Excessive alcohol consumption and binge drinking in college students

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2022-05, Vol.10, p.e13368-e13368, Article e13368
• Main Authors: Herrero-Montes, Manuel, Alonso-Blanco, Cristina, Paz-Zulueta, María, Pellico-López, Amada, Ruiz-Azcona, Laura, Sarabia-Cobo, Carmen, Boixadera-Planas, Ester, Parás-Bravo, Paula
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Alcohol and youth; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Alcohol Drinking in College; Alcohol use; Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; Alcohol-related disorders; Alcoholism; Alcoholism - diagnosis; Binge drinking; College students; Colleges & universities; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Drinking behavior; Drinking of alcoholic beverages; Drug dependence; Female; Humans; Male; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Mental disorders; Mental Health; Mental illness; Pathology; Psychiatry and Psychology; Public Health; Questionnaires; Sex crimes; Statistical analysis; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires; University students; Womens health
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13368

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. 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). 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 8 in men or 6 in women) (