Abstract
AimTo investigate the association between patterns of alcohol consumption and self-reported physical and mental health in a population with a high prevalence of hazardous drinking.DesignCross-sectional study of an age-stratified random sample of a population register.SettingThe city of Izhevsk, The Russian Federation, 2008–09.ParticipantsA total of 1031 men aged 25–60 years (68% response rate).MeasurementsSelf-reported health was evaluated with the SF12 physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summaries. Measures of hazardous drinking (based on frequency of adverse effects of alcohol intake including hangover, excessive drunkenness and extended episodes of intoxication lasting 2 or more days) were used in addition to frequency of alcohol consumption and total volume of beverage ethanol per year. Information on smoking and socio-demographic factors were obtained.FindingsCompared with abstainers, those drinking 10–19 litres of beverage ethanol per year had a PCS score 2.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.76; 4.56] higher. Hazardous beverage drinking was associated with a lower PCS score [mean diff: −2.95 (95% CI = −5.28; −0.62)] and even more strongly with a lower MCS score [mean diff: −4.29 (95% CI = −6.87; −1.70)] compared to non-hazardous drinkers, with frequent non-beverage alcohol drinking being associated with a particularly low MCS score [−7.23 (95% CI = −11.16; −3.29)]. Adjustment for smoking and socio-demographic factors attenuated these associations slightly, but the same patterns persisted. Adjustment for employment status attenuated the associations with PCS considerably.ConclusionAmong working-aged male adults in Russia, hazardous patterns of alcohol drinking are associated with poorer self-reported physical health, and even more strongly with poorer self-reported mental health. Physical health appears to be lower in those reporting complete abstinence from alcohol compared with those drinking 10–19 litres per year.
Highlights
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia experienced huge fluctuations in life expectancy
In this paper we report on the association of patterns of drinking behaviour and self-reported health in Russia—a country with one of the most hazardous drinking patterns in the world
All models are adjusted using linear regression. aMean difference from reference group; b95% confidence interval for mean difference; cfrom the partial F-test; d50 non-beverage alcohol consumers are excluded from this variable; eP-value for interaction between class of drinker and age: P = 0.027; f132 abstainers are excluded from this variable. [Ref] = reference group; CI = confidence interval
Summary
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia experienced huge fluctuations in life expectancy These were driven largely by parallel fluctuations in alcohol-induced mortality that affected working-aged men [1,2,3,4,5,6]. While the contribution of alcohol to high mortality has been the focus of much research [5], only a small number of studies have investigated the association between alcohol and self-reported health in Russia [13,14,15,16]. The study adds to the sparse literature in this area and overcomes some of the limitations of previous work, not least by treating the physical and mental component summary from the short form 12-item questionnaire (SF12) instrument as separate outcomes
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