Open AccessPre-drinking, alcohol consumption and related harms amongst Brazilian and British university students
Author(s) -
Mariana G. R. Santos,
Zila M. Sanchez,
Karen Hughes,
Ivan Gee,
Zara Quigg
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0264842
Subject(s) - nightlife , alcohol consumption , medicine , environmental health , demography , odds , binge drinking , suicide prevention , poison control , alcohol , geography , logistic regression , sociology , biochemistry , chemistry , archaeology
Drinking in private or other unlicensed settings before going out (i.e., pre-drinking) is increasingly being identified as a common behaviour amongst students as it provides an opportunity to extend their drinking duration and socialise. However, studies suggest associations between pre-drinking and alcohol-related harms. This study examines Brazilian and British university students’ pre-drinking patterns and associations with nightlife-related harms amongst drinkers. A total of 1,151 Brazilian and 424 British students (aged 18+ years) completed an online survey. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic variables, nightlife drinking behaviour including pre-drinking and past 12 months experience of alcohol-related harms. Most participants were female (BRA 59.1%, ENG 65.3%; p = 0.027), undergraduate students (BRA 88.2%, ENG 71.2%; p <0.001) and aged 18–25 years (BRA 78.8%, ENG 81.5%; p <0.001). Pre-drinking was more prevalent in England (82.8%) than Brazil (44.0%; p <0.001), yet Brazilian students drank more units of alcohol than British students when pre-drinking (BRA 17.6, ENG 12.1; p <0.001). In multi-variate analyses, pre-drinking was significantly associated with increased odds of experiencing a range of harms across both countries (e.g., blackouts; failing to attend university), with the strength of associations varying between countries. Pre-drinking in Brazil and in England is an important event before going out amongst university students, however our study shows it is associated with a range of harms in both countries. Thus, preventing pre-drinking may be a crucial strategy to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and related harms in the nightlife context across countries with diverse nightlife environments and alcohol drinking cultures.