Religious attitude, religiosity, and arrack drinking patterns among Muslim, Hindu, Santal, and Oraon communities in Rasulpur Union, Bangladesh

Int Q Community Health Educ. 2007;28(4):351-70. doi: 10.2190/IQ.28.4.g.

Abstract

This study compares how religious attitudes and religiosity of the Muslim, Hindu, Santal, and Oraon communities influence arrack drinking patterns in the Rasulpur Union of Bangladesh. The 391 respondents (Muslim, 109; Hindu, 103; Santal, 89; and Oraon, 90), selected by simple random sampling, were interviewed with a semi-structured questionnaire. The results suggest that the Santal and Oraon drinkers with their permissive attitude are involved more frequently with moderate and chronic arrack drinking patterns compared to the Hindu drinkers' arrack drinking pattern with their ambivalent attitude and the Muslim drinkers' arrack drinking pattern with their abstinence attitude. In addition, the Hindu, Santal, and Oraon arrack drinkers participated more in their respective religious activities, but the Muslim arrack drinkers participated less in their respective religious activities.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology*
  • Bangladesh / epidemiology
  • Community Health Services / statistics & numerical data*
  • Culture
  • Ethnicity
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Hinduism*
  • Humans
  • Islam*
  • Male
  • Qualitative Research
  • Religion
  • Residence Characteristics / statistics & numerical data*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires