Counselling toward reducing alcohol use, knowledge about its morbidity and personal consumption among students of medical and dental courses in north-western Spain

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is directly linked to high-risk consumption. Healthcare students have a crucial role to play in its prevention and management. The aim of this study is to analyse alcohol consumption, as well as to consider the knowledge and attitudes regarding morbidity, and the stage of change when providing assistance to quit AUD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Dentistry and Medical students using specific and validated questionnaires in an anonymous and voluntary way. Initially, 925 students were invited to participate, of them 500 were reached. RESULTS: Among them 85.9% suffered from AUD of whom 75% were women (p<0.001), and it was considered that the female gender constituted an independent risk factor (OR=2.63, CI 95% 1.55-4.45, p<0.001). The majority of the participants did not achieve the pass mark, nonetheless, the results showed improved levels of knowledge among participants in the latter years of their studies (p<0.001). Dental students demonstrated greater shortcomings in terms of their knowledge of general pathology, whereas the medical students’ knowledge of oral pathologies proved worse (p<0.001). Most of students believed that identifying cases of AUD-affected patients falls within their competence, nonetheless, they believed that they do not have the necessary competencies. Among participants 58.2% were in a stage of change regarding AUD attitudes. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of respondents presented AUD. In general, the participants’ knowledge about alcohol was low. Reviewing the syllabuses and evaluating the implementation of gender-differentiated training programmes in both degrees would be considered necessary. Key words:Alcohol use disorder, healthcare students, addiction, health literacy, behaviours.