Factors associated with alcohol consumption in hepatitis B carriers: a nationwide study in the Republic of Korea

PLoS One. 2014 Nov 11;9(11):e110144. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110144. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of alcohol consumption and identify the sociodemographic factors associated with alcohol consumption among individuals with hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection. We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, a nationwide survey conducted between 2007 and 2011. "Monthly alcohol consumption" was defined as having consumed alcohol at least once per month during the past year, and "high-risk alcohol consumption" was defined as having consumed alcohol twice or more per week and, for males, having consumed at least 60 g of alcohol on one occasion or, for females, having consumed at least 40 g of alcohol on more than one occasion. The prevalence of monthly alcohol consumption was 53.2%, and that of high-risk alcohol consumption was 11.8% among HBV carriers. Less education was associated with both monthly and high-risk alcohol consumption (OR = 1.75 [95% CI = 1.02-3.02] for monthly alcohol consumption among those with less than a high school education; OR = 2.48 [95% CI = 1.19-5.17] for high-risk alcohol consumption among those with less than a high school education and OR = 2.02 [95% CI = 1.12-3.64] among those with a high school education). Additionally, smoking and being male increased the risk of alcohol consumption, and older age and having a normal body mass index decreased the risk. HBV carriers who were less educated, overweight, and smokers were more likely to consume alcohol or meet criteria for high-risk drinking. Health policies and intervention programs aimed at promoting a generally healthy lifestyle in HBV carriers should consider educational inequalities and alcohol consumption.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology*
  • Educational Status
  • Female
  • Health Surveys
  • Hepatitis B / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis B / virology
  • Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / blood
  • Hepatitis B virus
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Nutrition Surveys
  • Republic of Korea / epidemiology
  • Smoking / epidemiology*

Substances

  • Hepatitis B Surface Antigens

Grants and funding

This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research and Control from the National Cancer Center of Korea (#1310232). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.