Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May 4:10:e13368.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.13368. eCollection 2022.

Excessive alcohol consumption and binge drinking in college students

Manuel Herrero-Montes  1   2 , Cristina Alonso-Blanco  3 , María Paz-Zulueta  1   4 , Amada Pellico-López  1   5 , Laura Ruiz-Azcona  1 , Carmen Sarabia-Cobo  1   2 , Ester Boixadera-Planas  6 , Paula Parás-Bravo  1   2
Affiliations

Excessive alcohol consumption and binge drinking in college students

Manuel Herrero-Montes et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Background: Binge drinking (BD) refers to a pattern of alcohol consumption characterized by the consumption of large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time followed by periods of abstinence. This drinking pattern is prevalent worldwide, mainly among young people. Excessive alcohol consumption is the spectrum of consumption patterns that may have or have had health consequences, and includes the concepts of risky alcohol use, harmful alcohol use and alcohol dependence according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV), the latter two are currently grouped into alcohol use disorder (AUD) according to the fifth edition of the DSM (DSM-5). Due to the high prevalence of BD among young people, especially university students, as well as the important consequences of its practice, a study was conducted to evaluate excessive alcohol consumption and its relationship with the practice of BD in university students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students (aged 18-30 years) enrolled in the academic year 2018-2019 at the Faculty of Nursing at a university in northern Spain. Data collection included sociodemographic information, and alcohol use information, collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. To measure the excessive alcohol consumption, this study used the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

Results: A total of 142 participants were included, of which 88.03% were women. Up to 38.03% were classified as BD. Up to 14.77% of non-BD participants and 66.67% of BD participants were classified as risky drinkers (AUDIT Total geq 8 in men or geq 6 in women) (p < 0.001). Up to 3.41% of the non-BD and 24.07% of the BD were drinkers with harmful alcohol use and probable alcohol dependence (AUDIT Total geq 13) (p < 0.001). A total of 5.68% of non-BD and 42.59% of BD were AUD drinkers (AUDIT Total geq 9 in males or geq 8 in females) (p < 0.001). In addition, statistically significant differences were found between the BD and non-BD groups in the responses to each of the AUDIT items, as well as in the total score and also in the scores of the three domains of the questionnaire.

Conclusions: Excessive alcohol consumption is frequent among university students, especially among those who practice BD.

Keywords: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; Alcohol drinking in college; Alcohol-related disorders; Binge drinking.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Study participation diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®) American Psychiatric Association; Philadelphia: 2013.
    1. Babor TF, Caetano R, Casswell S, Edwards G, Giesbrecht N, Graham K, Grube JW, Hill L, Holder H, Homel R, Livingston M, Österberg E, Rehm J, Room R, Rossow I. Alcohol: no ordinary commodity: research and public policy. Oxford University Press; Oxford: 2010. - DOI
    1. Babor TF, Higgins-biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG. AUDIT. The alcohol use disorders identification test. Guidelines for use in primary care. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2001.
    1. Bartoli F, Carretta D, Crocamo C, Schivalocchi A, Brambilla G, Clerici M, Carrà G. Prevalence and correlates of binge drinking among young adults using alcohol: a cross-sectional survey. BioMed Research International. 2014;2014:930795. doi: 10.1155/2014/930795. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Curry SJ, Krist AH, Owens DK, Barry MJ, Caughey AB, Davidson KW, Doubeni CA, Epling JW, Kemper AR, Kubik M, Landefeld CS, Mangione CM, Silverstein M, Simon MA, Tseng CW, Wong JB. Screening and behavioral counseling interventions to reduce unhealthy alcohol use in adolescents and adults: US preventive services task force recommendation statement. JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association. 2018;320:1899–1909. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.16789. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types