Alcohol consumption and associated harms among university students in Australia: Findings from a cross-sectional study

Issue addressed: University students regularly report alcohol consumption in excess of Australian guidelines for harm. However, previous studies have overlooked the experiences of mature-aged students. This study assessed alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms among university students aged 18-50 years old in Australia. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey with convenience sample of university students was used in this study. Unadjusted ordinal logistic regressions were performed to explore associations between student characteristics and frequency of alcohol consumption as well as number of standard drinks consumed. Logistic regressions adjusted for student characteristics were performed to assess associations between alcohol consumptions and alcohol-related harm. Results: Of the respondents (n = 486), 82% consumed alcohol, of which 50% consumed more than two standard drinks on any day. Age was significantly associated with amount consumed and blackout. Students aged 31-50 years were less likely to consume more than two standard drinks on any day (odds ratio, OR: 0.62, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.40, 0.97); and less likely to experience blackout (OR: 0.45; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.83) than those aged 18-20 years. Interestingly, reducing consumption to no more than once a month, when compared to more than twice a month, reduced risk of blackout only for those aged less than 31-50 years old (adjusted OR: 0.22; 95% CI: 0.04, 1.13). Conclusions: Older university students are less likely to drink more than two standard drinks on any day than their younger counterparts. So what?: It is recommended that interventions target younger students; however, older students may assist in understanding factors that influence low risk alcohol consumption.