Alcohol Advertisements, Hazard Warnings, Knowledge of Alcohol-Related Harm and Health-Profession Students' Drinking in Inner Mongolia

Abstract

Background: Consumption of alcohol among adults in Inner Mongolia is high even among health professionals. Little is known of the alcohol consumption patterns of health-profession students. Objectives: To assess the association of knowledge of alcohol-related harm (KAH), and exposure to media-based promotional alcohol sales advertisements (PASA) and alcohol hazard warnings (AHW) with drinking frequency of health-profession university students. Methods: Health-profession students (N = 1277) in the Medical University of Inner Mongolia were interviewed in 2017 regarding their alcohol drinking frequency, KAH, and exposure to PASA and AHW. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between exposure and drinking frequency. Results: Overall, 9% were nondrinkers, 35% occasional drinkers, and 56% frequent drinkers. Females were slightly less commonly drinkers but more commonly frequent drinkers. The prevalence of drinking decreased with age. Mongolians were more commonly frequent drinkers than Han. A majority of students had low KAH. Exposure to PASA was more common among drinkers, and exposure to AHW more common among nondrinkers. The main reason for drinking was social gathering. The relative probability of being an occasional or frequent drinker was lower among older students, those with higher KAH, and those exposed to AHW on television and internet but higher among those exposed to PASA in mini-supermarkets on campus. Conclusions: Students’ drinking behavior was associated with low KAH and exposure to alcohol advertisements and warning media messages. Prevalence of frequent drinking might be reduced by wider use of AHW on internet and television and improving the level of knowledge of alcohol-related harm.

Keywords:

• Health-profession student
• alcohol drinking frequency
• knowledge of alcohol-related harm
• promotional alcohol sales advertisements
• alcohol hazard warnings
• Inner Mongolia

Acknowledgements

Financial support provided by Prince of Songkla University and approval and support from Inner Mongolia Medical University is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also extended to all staff for their help in conducting this survey and to all participating students.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by College Students’ Science and Technology Innovation Talent Cultivation foundation of Inner Mongolia Medical University (Grant number YCPY2018072). The study was part of the first author’s thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree at Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. This project also received Prince of Songkla University Graduate School Financial Support for Thesis and a scholarship award from Thailand’s Education Hub for ASEAN Countries.