05 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Lauren Drabwell; Jessica Eng; Fiona Stevenson; Michael King; David Osborn; Alexandra Pitman Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-01-21 Impact factor: 4.614