The epidemiology of alcohol consumption in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Getinet Ayano,Mebratu Abraha,Bereket Duko,Kalkidan Yohannis

doi:10.1186/s13011-019-0214-5

Abstract

BackgroundGlobally, excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health problem and is associated with social, mental, physical and legal consequences. However, no systematic review and meta-analysis has been performed to report the consolidated magnitude of alcohol consumption in Ethiopia.MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS were systematically searched to identify pertinent studies. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis was conducted and Cochran’s Q- and the I2 test were used to assess heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated by using Egger’s test and visual inspection of the symmetry in funnel plots.ResultsWe included 26 articles with a total of 42,811 participants. The pooled current and lifetime prevalence of alcohol consumption was 23.86% (95%CI; 17.53–31.60) and 44.16% (95%CI; 34.20–54.62), respectively. The pooled prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption was 8.94% (95%CI; 3.40–21.50). The prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption was remarkably higher in men (11.58%) than in women (1.21%). The prevalence of current and lifetime alcohol consumptions among university students were 22.08% & 38.88% respectively. The pooled data revealed that male sex was found to be a significant predictor of hazardous alcohol consumption (OR 10.38; 95%CI 3.86 to 27.88) as well as current (OR 2.45; 95%CI 1.78 to 3.38) and lifetime (OR 2.14; 95%CI 1.39 to 3.29) consumption. The magnitude of alcohol consumption among university students was apparently lower than the magnitude in other population of the country. The current study suggested a remarkable recent increment in the magnitude of hazardous alcohol consumption in Ethiopia.ConclusionThe current study revealed that the prevalence of alcohol consumption in Ethiopia is comparable with the global estimates of alcohol consumption from the World Health Organization (WHO). The prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption was remarkably higher in men (11.58%) than in women (1.21%). Male sex was found to be a significant predictor of alcohol consumption. The present study also suggested considerable recent increment in the magnitude of hazardous alcohol consumption in Ethiopia.

Highlights

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health problem and is associated with social, mental, physical and legal consequences
Male sex was found to be a significant predictor of alcohol consumption
Implications for future research and clinical practice The current study identified some implication for the future research; our meta-analysis identified a recent increment in the magnitude of hazardous alcohol consumption which needs further investigation to assess the possible reasons for the remarkable recent increase as well as better ways of addressing the issues

Summary

Introduction

Excessive alcohol consumption is a major public health problem and is associated with social, mental, physical and legal consequences. Excessive alcohol consumption is a significant public health problem and is responsible for about 6% of mortality and 5% of disability-adjusted life year’s (DALYs) lost worldwide [1]. A study conducted in South Africa (SA) revealed that 9% of the population aged 15 years or older engaged in risky or hazardous or harmful drinking. More men had hazardous drinking than women, 17 and 2.9% respectively [4]. In Ethiopia, studies indicated that the prevalence of alcohol consumption has shown a significant increment, and generally hazardous drinking and alcohol dependence were more prevalent in men than in women [7,8,9,10]. Most advertisements propagate drinking as modern and associated with occupational and sexual achievements [11,12,13]

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