Abstract
Drinking culture has been well developed in Korea. This research assessed trends in daily pure alcohol consumption over time and examined its trends regarding socio-demographic variables and alcoholic beverage types. We used data from the 1998–2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 87,623 adults aged ≥ 19 years were included. Alcohol intake was assessed via 24-h dietary recall, and pure alcohol content was calculated according to alcoholic beverage type. Daily alcohol consumption increased from 8.37 g in 1998 to 14.98 g in 2016–2018 (p for trend < 0.001). The degree of the increasing trend was higher for women (2.09 g to 5.79 g) than men (14.78 g to 23.94 g) from 1998 to 2016–2018. Alcohol intake was highest in men aged 30–49 years and women aged 19–29 years. Moreover, the change of the rising trend in alcohol consumption according to high socioeconomic factors was more pronounced than the other variables. Lastly, the alcohol intake from soju and beer was dominant in alcohol consumption and escalated over time. The total daily alcohol intake increased about two times during 21 years in Korea, and the trends varied according to socio-demographic status.
Highlights
The present study revealed daily alcohol intake from makgeolli showed a stiff increase by more than two times from 2007–2009 to 2010–2012, which was a unique aspect as compared to the results for the other alcoholic beverages
Alcohol intake was found to have increased over time from 1998 to 2018 in
Alcohol consumption was higher in men than in women, but the amount of the increasing trend was greater for women than men
Summary
Nutrients 2021, Alcohol consumption is prevalent and contributes to a critical part of entertainment culture in Korea. Many studies have reported that moderate alcohol consumption can be beneficial to health, heavy drinking is well known to lead to adverse health consequences [1]. Recommendations regarding alcohol consumption have been updated and no longer suggest even mild drinking. A study on alcohol consumption in 195 countries worldwide recommended that the safest level of alcohol intake is non-drinking, and consuming zero drinks per day minimizes overall health risks [2]. The national cancer prevention guidelines, published in 2016 by the National
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