Alcohol Consumption Habits and Support for Alcohol Control Policies Among 3rd Year Medical Students at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences [Conference Winner Abstract]

Introduction Alcohol consumption poses significant global public health challenges causing substantial health, social and economic harms [1, 2]. During the transition from school to the university, an increase in alcohol consumption is noted [3]. Medical students are no exception, thus understanding their drinking patterns and perspectives on alcohol control policies is essential for tailoring medical education interventions to equip them for effective health advocacy [4]. Aim To investigate the alcohol consumption habits of 3rd year medical students at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LUHS) and examine their support for various alcohol control policies. Methods The cross-sectional study was conducted at LUHS in December 2024, with ethical approval from Bioethics center. A pre-designed paper questionnaire was distributed to 162 3rd year General Medicine students, with 160 responses (99% response rate). Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Advanced Statistics 29.0 software. Frequency counts and percentages were reported. To assess the presence of an association Chi-squared test was used with the strength of association calculated with Cramer’s V coefficient. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Among study participants, 64.5% consumed alcohol. Most (49.5%) were consuming alcohol 2-4 times a month, followed by monthly or less (46.5%), with 3% drinking 2-3 times a week and 1% consuming 4+ times weekly. The majority (80%) believed alcohol is easy to purchase in their country. Gender differences were observed in drinking patterns: females consumed significantly less beer weekly, while males were significantly more likely to consume 6+ alcoholic drinks on a single occasion (χ² = 10.465, df = 1, p = 0.015). Wine consumption significantly increased with age (p = 0.033). Age, nationality, and family history of alcoholism did not have a significant effect on overall alcohol consumption. Education and social advertising on alcohol harms were the most supported alcohol control policies (71.7% and 51.3%, respectively) while banning alcohol sales for take-away during the weekends and increasing the alcohol consumption age were the least supported types (42.8% and 42.1%, respectively). Females, non-alcohol consumers, and foreign students were more likely to support increased alcohol taxation (p > 0.05). Nonalcohol consumers favored reducing sales hours (rCr = 0.235, p = 0.004) and increasing taxes (rCr = 0.283, p = 0.001). Conversely, alcohol consumers preferred education on alcohol harms (rCr = 0.254, p = 0.002) and strong drink-driving legislation (rCr = 0.271, p = 0.001). Conclusions The alcohol consumption habits were mainly influenced by gender and age. Alcohol consumers were more likely to support education on alcohol harms and strong drink-driving legislations. Non-alcohol consumers favored stricter policies such as increased alcohol taxation and reduced sale hours.