• Yasemin Inaç, Ynke Larivière, Muhammad Hoque, and Guido Van Hal.
• University of Antwerp Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine.
• Afr Health Sci. 2021 Mar 1; 21 (1): 123-131.

BackgroundPrevious studies have associated certain risk factors with hazardous drinking in students. However, big cultural and geographical differences exist regarding alcohol use.ObjectivesTo determine whether or not there was a difference in hazardous drinking between Belgian and South African university students and to establish the risk factors that contribute to hazardous drinking in university students (calculated using the AUDIT-C) from a developing country (South Africa) and a developed country (Belgium).MethodsAn online survey assessing hazardous drinking among university students in South Africa (University of KwaZulu-Natal, UKZN) and Belgium (University of Antwerp, UoA) was conducted, using the shortened version of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-C). Risk factors in males and females for hazardous drinking were explored using multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsIn total, 499 students were included in the study (250 UoA and 249 UKZN students). A significant higher amount of male (94.8%) as well as female (92.4%) UoA students drank alcohol in the last year compared to the male (66.2%) and female (67.8%) UKZN students (p<0.001). Additionally, a significant higher amount of UoA students were hazardous drinkers, compared to the UKZN students (p<0.001). Multivaiate analysis showed that male UoA students were almost 6 times more likely to be hazardous drinkers than male UKZN students (OR=5.611, p=0.005). Female UoA students were more than twice as likely to be hazardous drinkers than female UKZN students (OR=2.371, p=0.016).ConclusionThis study found a significant difference in hazardous drinking between Belgian and South African university students.© 2021 Inaç Y et al.

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