Abstract
Background: This paper assesses changes in the socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption by exploring whether alcohol consumption (current and binge drinkers) is more prevalent among the wealthier (pro-rich) or poorer (pro-poor) group over time.Methods: Data come from the 2008, 2010/11, 2012, and 2014/15 waves of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). Various equity stratifiers (sex, age, race, and rural/urban) are used to analyze the prevalence of alcohol consumption and to investigate differences in socioeconomic inequalities. Changes in socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption between 2008 and 2014/15 were also assessed using the concentration index.Results: Current drinkers were more concentrated among richer South Africans, while binge drinkers were concentrated among the poorer population. For current drinkers, irrespective of sex, race, age, and urban, socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption had become less pro-rich between 2008 and 2014/15; while inequality in binge drinking, outside of the Asian/Indian and rural categories, had become less pro-poor between 2008 and 2014/15.Conclusion: The results show evidence that binge drinking is a bigger problem among those of low-SES, young individuals, male and African populations. This paper concludes that the SA government should continue to push forward policies aiming to reduce the prevalence of binge drinking.
Highlights
Alcohol use remains one of the biggest contributors to the risk of mortality worldwide
According to the World Health Organization [1], harmful alcohol use was responsible for 5.3% of deaths and 5.1% of the burden of disease and injury, equivalent to 132.6 million disability-adjusted life years (DALY, defined by WHO as the time lost due to premature death and the time lost due to time lived in less than full health)
This paper found that socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption for current drinkers had a pro-poor “shift”; while binge drinkers had a pro-rich “shift” between 2008 and 2014/15
Summary
Alcohol use remains one of the biggest contributors to the risk of mortality worldwide. According to the World Health Organization [1], harmful alcohol use was responsible for 5.3% of deaths and 5.1% of the burden of disease and injury, equivalent to 132.6 million disability-adjusted life years (DALY, defined by WHO as the time lost due to premature death and the time lost due to time lived in less than full health). South Africa (SA) is affected as one in 10 deaths are associated with alcohol use [2, 3]. Previous studies using nationally representative survey data found that approximately half of men and one-fifth of women consume alcohol in SA. Of those who consume alcohol in SA, 48% of men and 32% of women binge drink [4]. This paper assesses changes in the socioeconomic inequality in alcohol consumption by exploring whether alcohol consumption (current and binge drinkers) is more prevalent among the wealthier (pro-rich) or poorer (pro-poor) group over time
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