Risk Factors Associated with Frequent Alcohol Binge Drinking among Jamaicans: Does Gender Matter?

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

1 Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica

2 School of Nursing, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica

3 Department of General Studies and Behavioural Sciences, University of the Commonwealth Caribbean, Kingston, Jamaica

Abstract

Objective: Alcohol is one of the most commonly consumed substances in Jamaica, despite the many health problems
associated with excessive alcohol use. The aim of this study was to identify potential risk factors for alcohol binge
drinking among Jamaicans, and determine if there were significant gender differences in the associations between
identified risk factors and frequent binge drinking. Methods: Data collected from the 2016 National Household
Survey Jamaica were analysed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed using SPSS. Binary logistic
regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with frequent binge drinking. Results: The total number
of respondents was 4623. Females were 2,535 (54.8%) compared to males 2088 (45.2%). In bivariate analysis, there
was a significant association between age and frequent binge drinking among males (X2 = 11.11, p =0.004), but not
among females (X2 = 2.03, p = 0.36). Similarly, there was a significant association between employment and frequent
binge drinking for males but not for females (X2= 12.85, p= 0.002; X2= 2.49, p= 0.29 respectively). In multivariate
analysis, age 12- 17 years was significantly, inversely associated with frequent binge drinking in the crude logit model
but not in the adjusted logit model (crude odds ratio [COR] 0.21, 95%CI= 0.6- 0.66; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.51,
95%CI= 0.12- 2.13 respectively). Employment was significantly, positively associated with frequent binge drinking in
the adjusted logit model (employed: AOR= 3.63, 95% CI= 1.05- 12.59) among males. Among females, age showed no
significant association with frequent binge drinking. Only having primary/ lower education was significantly, positively
associated with frequent binge drinking among females (AOR= 5.17, 95%CI= 1.36- 19.65). Conclusion: Risk factors
for frequent binge drinking differed by gender; being employed was a risk factor for males while having primary (or
lower) education was a risk factor for females.

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Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
Volume 19, S1
April 2018
Pages 39-44

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History

  • Receive Date: 21 January 2018
  • Revise Date: 15 April 2018
  • Accept Date: 06 April 2018

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