Differences in Alcohol Consumption and Preferences for Types of Alcoholic Beverages in OECD Countries

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Increased alcohol consumption is generally considered to be a very negative matter affecting the socio-economic status of countries. Different types of alcohol pose different risks. Therefore, mapping the alcohol consumption and alcohol preferences of different countries is a very important step in the process of reducing geographical disparities. AIM: The primary objective of this study was to determine the differences in alcohol consumption and alcohol preferences in OECD countries. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENT (METHODS): Non-parametric analysis of difference (Kruskal-Wallis test) and cluster analysis (hierarchical clustering -Ward's method) were used to achieve the main objective. SAMPLE (PARTICIPANTS): The analytical process involved 36 OECD countries and the data that was analysed was divided into the following main categories of alcohol consumption: (i) beer, (ii) wine, (iii), spirits, (iv) other,