Factors related to alcohol drinking behavior among adolescents in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

Abstract

ABSTRACT            The purposes of this descriptive correlation study were to study the prevalence of alcohol use and to examine the association between related factors and alcohol drinking behavior in adolescents. The Theory of Triadic Influence was used as a theoretical framework. A sample of 338 students (166 males and 172 females) in grades 10 to12 in four public high schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was randomly selected to participate in this study during January to March 2012. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR] with 95% CI) were used to analyze the data. The results showed that 60.2 % of males and 27.3% of females reported drinking alcohol. Intrapersonal factors including gender, self-esteem, drinking refusal self-efficacy were significantly related to alcohol drinking behavior, where the values of AOR = 3.95, AOR = 2.05, and AOR = 1.8, respectively. An attitude towards alcohol drinking was also a significant factor, which the value of AOR = 2.01. In addition, interpersonal factors including family structure, parental monitoring, parental drinking, peer drinking, and perceived alcohol availability were significantly associated with alcohol drinking behavior, where the values of AOR = 2.69, AOR = 1.79, AOR = 2.34, AOR = 5.75, and AOR = 1.89, respectively. These findings suggest that in order to develop an effective alcohol prevention program for adolescents, it is necessary to consider multi-component factors.