Prevalence of Hazardous and Harmful Alcohol Consumption Using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test in Chungju Area

일부 농촌주민에서 Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test를 이용한 위험 및 유해 음주율 조사

Objectives : To investigate the prevalence of hazardous and harmful alcohol use, which are a subthreshold of alcohol related disorders, Methods : Direct-interview questionnaires to 1,183 rural persons (489 male, 694 female) were conducted in Chungju-city from July 2 to 20, 1998. As a screening instrument, the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) was used. Results : The prevalence of alcohol use was 41.7%. In males, it was 66.3% and in females, it was 24.4%. The mean of the AUDIT score of males and females was 13.2 and 5.6, respectively. As WHO guideline, the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use in males and females was 80.3% and 20.7%, respectively. This suggests that the prevalence of 'hazardous drinking' and 'harmful drinking' was 45.4% and 29.3% for males and 1.2% and 2.4% for females, respectively. Conclusions : This study presented the prevalence of hazardous and harmful drinking of a rural population in Korea and reviewed those health problems. Further evaluation to detect and treat lower alcoholic drinkers is recommended.