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HAZARDOUS DRINKING AND ITS CORRELATES AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN BARBADOS

ABSTRACT Objective: this study investigates the relationship between problematic drinking, gender, age, marijuana consumption, driving under the influence of alcohol and riding with an alcohol intoxicated driver among university students in Barbados. Method: a cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 371 students, the majority of whom were female (73.6%) and between the ages of 18 and 21 (60.6%). Results: the majority of participants (81.1%) consumed alcohol in the preceding 12 months and 17.2% met the criteria for problematic drinking based on their Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score. A significant relationship was uncovered between problematic drinking and student gender, driving under the influence alcohol, riding with an alcohol intoxicated driver and marijuana consumption. Conclusion: further research using a representative sample should be conducted to determine if the findings hold true for the wider student population. Nevertheless, the study highlights the presence of problematic drinking among the students and therefore initiatives should be implemented to reduce and eliminate its occurrence.