Context and culture associated with alcohol use amongst youth in major urban cities: A cross-country population based survey

Abstract

BackgroundAlcohol consumption patterns are dependent upon culture and context. The aim of this study was to interview people aged 18–34 year old living in four cities in different regions of the world to explore differences in a range of alcohol measures to assist in determining culturally appropriate alcohol initiatives for this age group.MethodMultistage random sampling was consistent across the four cities (Ilorin (Nigeria), Wuhan (China), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Moscow (Russia)). The questionnaire was forward and back translated into relevant languages and face-to-face interviewing undertaken. The data were weighted to the population of each city. Uni-variable analysis (ever consumed, first time consumed, age when drunk for first time, number of days consumed, type consumed) and logistic regression modeling were undertaken. The final model for each city was adjusted for age, sex, marital status, highest education and employment status. In total 6235 interviews were undertaken (1391 in Ilorin, 1600 in Montevideo, 1604 in Moscow and 1640 in Wuhan).ResultsAlcohol was consumed by 96.4% in Montevideo, 86.1% in Moscow, 53.4% in Wuhan and 33.3% in Ilorin. There was very little difference by gender except Ilorin males were more likely to consume alcohol than females. Alcohol was consumed on more days for Ilorin males; Wuhan females consumed alcohol on the least number of days; Ilorin had the most abstainers; Montevideo and Moscow the highest proportion of light drinkers; Ilorin and Montevideo the highest proportion of heavy drinkers. Differences by type of alcohol were also apparent. The final logistic regression model provided different models including higher alcohol consumption rates for males, 25–34 years of age, divorced/separated marital status and employed part time for Ilorin respondents; males and higher educated for Montevideo; males, 25 to 29 years of age and higher educated for Moscow; and 25–29 years of age, non-married and vocationally trained for those in Wuhan.ConclusionAlcohol consumption in these four cities does not increase with age as found in most high income countries. The alcohol consumption patterns during this stage of the life cycle are important to assess so that high level, as well as country-specific, planning and interventions can be implemented.

Prevalence of alcohol consumption and its risk factors among university students: A cross-sectional study across six universities in Myanmar

“…Moreover, alcohol was found to be the substance that was most abused by university students in the United Kingdom and Ireland [16]. However, the reported prevalence of alcohol consumption is lower in our study than in those conducted in Asia [17][18][19], Europe [20][21][22] and African region [23,24]. This may be attributable to geographical differences in beliefs, religious and cultural practices, environmental factors, the accessibility and availability of alcohol, urbanization, lifestyle, national laws, and governmental and legal enforcement of alcohol-related regulations [1].…”

Neighborhood Deprivation and the Effectiveness of Mobile Health Coaching to Improve Periconceptional Nutrition and Lifestyle in Women: Survey in a Large Urban Municipality in the Netherlands

“…In this study’s population, women who lived in less deprived neighborhoods were less likely to smoke but more likely to consume alcohol, which is in line with previous studies [9,35,36]. Despite recent studies stating that residents who live in deprived neighborhoods are difficult to motivate to change unhealthy behaviors [3,17,18], in this study, those women were more likely to complete the 24 weeks of mHealth coaching and improve their nutrition and lifestyle behaviors more than women who live in less deprived neighborhoods.…”

Neighborhood Deprivation and the Effectiveness of Mobile Health Coaching to Improve Periconceptional Nutrition and Lifestyle in Women: Survey in a Large Urban Municipality in the Netherlands (Preprint)

“…[9,36,37] Despite recent studies stating that residents who live in deprived neighborhoods are difficult to motivate to change unhealthy behaviors [3,17,18], in our study, those women were more likely to complete the 24 weeks of mHealth coaching and improve their nutrition and lifestyle behaviors more than women who live in less deprived…”