Table 2.
Alcohol consumption among US medical students (1999-2003) and its association with attitudinal and environmental characteristics
| Characteristic | No of students | Alcohol consumption in past month | χ2 P value* | Adjusted odds ratio (95% CI)† | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None (%) | Non-excessive (%) | Excessive (%) | ||||
| “I will be able to provide more credible and effective counselling if I drink alcohol in moderation or not at all”: | ||||||
| Strongly agree | 313 | 27 | 48 | 25 | 0.0001 | 1.0 |
| Agree | 744 | 21 | 45 | 34 | 1.5 (1.1 to 2.1) | |
| Neither agree/disagree | 218 | 17 | 38 | 45 | 2.3 (1.5 to 3.3) | |
| Disagree/strongly disagree | 83 | 8 | 27 | 65 | 5.0 (2.9 to 8.7) | |
| Peers’ attitudes toward alcohol use‡: | ||||||
| No obvious attitude | 314 | 26 | 43 | 31 | 0.03 | 1.0 |
| We shouldn’t drink | 57 | 46 | 25 | 30 | 0.9 (0.2 to 3.6) | |
| We should drink in moderation | 1225 | 23 | 46 | 31 | 1.1 (0.7 to 1.7) | |
| Drinking is a good release | 1316 | 19 | 41 | 39 | 1.6 (1.3 to 2.0) | |
| School’s attitude toward alcohol‡: | ||||||
| No obvious attitude | 832 | 20 | 47 | 34 | 0.006 | 1.0 |
| We shouldn’t drink | 356 | 55 | 29 | 15 | 0.3 (0.1 to 0.8) | |
| Drink in moderation | 1426 | 15 | 47 | 39 | 1.3 (1.03 to 1.6) | |
| Drinking is a good release | 305 | 24 | 35 | 42 | 1.3 (0.96 to 1.7) | |
*χ2 test for association in contingency tables.
†Odds ratio of excessive drinking (v non-excessive/non-drinkers) compared with reference group (odds ratio=1.0), controlled for sex.
‡Questions asked only at introduction to wards and during final year.