Problem drinking among university students in Malawi

A survey of 787 University of Malawi students (481 males and 306 females) using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) indicated that about 72% of responders (78% of males and 63% of females) drink alcohol. The mean AUDIT score was 3.4+/-5.3 for females and 13.2+/-8.9 for males. Some 54.1% of males and 16.5% of females had the AUDIT score above the threshold level of 8.0, which corresponded with high mean values of alcohol consumption per week (222.8+/-162.7 g of pure ethanol for males and 100.3+/-98.3 g for females). In addition, about 74.4 % of male students and 27.3% of females reported episodes of heavy drinking. The findings stressed the need for developing of alcohol control policies in the University of Malawi and in the country as a whole.