The socioeconomic gradient of alcohol use

Abstract

In The Lancet Global Health, Yuanwei Xu and colleagues1 make a useful contribution to the alcohol epidemiology field by using data from 336 287 adult participants (aged ≥15 years) on current and heavy episodic drinking (HED) from 55 low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). The focus on HED is particularly important given the effect of HED on health and social outcomes.2 Previous research on the socioeconomic gradient of alcohol use has centred on high-income countries and research in LMICs was limited to single countries or subnational studies.