Geographical Inequalities in Alcohol-Related Mortality Rates in Taiwan due to Socio-Demographic Differences

Abstract

Aims: To assess the relationships between alcohol-related mortality and socio-demography in Taiwan.

Methods: Using 2002-2006 data from the national death-diagnosis registration system, we calculated the alcohol-attributed disease mortality of those aged 15 and older in 348 townships in Taiwan. This study provides spatial clustering of alcohol-attributed disease mortality rates and area socio-demographic conditions across townships, examining the relationship between the two using a spatial autoregressive model.

Results: The relative risk of death due to alcohol-attributed diseases was estimated to increase by 2.1 and 0.9% as a result of a 1% increase in the percentage of men and aboriginal residents, respectively. The risk of death was estimated to decrease by 25% for every 1 year increase in education level. Industrialization and labor participation were also found to be predictors of the outcome measure in areas with differing levels of urbanization.

Conclusions: This study provides significant evidence that township-level relationships between alcohol-related mortality and socioeconomic variables exist in Taiwan. Public health policymakers should better prioritize the specific areas in which comprehensive intervention should be undertaken accordingly.