Correlates of Alcohol Consumption Among a Socially-Disadvantaged Population in Poland

• Main Authors: Kinga Polanska, Dorota Kaleta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: inequalities; alcohol consumption; lifestyle factors; healthy lifestyle index; correlates; socially-disadvantaged population
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/23/9074

Alcohol consumption at a level exceeding existing recommendations is one of the leading risk factors for death and disability worldwide. The aim of the study was to identify correlates of alcohol drinking among a socially-disadvantaged population in Poland. The cross-sectional study covered 1644 adult social assistance beneficiaries from the Piotrkowski district (rural area in central Poland). A detailed questionnaire filled in during a face-to-face interview allowed for the collection of socio-demographic, lifestyle-related (including alcohol consumption) and health status data. About 42% of the participants, including 67% of the men and 30% of the women, exceeded the recommended level of alcohol consumption. In the adjusted model, the men tended not to follow recommendations for alcohol consumption more frequently than the women (OR = 4.5, <i>p</i> < 0.001). The higher odds of not following alcohol-related recommendations were also observed for the subjects declaring having a permanent or temporary job compared to the unemployed participants (OR = 1.2, <i>p</i> = 0.04). A lower healthy lifestyle index (indicating an unhealthy lifestyle related to a diet, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and tobacco smoking) was associated with not following recommendations for alcohol consumption (OR = 1.1, p = 0.04). Our study indicates that being men, having a permanent or a temporary job, and coexistence of other unfavorable lifestyle-related factors are important correlates of not following recommendations for alcohol consumption among the beneficiaries of government welfare assistance.