Prevalence and Pattern of Alcoholic Beverage Consumption among Undergraduates in Remo, Ogun State, Southwest, Nigeria.

Background: Alcoholic beverages come in various shades and flavours, often intensely advertised to the youthful population on various media channels within the state. Excessive intake is known to have deleterious effects on several dimensions of health. This study therefore assessed the prevalence and pattern of alcoholic beverage consumption among undergraduates in Remo division of Ogun State, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 420 students attending three tertiary institutions in Remo area, Ogun State, selected via multi-stage sampling. Data were collected using a validated self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS 20.0. Relevant descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated (p<0.05).

Results: The mean age of respondents was 20.12±3.2 years, with 219 (54.3%) being female. Only 14 (3.5%) respondents believed alcoholic beverage consumption was good. One hundred and forty-two (35.2%) participants consumed alcoholic beverages. Of these, 58 (40.8%) engaged in binge drinking; 28 (19.7%) drank daily; 101 (70.9%) consumed wines and related drinks. One hundred and twenty (84.5%) of these respondents had difficulty controlling their intake; 25 (17.6%) got drunk; 16 (11.3%) got into fights; 35 (24.6%) skipped meals after drinking; 39 (27.5%) experienced some difficulty with memory; 52 (36.6%) had parents who consumed alcoholic beverages regularly. Alcohol consumption was significantly associated with: age; parents' occupation; living arrangement and religion.

Conclusion: Alcoholic beverage consumption was slightly high, with majority of these respondents drinking at a moderate level. Targeted behaviour change communication and counseling services will be most beneficial to address this emerging public health concern.