Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the extent of high-risk
drinking and factors associated with high-risk drinking in
the adult female population of a rural and an urban region in
South Africa.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional household survey using multistage
sampling methods.
SETTING: A rural wine farming area of the Western Cape and an
urban site in Gauteng.
SUBJECTS: Women of reproductive age (18 - 44 years).
OUTCOME MEASURES: The extent of risky alcohol consumption
measured using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
(AUDIT) scale which categorises current drinkers into highand
low-risk drinkers.
RESULTS: Twenty-seven per cent (166/606) and 46% (188/412)
of the women interviewed in Gauteng and the Western Cape
respectively were current drinkers. In turn, 20% (33/166)
of the Gauteng current drinkers and 68% (128/188) of the
Western Cape current drinkers were classified as high-risk
drinkers. Multivariate analysis indicated that employed
people in Gauteng were less likely to be high-risk drinkers
(odds ratio (OR) 0.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1 - 0.8).
Living in a household that never/seldom went hungry was
inversely associated with risky drinking for both sites (OR 0.3,
95% CI 0.1 - 0.9 for Gauteng and OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.3 - 1.2 for
the Western Cape). Current smokers (Western Cape) (OR 7.6,
95% CI 3.1 - 18.9) and respondents with an alcohol problem
in one or more family members (both sites) (OR 6.0, 95% CI
2.3 - 15.7 and OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.5 - 6.4) were more likely to be
high-risk drinkers.
CONCLUSIONS: High-risk drinking by women is a major problem,
especially in the Western Cape. Targeted interventions are
needed for women with alcohol problems in the family
setting, lower socio-economic status, and concurrent
substance abuse.
