Alcohol Use and Alcohol Consumption–Related Problems in Rural Vietnam: An Epidemiological Survey Using AUDIT

Abstract

This study aimed to assess alcohol use and alcohol consumption-related problems in different sociodemographic groups in a rural district in Vietnam. Interviews were completed between March 2004 and July 2004. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) was applied to interview 3423 people, who were randomly selected in a rural district (1695 men and 1728 women). People who had an AUDIT score greater than 7 (in men) or greater than 5 (in women) were identified as having alcohol consumption-related problems. Prevalences and adjusted odds ratios of alcohol use and alcohol consumption-related problems were estimated for different subgroups of the population. Weekly and daily "binge drinking" among men were 5.7 and 3.6%, while binge drinking in women was virtually nonexistent. The prevalence of alcohol consumption-related problems was 25.5% among men and 0.7% among women. The differences between sociodemographic groups were not strong, but women who were separated, divorced, or widowed as well as those with higher education had significantly higher rates of alcohol consumption-related problems than married women and those with lower education. This study indicates an urgent need for alcohol intervention programs focused on men. However, further monitoring of alcohol use and problems among women is important to follow-up changes in consumption pattern. The study's limitations are discussed.

Drinking and Driving in Vietnam: Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices

“…Additionally, males, especially in the younger age groups (17-36 years), were responsible for the majority of drinking and driving episodes, as well as related crashes in all 3 provinces. This demographic is usually associated with risky behaviors (Giang et al 2008;Pham et al 2010), which would be unlikely to be affected by large-scale communication campaigns alone.…”

Consumo de bebida alcoólica entre fumicultores: prevalência e fatores associados

“…Among farmers, the prevalence of high-risk alcohol consumption ranged from 18% 16 to 43% 17,27 . The factors positively associated with any alcohol consumption pattern in rural population were being male 5,14,21,22,24 and smoking 5,6,8,21 . Being unemployed was a risk factor for excessive drinking 13,24 and addiction 10 .…”

“…Consumption can be measured as different periods (currently [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] , ever 7,9 , number of days 4,8,10 ) units of measurement (grams 3,[11][12][13][14][15] , milliliters 7,9 , or number of standard doses 10,[16][17][18] ), or even as different consumption patterns (got drunk 4,7,8 ). Scales such as AUDIT 5,14,17,[19][20][21][22][23][24] , CAGE 3,11,25 , MAST 11 , and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) 10,26 can also be used. The prevalence of alcohol consumption among the rural population worldwide varies greatly, ranging from 1.4% 10,11,14,22,27 to 64% 12,…”

Changes in Co-Occurrence of Smoking and Harmful Drinking among Youth: a Study from the Chi Linh Demographic - Epidemiological Surveillance System in Vietnam, 2006-2013

“…Moreover, few publications have offered evidence to predict the co-occurring smoking and drinking among youth in Vietnam. Some recent studies report that certain subgroups of adolescents have much higher rates of smoking and drinking (Giang et al, 2008;Guindon et al, 2008;Hoang et al, 2010). The male smoking rate ratio, for example, is 10 times higher than women smoking rate, men also smoking significantly more cigarettes per day than women (Giang et al, 2008;Guindon et al, 2008;Hoang et al, 2010).…”

“…Some recent studies report that certain subgroups of adolescents have much higher rates of smoking and drinking (Giang et al, 2008;Guindon et al, 2008;Hoang et al, 2010). The male smoking rate ratio, for example, is 10 times higher than women smoking rate, men also smoking significantly more cigarettes per day than women (Giang et al, 2008;Guindon et al, 2008;Hoang et al, 2010). There is, however, growing concern about changes in patterns of smoking and drinking among youth in Vietnam (Nguyen et al, 2012).…”