Long-Term Drinking Behavior Change Patterns and Its Association With Hyperuricemia in Chinese Adults: Evidence From China Health and Nutrition Survey

Background: We aimed to explore the association between long-term drinking behavior change patterns with hyperuricemia (HUA) in Chinese community adults.Methods: This study was designed as a community-based cohort study involving 4127 adults aged between 18~75 years, derived from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 1997 and 2009. We applied logistic regression models to explore the associations between drinking behavior change patterns and HUA.Results: The average age of the participants was 54.6 (±11.3) years and 47.8% were male. The overall prevalence of HUA was 15.5%. Drinking behavior change patterns of quitting (aOR 1.8; 95%CI 1.1~2.8) and continued drinking (aOR 2.0; 95%CI 1.3~3.0) were positively associated with high risks of HUA in the male participants. Early drinking behaviors such as liquor intake (aOR 1.8; 95%CI 1.4~2.5) and high consumption or frequency showed a positive correlation with HUA. Of note, heavy alcoholism (aOR 2.0; 95%CI 1.4~2.8) and daily drinking (aOR 2.5; 95% CI 1.7~3.6) had the highest risks of HUA. Furthermore, there was a significant association between early alcohol intake and HUA was more pronounced at 18 standard drinks, with a stable increasing trend. In contrast, no statistical correlation was observed between the drinking behaviors and HUA in the female participants. Conclusions: Drinking behavior change patterns of quitting and continued drinking are strongly associated with increased risks of HUA in males. The risks emanated from early drinking behaviors such as liquor drinking, high drinking frequency, and alcohol consumption. Although quitting drinking was associated with lower HUA risks compared to continued drinking, it still presented an undeniable risk for HUA.

Intergenerational Transmission of Parental Risky Health Behaviors in Chinese Children: Are There Socioeconomic Differences?

Background: Risky health behaviors in childhood, including smoking, drinking alcohol, and poor diet, are major sources of non-communicable diseases in adulthood. This study was intended to examine how parents affect children’s risky health behaviors, and whether intergenerational transmission differed by Socioeconomic Status (SES). Methods: Data were extracted from the 1991-2015 China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Smoking (n=5946), alcohol drinking (n=7821), and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) drinking (n=3537) were singled out as proxies for risky health behaviors in children. A binary choice model for panel data with random effect specification was employed to examine whether the risky health behaviors can be transmitted from parents to their children. Subsequently, we conducted a seemingly unrelated test to explore the difference in parental transmission between SES groups. Results: We found strong intergenerational persistence of smoking, alcohol drinking, and SSBs drinking behaviors, except mothers’ smoking behavior. Mothers had a greater influence on children’s alcohol drinking and SSBs drinking behaviors than fathers, both in urban and rural areas, and in different SES groups. The intergenerational transmission of SSBs drinking behaviors exhibited a downward SES gradient for both urban and rural families. In urban areas, mothers’ drinking behavior has a downward gradient with their education level, occupation, and income, but in rural areas, the influence of mothers' drinking behavior is in the same direction with the upward gradient of education level and occupation type. In rural areas, the influence of fathers’ drinking and smoking behaviors appears to show a mainly positive gradient with SES, while some become a downward gradient among urban fathers. Conclusions: Parents’ behaviors and socioeconomic status could make sense in the initiation of their offspring’s risky health behaviors. To promote healthy behaviors, policymakers can introduce health education programs for parents, especially for rural areas and low SES parents.

Association between Self-Reported Exposure to Alcohol Advertisements and Drinking Behaviors: An Analysis of a Population-Based Survey in Thailand

The relationship between alcohol advertising and drinking has been demonstrated in many studies. Most studies were conducted on adolescents or young adults. Thailand has strict regulations on alcohol advertisements. This study aimed to examine associations between exposure to alcohol advertisements and drinking behaviors, i.e., past-year drinking and past-year heavy drinking, using data from a population-based survey in Thailand. The survey participants were Thai citizens aged 15 or older. Logistic regression was used to investigate the associations. The primary explanatory variable was self-reported exposure to alcohol advertisements. Covariates in the regression models included sex, age, and education. Self-reported exposure to alcohol advertisements was associated with past-year drinking (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07–1.27), past-year heavy drinking (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.28–1.41), and past-year heavy drinking among drinkers (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.43–1.60). Male sex, working age, and secondary education or a diploma were associated with higher odds of past-year drinking and past-year heavy drinking. In this study, self-reported exposure to alcohol advertisements was shown to be associated with past-year drinking and past-year heavy drinking among a population aged 15 years or older.