摘要：The abusive consumption of alcohol by college studentshas negative effects on both individual and public health.Positive expectations about alcohol are related tobehaviours and patterns of consumption frequentlyacquired in adolescence. Objective. This study analysesthe impact of individual variables (gender, age at firstdrink, being away from home, and first option degreecourse) on beer consumption in first-year collegestudents. The moderating effect of positive perceptionsabout alcohol consumption will also be considered.Method. The sample comprised 214 first-year collegestudents at a Portuguese public university. Results.Positive perceptions of alcohol consumption had animpact on levels of beer consumption and the rate of beerconsumption could be explained by just four studentvariables: age at first drink, gender, first option degreecourse, and positive perceptions of alcohol consumption.The indices of model fit were adequate. Conclusions.Interventions targeting reductions of student’s alcoholconsumption should consider the effects of positiveperceptions of alcohol.
