A Study of Alcohol Use Pattern among Married Men in Rural Tamil Nadu, India - Policy Implications

Abstract

Alcohol consumption pattern in India varies remarkably from many other countries. In India, most men are abstainers (70% to 90%) while less than 2% of women use alcohol. However, the men who use alcohol tend to drink at hazardous levels. This study examines alcohol use pattern among married men in rural sites spreading across five districts in the State of Tamil Nadu in South India. The type, frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed in the past one year were examined and all alcohol users were screened using Fast Alcohol Screening Test (FAST). Out of the 1626 men interviewed, 61.25% (996) had not used alcohol in the past one year and 8.49% (138) were identified as problem drinkers based on FAST. In terms of the quantity consumed, 37.26% of the alcohol users (234/628) drank five units or more in a typical drinking day indicating heavy alcohol use. The significantly higher level of problem drinkers in one of the five study sites indicated that easy access to cheap liquor can lead to heavy alcohol use. Pattern of alcohol use was also examined in terms of education and occupation as indicators of socio-economic status. There was a high degree of concordance between the wife’s reports of the spouse’s alcohol use frequency. Focus group discussions were also carried out in the community to examine community’s perception of alcohol use patterns. The study findings are examined in terms of the availability theory related to alcohol use and the Social Determinants Theory (SDT).