Problems associated with alcohol consumption by university students

OBJECTIVES: the aim of this study was to analyze alcohol consumption by university students and psychosocial problems related. METHOD: descriptive correlational study that included 396 university students. The "Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test" - (AUDIT) - and an "ad hoc" questionnaire were used as instruments to assess the associated problems. RESULTS: of the total sample, 88.6% drank, 20.5% had harmful consumption and 14.9% were at risk of dependence according to AUDIT. The study showed important results related to harmful alcohol consumption and dependence, with damage to the academic performance, social relationships, psychological status and sexual condition. CONCLUSIONS: complications caused by problematic alcohol consumption by university students, which is high in this group due to the high prevalence of their alcohol consumption, highlights the importance of promoting programs to prevent the abuse and dependence of this substance in universities.


Introduction
The study of alcohol consumption by university students has generated interest in all cultures and all continents. Studies to explain the intake of this substance in this population began in the mid-seventies in industrialized countries (1)(2) . From the eighties, there were reports on high alcohol consumption and problems associated with alcohol abuse in this population group (3) .
Some authors report a greater likelihood of use of psychoactive substances through adolescence and early adulthood, with a positive association between educational level and consumption (4) .
The problems resulting from alcohol consumption in young people are different from those in adults.
In young people, the negative effects deriving from alcohol consumption often involve changes in the relationship with family, peers and teachers, poor school performance, aggression, crime, public disorder and high-risk behaviors, such as driving after drinking, as well as unprotected sexual activities, involving unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (5)(6) . In general, students who drink large amounts of alcohol have more risk behaviors for themselves and for the others compared to students who do not drink (7) .
In the same context, it has been argued that alcohol abuse and alcoholism participate directly and indirectly in the development of physical, mental and social damages (8) , besides affecting others and producing domestic violence, marital conflicts, economic problems, fights with injuries and traffic accidents (9)(10) . All these problems not only affect the physical, emotional and social development of young people, but also their permanence at university and the quality of their training for working life.
This research is focused on the analysis of the problems associated with the consumption of this substance according to the "Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test" -AUDIT -and its correlation with problems in academic performance, relationships, family, psychological and sexual areas, in a sample of university students, thus contributing to the knowledge, because studies rarely address such associations, specifically in this population.

Methods
This was a cross-sectional, descriptive correlational study, which investigated the problems associated with alcohol consumption in a sample of university students, according to the risks of the AUDIT scale.

Sample
Stratified random sampling was used to calculate the sample size, considering the number of students enrolled in the first semester of 2010 at a university, in which the following parameters were considered: population size of 6,288 students; expected proportion of alcohol consumption of 88.0%, a confidence level of 95% and a design effect of 1.5. The sample size included in the study was 396 students of both sexes, aged between 15 and 49 years.

Instruments
Questionnaire "ad hoc" to determine the socio-  domain scores: risk-free consumption, dependence and hazardous consumption.

Procedure for data collection
Approval was obtained from the directors of the university, who were previously informed on the project objectives. After authorization, the survey was applied in the same selected sample and each of the study participants signed an informed consent.

Data analysis
The description of the results was based on descriptive statistical instruments and techniques,  Statistical significance was also found by relating problems in personal, sexual and physical health aspects with drinking practices, according to the AUDIT classification.  Castaño-Perez GA, Calderon-Vallejo GA.

Discussion
With regard to alcohol consumption by university students, there are many epidemiological reports conducted in different parts of the world, which differ according to the contexts and cultures. In Canada, in a sample of 6,282 university students, it was observed that alcohol is the most commonly used drug, with a prevalence of 77% in the past 30 days (12) . In the United States and Mexico, the university students generally report high rates of excessive drinking, abuse and dependence (13) .
Among university students in the Andean region (14) , alcohol consumption is also high. The university population is highly vulnerable to alcohol consumption (15)(16) due to the ease of buying alcoholic beverages, the availability of consumption situations that occurs by entering the university environment, the independence and autonomy they acquire and on many occasions, the lack of parental control.
In relation to the problems associated with alcohol consumption and their correlation with the AUDIT, no studies were found. Some studies that have been conducted, although very scarce, report the abuse of this substance and the problems caused in university students. It has been reported a higher default and dropout in this population group (17)(18) . School dissatisfaction, higher amount of repetitions in the courses (19) and larger family and social difficulties (20)(21)(22) were also found. These results are similar to those found in our study.  (25)(26) .
On the other hand, family and social conflicts are other consequences of alcohol abuse among young people. Rejection and isolation occurs as consequence of excessive alcohol consumption (negative prognosis from family, friends and society) and are typical features of this kind of problem (27) . Our study also showed association between these problems and hazardous consumption or dependence according to the AUDIT.

Conclusion
The high prevalence and the associations with the identified problems emphasize the need to create practical interventions within the Universities and to develop public policies for health promotion and disease prevention, such as early pregnancy, mental problems, traffic accidents and many others.
The observations in this study are consistent with those empirically demonstrated by other authors, both in university as students, and reinforce the importance to assess the level of alcohol consumption and damages related to risk drinking and dependence in young people. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective, efficient and productive prevention strategies and to educate about the drinking limits more than just banning the alcohol consumption. Desiringa sober society in the West is and will always be a utopia, but not when it comes to intervening in university students, whose stages of life include alcohol as part of their social development.