Understanding how alcohol environment influences youth drinking: A concept mapping study among university students

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Social Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Understanding environmental influences on student alcohol consumption is crucial for targeted public health interventions.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the perceived importance and frequency of various environmental factors among university students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify environmental factors affecting alcohol consumption among university students.
• To assess the relative importance and frequency of these factors from the students' perspective.

Main Methods:

• Concept Mapping methodology was employed with nursing students.
• Two data collection sessions involved consensus building and rating of environmental factors.
• Statistical analysis was conducted using RCMAP in R 3.6.1.

Main Results:

• Social pressure, holidays/leisure, and alcohol accessibility were rated as most important and frequent influences.
• Alcohol advertising was perceived as the least important (mean 2.6) and frequent (mean 2.1) factor.
• Seven clusters of factors were identified: Advertising, Family, Social pressure, Responsibilities/norms, Holidays/leisure, Emotional situations, and Accessibility.

Conclusions:

• Key environmental factors influencing student alcohol use align with current prevention efforts, with a notable exception.
• Alcohol advertising appears to be perceived as less influential by students compared to other environmental factors.
• Findings suggest a potential need to re-evaluate resource allocation for alcohol advertising-related health promotion strategies.