Harmful alcohol use on campus: Impact on young people at university

Abstract

Young people at university are more likely to consume alcohol at harmful levels than their same-age peers who are not at university, and harmful alcohol use affects many aspects of campus life. This study aimed to investigate alcohol use and alcohol-related harms, both experienced and witnessed, among students at an Australian university. An online survey of 603 students aged 18-24 years revealed that almost half drank at harmful or hazardous levels and two-thirds had experienced harm from their own alcohol use. Greater harm, experienced and witnessed, was most strongly related to level of alcohol consumption, but also more prevalent among males, those who were first-year students, living on campus, or had come to university from a rural area, and those who were not international students. The results suggest first-year males living on campus from rural and regional Australian backgrounds are an important target group for alcohol reduction and safety campaigns.