Risk Factors Associated with Frequent Alcohol Binge Drinking among Jamaicans: Does Gender Matter?

Objective: Alcohol is one of the most commonly consumed substances in Jamaica, despite the many health problems associated with excessive alcohol use. The aim of this study was to identify potential risk factors for alcohol binge drinking among Jamaicans, and determine if there were significant gender differences in the associations between identified risk factors and frequent binge drinking. Methods: Data collected from the 2016 National Household Survey Jamaica were analysed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed using SPSS. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with frequent binge drinking. Results: The total number of respondents was 4623. Females were 2,535 (54.8%) compared to males 2088 (45.2%). In bivariate analysis, there was a significant association between age and frequent binge drinking among males (X2 = 11.11, p =0.004), but not among females (X2 = 2.03, p = 0.36). Similarly, there was a significant association between employment and frequent binge drinking for males but not for females (X2= 12.85, p= 0.002; X2= 2.49, p= 0.29 respectively). In multivariate analysis, age 12- 17 years was significantly, inversely associated with frequent binge drinking in the crude logit model but not in the adjusted logit model (crude odds ratio [COR] 0.21, 95%CI= 0.6- 0.66; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.51, 95%CI= 0.12- 2.13 respectively). Employment was significantly, positively associated with frequent binge drinking in the adjusted logit model (employed: AOR= 3.63, 95% CI= 1.05- 12.59) among males. Among females, age showed no significant association with frequent binge drinking. Only having primary/ lower education was significantly, positively associated with frequent binge drinking among females (AOR= 5.17, 95%CI= 1.36- 19.65). Conclusion: Risk factors for frequent binge drinking differed by gender; being employed was a risk factor for males while having primary (or lower) education was a risk factor for females.

Parental Alcohol Drinking Habit as a Predictor of Alcohol Use among Secondary School Students in Barbados

Background: In Barbados and the wider Caribbean region, alcohol is widely consumed by adolescents and young people, including those in secondary schools. The high prevalence of alcohol use, and its potential adverse effects are a source of concern to policy makers and the general population, which calls for better understanding of the drivers of this problem. This study thus aimed at investigating whether parental alcohol drinking habit is a predictor of alcohol use among secondary school students in the country. Methods: The predictor variables and response variables in the study were categorical, and so descriptive, univariate analysis consisted of computation of frequencies and percentages. Bivariate analysis using Pearson's Chi Square was done to test for significant differences in the response variables among groups. Logistic regression modeling was used in multivariate analysis to determine the predictor variables that were significantly associated with the response variables. Results: Significant associations were seen between students' age, (P= 0.00), grade (P=0.00), fathers' drinking habit (P=0.00), mothers' drinking habit (P=0.00), and both past year and past month alcohol use, in bivariate analysis. Logit model shows that students whose fathers drink only on weekends, sometimes during the week, or every day, respectively, had significantly increased risk of alcohol use in the past month (AOR= 2.62, 95%CI= 1.81- 3.77; AOR= 1.85, 95%CI= 1.19- 2.85; AOR= 2.18, 95%CI= 1.49- 3.18). Students whose mothers drink only on special occasion had significantly higher risk of alcohol use in the past year and past month (AOR= 1.99, 95%CI= 1.06- 3.74; AOR= 2.30, 95%CI= 1.36- 3.89 respectively). Conclusion: Having fathers who drink only on weekend, sometimes during the week and every day were significantly positively associated with alcohol use in the past month. Having mothers who drink only on special occasion was a risk factor for past year and past month alcohol use. However, having mothers who drin