Current and life-time alcohol consumption in Iranian students: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background The present systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed to assess the current and lifetime prevalence of alcohol consumption among school and university students in Iran. Method Online databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and domestic scientific databases including SID, Magiran, IRANDOC, RICeST were searched systematically from inception to December 2019, using Persian and English languages. Following a random-effects meta-analysis, we estimated the pooled current and lifetime prevalence of alcohol consumption among school and university students in Iran. Heterogeneity was assessed with the Cochran Q statistic and quantified with the I-2 statistic. Results Of the 319 identified records, 64 articles met the inclusion criteria. The students' overall pooled prevalence of current and lifetime alcohol consumption was 11.7% (95% CI, 10.0-13.4) and 14.5% (95% CI, 12.1-16.9), respectively. Prevalence of current and lifetime alcohol consumption among school students were 15.2% (95% CI, 7.8-11.5), and 15.4% (95% CI, 12.5-18.4) respectively, prevalence of current and lifetime alcohol consumption in university students were 9.7% (95% CI, 7.8-11.5), 13.7% (95% CI, 10.3-17.2) respectively. Conclusions Based on findings, it seems necessary to implement and formulate primary and comprehensive prevention strategies and policies based on various cultures, regions, geographies, ages, and ethnicity.