The Extent of Alcohol-Related Problems Among College and University Students in Norway Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Frontiers in Public Health

article

Ove Heradstveit¹  Børge Sivertsen³  Kari-Jussie Lønning⁶  Jens Christoffer Skogen² 

[1] Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, Norwegian Research Centre;Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Stavanger University Hospital;Department of Health Promotion, Norwegian Institute of Public Health;Department of Research & Innovation;Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology;The Norwegian Medical Association;The Student Welfare Association of Oslo and Akershus;Centre for Evaluation of Public Health Measures, Norwegian Institute of Public Health

关键词: alcohol use;    alcohol-related problems;    Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test;    college students;    university students;    COVID-19;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2022.876841

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Aim To provide estimates of the distribution of alcohol-related problems in a national sample of college and university students in 2021, i.e., during the COVID-19 pandemic, in comparison with pre-pandemic data from 2018. Design Longitudinal data from linkage of two recent national health surveys from 2018 to 2021. Setting Students in higher education in Norway (the SHoT-study). Participants 8,287 fulltime students (72.5% women, 27.6% men) that were 18 years or more at the time of the first survey in 2018, and 21 years or more at the time of the second survey in 2021. Measurements The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to assess potential alcohol-related problems. Findings 37.0% of male students and 24.1% of female students reported either risky, harmful, or dependent alcohol use in 2021, compared with 55.0% of male students and 43.6% of female students in 2018. This decrease in alcohol-related problems was most pronounced for dependent alcohol use, where we observed a 57% relative reduction among male students (from 3.5% in 2018 to 1.5% in 2021) and a 64% relative reduction among female students (from 1.4% in 2018 to 0.5% in 2021). Conclusions The present study demonstrated a sharp decline in alcohol-related problems among students during the COVID-19 pandemic, that were present across gender, age groups, and geographical study locations. Universal preventive measures to limit students' alcohol use should be considered when restrictions related to the pandemic is lifted.

【 授权许可】

CC BY