Consumption of alcoholic beverages and subjective health in Spain

Abstract

Study objective-To examine the relation between alcohol and main alcoholic beverage consumption and subjective health in Spain. Design-Logistic regression analysis using a cross sectional survey based on self reported data on alcohol and alcoholic beverage consumption, subjective health and the principal confounding factors (age, sex, civil status, educational level, job status, social support, region of residence, size of town or city, tobacco consumption, physical activity during leisure time and work hours, and chronic disease). Setting-The 1993 Spanish National Health Survey. Participants-A 19 573 person sample, representative of the non-institutionalised Spanish population aged 16 years and over.Main results-Among Spaniards, 31.4% reported their health as suboptimal (fair, poor or very poor) and 56.9% consumed alcohol regularly, with the majority having a preference for wine. Light (1-2 drinks per day) or moderate consumption (3-4 drinks per day) was the most frequent pattern. After adjusting for confounding factors, a negative dose-response relation was observed between consumption of total alcohol, wine and beer, and prevalence of suboptimal health (linear trend: p<0.001 for total alcohol, p=0.023 for wine, and p=0.030 for beer). In contrast, for consumption of spirits the prevalence of ill health in moderate drinkers was lower than in non-drinkers, with no clear relation at higher consumption. While persons reporting a preference for wine had a lower frequency of suboptimal health than did abstainers, they showed no diVerence in frequency of subjective ill health with respect to persons with preference for other types of drink or no preference whatsoever. Conclusions-The higher the consumption of total alcohol, wine and beer, the lower the prevalence of suboptimal health. These results diVer from those obtained in several Nordic countries, where a "J shaped" relation has been observed for total alcohol and wine, and suggest that the relation between alcohol consumption and subjective health may be diVerent in Mediterranean countries. (J Epidemiol Community Health 2001;55:648-652)

Psychological distress and fair/poor health among adults with arthritis: state-specific prevalence and correlates of general health status, United States, 2007

“…Other studies from around the world have found moderate alcohol consumption to be positively related to general health status [30][31][32][33][34][35] and heavy drinking or 'intoxication' negatively related [30][31][32]35 . Our definition of heavy drinking (2+ drinks per day for men, 1+ drink per day for women) would be considered low to moderate alcohol intake in other studies [32][33][34][35] which is likely related to the cultural perceptions regarding alcohol in different countries. The relationship between alcohol intake and general health may also vary by gender 31,[34][35] and the type of alcohol ingested (e.g.…”

“…The relationship between alcohol intake and general health may also vary by gender 31,[34][35] and the type of alcohol ingested (e.g. wine, beer, hard liquor) [32][33]35 . We found no differences by gender [data not shown], however, we cannot assess the independent effect of different types of alcohol due to the question format used in the BRFSS.…”

Alcohol and Self‐Rated Health in a Mediterranean Country: The Role of Average Volume, Drinking Pattern, and Alcohol Dependence

“…In Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon countries a ''J-shaped'' relationship has been described, with suboptimal health being more frequent in abstainers and excessive drinkers than in moderate drinkers (Gronbaek et al, 1999;Poikolainen and Vartiainen, 1999;Poikolainen et al, 1996;San Jose´et al, 1999;Theobald et al, 2003;Van Dijk et al, 2004). Yet, the only study conducted in Mediterranean countries observed an inverse relationship, whereby the frequency of suboptimal health declined with alcohol consumption, to the extent that even excessive drinkers reported better health than did nondrinkers (Guallar-Castillo´n et al, 2001).…”

“…After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and chronic disease, moderate drinkers report better health than nondrinkers in most studies, including those that distinguish between former and never drinkers (Gronbaek et al, 1999;Guallar-Castillo´n et al, 2001;Poikolainen and Vartiainen, 1999;Poikolainen et al, 1996;San Jose´et al, 1999;Theobald et al, 2003;Van Dijk et al, 2004).…”

Alcoholic beverage preference and dietary pattern in Spanish university graduates: the SUN cohort study

“…Wine is the most common type of alcoholic beverage in Spain as it accounts for more than 50% of daily alcohol intake (Rodríguez-Artalejo et al, 1999;Guallar-Castillon et al, 2001;Sieri et al, 2002;Schroder et al, 2005).…”