Alcohol consumption among medical university students

• Authors: Kowalczuk, K , Krajewska-Kułak, E , Klimaszewska, K , Rolka, H , Baranowska, A , Rozwadowska, E

Abstracts

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Introduction: Due to their future job and the specificity of academic classes, the exposure to alcoholic beverages constitutes the specific threat in the case of medical university students. Despite this, the frequency of alcohol consumption by this group of young people has not been analyzed in detail, thus far. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of alcohol consumption among students of the Medical University of Białystok. Materials and methods: The study was performed in March 2011 and included a representative group of 504 students from various faculties of the Medical University of Białystok. All participants completed the standardized, anonymous question-nnaire on drinking alcohol. Results: Only 14.4% of students reported never having tasted alcohol. Beer was the most consumed drink by both genders. Almost 16% of respondents declared consuming alcohol at least 40 times in the last 12 months. More than 60% of respondents reported consuming wine, spirit, or beer at least one time in the last month. Only a small percentage (2.8% - 5.4%) of students reported consuming alcohol at least 10 times during the analyzed period. Half of the participants reported consuming five drinks per occasion. More than 15% of respondents reported alcohol consumption at least 3-5 times per month. Most respondents neither declared undertaking risky behaviors under the influence of alcoholic beverages nor admitted experiencing consequences of such behavior. Conclusion: Patterns of alcohol consumption among the students participating in this study do not differ markedly from population-based characteristics of the respective age group; they are still associated with specific risks resulting from studying medical disciplines and future employment in a healthcare sector.

Keywords

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alcohol abuse; alcoholism; drinking; spirits

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku
• Journal: Progress in Health Sciences
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 2
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 90-95

Contributors

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Kowalczuk, K

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Krajewska-Kułak, E

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Klimaszewska, K

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Rolka, H

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Baranowska, A

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Rozwadowska, E