Epidemiology of alcohol abuse and dependence in rural chinese men.
BACKGROUND
Several national and regional epidemiological studies in China have reported increases in the prevalence of alcohol use disorders over the past 3 decades.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study conducted in 2007 identified 11,884 male subjects aged 18 to 60 years using multi-stage randomized cluster sampling methods in 2 rural communities in China and interviewed 9,866 of them. Current and lifetime alcohol use disorders were assessed with a semi-structured diagnostic interview.


RESULTS
The age-standardized prevalence of current (lifetime) alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence in Hunan were 1.8% (4.8%) and 4.7% (8.6%) respectively, and those in Henan were 7.6% (11.8%) and 8.7% (10.8%). Higher age (55 to 60) and lower education were risk factors for alcohol dependence in Hunan while middle age (35 to 44), currently married, and higher education and higher income were risk factors in Henan.


CONCLUSIONS
Alcohol abuse and dependence are no longer uncommon disorders among rural men in China. Unlike most western reports, alcohol dependence shows higher prevalence than abuse. There are significant differences in the prevalence of alcohol use disorders and the socio-demographic profile of affected individuals in the 2 different regions of the country.
Zhou
Liang
L
Public Health School, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. zhouliang@xysm.net
Conner
Kenneth R
KR
Phillips
Michael R
MR
Caine
Eric D
ED
Xiao
Shuiyuan
S
Zhang
Ruiling
R
Gong
Yu
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004493:Education; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011786:Quality Control; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult