Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 23, 2025

Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Vapor Exposure Paired with Two-Bottle Choice to Model Alcohol Use Disorder
Published on: June 23, 2023
Binge drinking and smoking are associated with worse academic performance in Canadian undergraduate students
Beverly D Schwartz1, Liam P Pellerine1, Nick W Bray2
1Division of Kinesiology, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Objective:
Test the hypothesis that smoking, fast-food consumption, and binge drinking were negatively associated with academic performance in Canadian undergraduate students.
Participants:
Undergraduate students across Canada [n = 411 (335♀) aged: 22 ± 4 years] completed a questionnaire regarding their lifestyle behaviors and academic grades.
Methods:
Relationships between lifestyle behaviors and academic performance were assessed via covariate-adjusted multiple regressions. Mediation models were used to test whether significant relationships between smoking/fast-food and grades were explained by binge drinking.
Results:
Smoking (β= -4.00, p < .001) and binge drinking (β= -1.98, p = .002) were independent predictors of grades (average: 84 ± 8%). Binge drinking partially mediated the relationships between smoking (indirect effect β= -1.19, 95%CI [-2.49, -0.08] and fast-food consumption (indirect effect: β= -.75, 95%CI [-1.20, -0.29]), with grades.
Conclusions:
These findings highlight the negative influence of binge drinking, smoking, and fast-food consumption on academic success, with binge drinking as a partial mediator of these relationships.
Related Concept Videos
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Binge Eating Disorders

