Hazardous drinking and alcohol dependence among university students of mahajanga

Episodic abuse drinking is mainly a current issue of public health with severe consequences including road accidents and the setup of alcohol dependence, causing number of diseases. A problematic alcohol use was identified among young students during their campus life. This study aims to set the following objectives, to determine the prevalence rate of hazardous drinking, alcohol dependence and to identify factors that foster this trend among students at the University of Majunga. A cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical survey study was conducted among medical, Biology&Earth Sciences students at the University of Mahajanga, on May 2017. The AUDIT questionnaire was used to assess the alcohol use. Male students in number of 464 were recruited for the study. Eighty point four percent of them had already experienced alcohol drinking. The average AUDIT score was 6,42 ± 6,4. Hazardous drinking was encountered in 16,5% and alcohol dependence in 19,4% of case. Some factors were associated to alcohol uses as the accomodation at the university student residences andparents with alcohol use history. A significant relationship was associated between high AUDIT scores and the following criteria: year of study, paternal alcohol use history, age of early onset of drinking, alcohol drinking and smoking antecedent. This study provided an insight on alcohol consumption among students and established the need of raising awareness.