Students in Danger: Binge Drinking Behaviour and Associated Factors in Hungary

Zdr Varst. 2021 Oct 20;60(4):244-252. doi: 10.2478/sjph-2021-0033. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: Among young adults, high rates of binge drinking were observed in certain European countries. Binge drinking is associated with several health problems (unplanned pregnancy, HIV infections, problems with memory, and injuries). The aim of this questionnaire-based study was to measure the frequency of binge drinking and its association with sociodemographic, familial, lifestyle factors and school performance among secondary and university students (n=2449) in Csongrád County, Hungary.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study the students' sociodemographic data, parents' educational and economic level, and students' academic performance and self-reported use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol were collected by a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were applied using SPSS 24.0 software.

Results: Altogether 2449 Hungarian secondary school students and university students participated in the study. Nearly one-third of the students were classified as binge drinkers, significantly more male university students. Tobacco or illicit drug use resulted in higher odds of being a binge drinker in both subgroups. Poor school performance and binge drinking were significantly correlated especially among secondary school students.

Conclusions: Targeting alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use together, including education, parent interventions, and public health policies, are crucial in the prevention of possible serious consequences.

Uvod: V nekaterih evropskih državah so bili ugotovljeni visoki deleži opijanja med mladimi odraslimi. Opijanje je povezano z več zdravstvenimi težavami (nenačrtovana nosečnost, okužba z virusom HIV, težave s spominom in poškodbe). Cilj te raziskave na podlagi vprašalnika je bil izmeriti pogostost opijanja ter njegove povezave s socialno-demografskimi in družinskimi dejavniki ter dejavniki življenjskega sloga in šolskim uspehom med dijaki in študenti (n = 2.449) v županiji Csongrád na Madžarskem.

Metode: V tej presečni raziskavi so bili z vprašalnikom zbrani socialno-demografski podatki dijakov in študentov, stopnja izobrazbe in ekonomski položaj staršev, učna uspešnost dijakov in študentov ter uporaba tobaka, drog in alkohola na podlagi samoporočanja. S programsko opremo SPSS 24.0 sta bili uporabljeni opisna statistika in binarna logistična regresija.

Rezultati: V tej raziskavi je skupaj sodelovalo 2.449 madžarskih dijakov in študentov. Ugotovljeno je bilo, da se tretjina dijakov in študentov opija, od tega precej več moških študentov. Uporaba tobaka ali prepovedanih drog pomeni večjo verjetnost, da se anketiranci v obeh podskupinah opijajo. Slab šolski uspeh in opijanje sta bila bistveno povezana zlasti med dijaki.

Zaključki: Skupno obravnavanje uporabe alkohola, tobaka in prepovedanih drog, vključno z izobraževanjem, posredovanjem staršev in javnozdravstvenimi politikami, je ključno pri preprečevanju morebitnih resnih posledic.

Keywords: academic performance; alcohol drinking; binge drinking; education; illicit drugs; risk factors; students.

Grants and funding

The study was financed by TÁMOP-6.1.5-14-2015-0004.