Japanese Alcohol Prevention Education during Early Education as a Protective Factor against Potentially Lethal Drinking among Students at a Women’s University

Abstract

Few studies have determined whether the effects of the Japanese alcohol prevention education during compulsory education persist even after entering college. we investigated drinking behavior among women’s university students to determine whether the alcohol prevention education was still effective in preventing life-threatening alcohol consumption. A questionnaire survey was conducted for students in their third or fourth academic year at a women’s university. Five hundred and six students who reported alcohol use were included in the analysis. We defined potentially lethal drinking as that causing memory loss, falling asleep, or being taken to a hospital by ambulance due to acute alcohol poisoning and described such cases as “high-impact drinking”. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with high-impact drinking. Among the 506 students, 112 reported high-impact drinking. A multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that protective factors for high-impact drinking were alcohol prevention education during elementary school (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.47), being a flusher (AOR, 0.38) and being involved in student clubs for cultural activities (AOR, 0.35). Involvement in inter-university club activities was a major risk factor for high-impact drinking (AOR, 3.52) and it was very strongly associated with forced drinking at club welcome parties for new students (phi = 0.54). For students in women’s university, Japanese alcohol prevention education in elementary school (5th and 6th grade) suppresses high-impact drinking during one’s late teens and early 20s, probably by keeping them away from high-impact drinking opportunities, such as welcome parties for new students hosted by inter-university clubs.