The influence of individual and cultural factors on perceptions of alcohol control strategies among university students in Europe

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

  • Richard O. de Visser
  • Franca Beccaria
  • Demant, Jakob Johan
  • Maria Fernandes-Jesus
  • Lena Fleig
  • Urte Scholz
  • Richard Cooke
Alcohol control strategies vary between countries and reflect differences in drinking cultures. This study explored how perceived effectiveness of alcohol control strategies varies according to individual characteristics and country of residence. A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 1910 university students in Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland. It assessed the perceived effectiveness of 11 alcohol control strategies. Correlates included sensation-seeking, alcohol outcome expectancies, drink refusal self-efficacy, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores. Bivariate analysis using mixed-measures MANOVA and Pearson correlations were followed by linear regression to identify multivariate correlates. These analyses revealed that educational strategies (e.g. teaching people skills to resist peer pressure) were considered more effective than restrictive strategies (e.g. raising the legal drinking age). Perceived effectiveness was greater among women and lighter drinkers. Country of residence also explained unique variance. The findings highlight the need to consider the potential impact of drinking culture in alcohol-related harm-reduction strategies.
Original languageEnglish
JournalDrugs: Education, Prevention and Policy
Volume30
Issue number4
Pages (from-to)406-412
ISSN0968-7637
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

    Research areas

  • Alcohol, policy, beliefs, culture, Europe, university students

ID: 327146415