Alcohol-use patterns in young university students in Finland.
OBJECTIVE
To obtain descriptive data on the alcohol-use patterns and the factors affecting them among Finnish first-year university students.


METHODS
Cross sectional survey with a self-administered questionnaire.


METHODS
Finnish first-year university students.


METHODS
3,836 students during the academic year 1989/90. The participation rate was 73.7% for female and 53.6% for male students.


METHODS
Frequency of drinking alcohol, heavy drinking, and drinking for intoxication, average alcohol consumption.


RESULTS
The mean alcohol consumption for female students was 2.6 kg and for male students 6.5 kg of pure alcohol per year. 6.5% of the female students and 5.1 of the male students were abstainers. The heaviest drinking 10% consumed 42% of all consumed alcohol. 4.9% of the female students reported a consumption of at least 10 kg of pure alcohol per year and 11.7% of male students reported a consumption of at least 15 kg. The median for the frequency of drinking was every second week for the females and once a week for the males. Furthermore, drinking for intoxication was more frequent among the male than the female students.


CONCLUSIONS
Male students have a higher alcohol consumption, drink more frequently, and are more often intoxicated than female students.
Nyström
M
M
Finnish Student Health Service, Finland.
Peräsalo
J
J
Salaspuro
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013695:Temperance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data