Why is high-risk drinking more prevalent among men than women? evidence from South Korea

Abstract

BackgroundIt is important to identify and quantify the factors that affect gender differences in high-risk drinking (HRD), from both an academic and a policy perspective. However, little is currently known about them. This study examines these factors and estimates the percentage contribution each makes to gender differences in HRD.MethodsThis study analyzed information on 23,587 adults obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Surveys of 1998, 2001, and 2005. It found that the prevalence of HRD was about 5 times higher among men (0.37) than women (0.08). Using a decomposition approach extended from the Oaxaca-Blinder method, we decomposed the gender difference in HRD to an "overall composition effect" (contributions due to gender differences in the distribution of observed socio-economic characteristics), and an "overall HRD-tendency effect" (contributions due to gender differences in tendencies in HRD for individuals who share socio-economic characteristics).ResultsThe HRD-tendency effect accounted for 96% of the gender difference in HRD in South Korea, whereas gender differences in observed socio-economic characteristics explained just 4% of the difference. Notably, the gender-specific HRD-tendency effect accounts for 90% of the gender difference in HRD.ConclusionWe came to a finding that gender-specific HRD tendency is the greatest contributor to gender differences in HRD. Therefore, to effective reduce HRD, it will be necessary to understand gender differences in socioeconomic characteristics between men and women but also take notice of such differences in sociocultural settings as they experience. And it will be also required to prepare any gender-differentiated intervention strategy for men and women.

Alcohol Consumption among the Elderly Citizens in Hungary and Serbia—Comparative Assessment

“…Similarly to previous research studies, this study showed that men in Serbia and Hungary are more likely to consume alcohol compared to women, which can be related not only to the cultural heritage and the generally accepted model of behaviour, but also to the greater economic power of men. Evidence suggests that the gender gap in socio-economic status is significant between the two countries [26][27][28][29][30].…”

Alcohol, betel-nut and cigarette consumption are negatively associated with health promoting behaviors in Taiwan: A cross-sectional study

“…Despite betel nut and cigarette consumption, the prevalence of alcohol consumption is similar to Germany and South Korea. Donath et al [21] found higher alcohol consumption in rural than urban areas in Germany, and Chung et al [22] found that of the males, 90% are likely to drink excess alcohol in South Korea.…”

“…Several studies have indicated that it is not only the male gender that is associated with these 3 kinds of behavior [22,25], but that socioeconomic inequalities are important [10,26,27], with poor education, low economic status and living in rural areas being associated with ABC use [21,26]. Our findings indicate that 4.5% (122) of alcohol, 13.4% (360) of betel nut, and 13.3% (357) of cigarette users reported abstinence for >1 year.…”

Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Periodontal Disease: The 2008 to 2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…12,13 Highrisk drinking was defined as drinking >60 g pure alcohol per drinking day for men and >40 g per drinking day for women. 14 Individuals with household incomes in the lowest quartile were designated as the low-income group. The education level was classified as low if the respondent did not finish education beyond middle school (higher than ninth grade).…”

“…The World Health Organization Community Periodontal Index (CPI) was used to assess periodontal treatment needs and defined participants with periodontal treatment needs as CPI code ‡3. 18,19 A CPI score of code 3 indicates that ‡1 site had a >3.5-mm pocket in the index teeth, which are 2, 3,8,14,15,18,19,24,30, and 31 according to the Universal Numbering System adopted by the American Dental Association.…”