Abstract
BackgroundWe aimed to report the prevalence and correlates of high-risk alcohol consumption and types of alcoholic beverages.MethodsThe baseline data of the Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study participants, including 43,927 men and 85,897 women enrolled from 2005 through 2013, were used for analysis. Joinpoint regression was performed to estimate trends in the age-standardized prevalence of alcohol consumption. Associations of demographic and behavioral factors, perceived health-related effects, social relationships, and the diagnostic history of diseases with alcohol consumption were assessed using multinomial logistic regression.ResultsThe prevalence of alcohol consumption remained higher in men during the study period and increased in women. The amount of alcohol consumed has increased in women, especially that from beer and makgeolli, a traditional Korean fermented rice wine. Older participants were less likely to be high-risk drinkers (men and women who drink more than 40 or 20 g/day of alcohol, respectively) and drink Soju, a distilled liquor, and beer, and more likely to drink makgeolli. Educational level was negatively associated with high-risk drinking. However, it was positively associated with the consumption of strong spirits and wine. Smoking was associated with high-risk drinking and the consumption of soju and strong spirits. Engaging in regular exercise and having stress were associated with drinking all types of beverages except for soju.ConclusionsSex-specific trends in alcohol consumption were influenced by demographic, behavioral, and perceived health-related factors. The findings will help improve the understanding of alcohol-related problems and provide evidence for establishing country-specific policies and campaigns in Korea.
Highlights
Alcohol consumption is one of the major risk factors for death and disease worldwide.[1,2] Korea is among the countries with the highest alcohol consumption in the world, and alcohol is the second leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALY).[2]
Study population The baseline information of participants in the Health ExamineesGem (HEXA-G) study, who were derived from the Health Examinees study, a component of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES_HEXA), which recruited participants aged 40–69 years at 38 general hospitals and health examination centers in eight regions from 2004 through 2013, was used for analysis
The prevalence of alcohol consumption did not change in the men
Summary
Alcohol consumption is one of the major risk factors for death and disease worldwide.[1,2] Korea is among the countries with the highest alcohol consumption in the world, and alcohol is the second leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALY).[2]. The impact of alcohol consumption on health varies depending on the amount of alcohol and types of alcoholic beverages consumed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that alcohol drinking has an impact on the chronic harm it causes according to the amount of alcohol consumed.[3] Several studies have confirmed that heavy drinking is known to cause various illnesses or trauma.[1,4,5,6,7] The types of alcoholic beverages consumed are known to be associated with mortality or risk of diseases. It has been suggested that the consumption of beer or strong spirits in Western countries has more harmful effects on mortality, CVD, or cancer than wine.[8,9,10]. We aimed to report the prevalence and correlates of high-risk alcohol consumption and types of alcoholic beverages
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