title: IQ and alcohol-related morbidity and mortality among Swedish men and women: the importance of socioeconomic position.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between intelligence in childhood and later risk of alcohol-related disease and death by examining (1) the mediating effect of social position as an adult and (2) gender as a possible moderator.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  21 809 Swedish men and women, born in 1948 and 1953, from the Swedish "Evaluation Through Follow-up" database were followed until 2006/2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  IQ was measured in school at the age of 13 and alcohol-related disease and death (International Classification of Disease codes) were followed from 1971 and onwards.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found an increased crude HR of 1.23 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.29) for every decrease in group of IQ test results for alcohol-related admissions and 1.14 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.24) for alcohol-related death. Social position as an adult was found to mediate both outcomes. Gender was not found to moderate the association. However, adjusting for socioeconomic position lowered the risk more among men than among women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was an inverse, graded association between IQ and alcohol-related disease and death, which at least partially was mediated by social position as an adult. For alcohol-related death, complete mediation by socioeconomic position as an adult was found. Gender does not moderate this association. The role of socioeconomic position may differ between the genders.
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sjölund
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hemmingsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Education, Göteborg University, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jan-Eric
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Allebeck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007361:Intelligence Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D065840:Protective Factors; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: ALCOHOL; COGNITION; Cohort studies; GENDER; SOCIO-ECONOMIC