J Stud Alcohol. 2003 Mar; 64(2): 262-9.

Characteristics associated with alcohol consumption in Germany.

Burger M, Mensink GB, Bergmann E, Pietrzik K.

Robert Koch Institute, P.O. Box 650261, 13302 Berlin, Germany. BurgerM@rki.de

OBJECTIVE: Knowledge about predictors of alcohol intake in Germany is scarce. The purpose of this study was to analyze the association of sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics and quality of life with alcohol consumption among German adults. METHOD: Analyses are based on cross-sectional data of the German adult population derived from the representative German National Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998 and the integrated German Nutrition Survey. In total, 1,925 women and 1,615 men, 18 to 79 years old, were included. Multiple linear regression analyses of alcohol intake were used to identify predictors of alcohol consumption. The analyses of drinkers were performed separately for women and men. RESULTS: Among women, alcohol consumption was associated with age, socioeconomic status, household size, smoking status, physical activity, use of soft drugs, body mass index, pregnancy and general health perception. The highest alcohol consumption was observed for women of middle age with high socioeconomic status. Among men, age, socioeconomic status, smoking status, physical activity, use of soft drugs, vegetarian diet, contentment with family or neighbors/friends, social functioning and physical functioning were associated with alcohol consumption, with age and smoking being the most important predictors. CONCLUSIONS: A variety of factors, including newly analyzed factors describing lifestyle and quality of life, are jointly associated with the higher alcohol consumption of German women and men. These findings may be valuable to focus health promotion projects on population groups with higher alcohol intake and, therefore, higher risk for harmful alcohol effects.