Alcohol Use is Becoming a Socially Acceptable Behaviour among Sri Lankan Undergraduates: Whither Prevention

Abstract

Background: Alcohol use has been a male habit in Sri Lanka, and females were less likely to use alcohol because alcohol use by women has been a social taboo in the country. However, current changes in socio-cultural value systems in the country have affected many social and religious customs including social image of alcohol use that could result in increasing the prevalence of alcohol use in undergraduates. Objectives: To examine the prevalence and the determinants of alcohol use by gender among university undergraduates in selected faculties in University of Ruhuna Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduates of the Faculties of Agriculture (FoA), Allied Health Sciences (FAHS) and Engineering (FoE) in the University of Ruhuna (UoR), Sri Lanka. Data related to socio-demographic characteristics, frequency and quantity of alcohol use and personal, environmental and socio-cultural factors associated with alcohol use were collected using Google forms. Yearly alcohol use was defined as use of any form of alcohol at least once in the last 12 months.