OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between weekly alcohol drinking behavior and the prevalence of hypertension.

METHODSData was collected in a Kadoorie study of chronic disease in Wuzhong district, Suzhou city of Jiangsu province, China. Data from the baseline survey was used to describe the status of alcohol drinking and the prevalence of hypertension among local residents. Relationships between the frequency of alcohol drinking, consumption of alcohol, age when initiating weekly drinking behavior, drinking-related adverse conditions and the prevalence of hypertension, were studied by logistic regression.

RESULTSThe rates on weekly alcohol drinking in the studied population were 40.7% in men and 0.6% in women. The amount of weekly average alcohol intake showed as 250.8 g in males and 47.2 g in females, with statistical significance seen between genders (P < 0.01). The prevalence rates of hypertension among male and female were 39.7% and 36.1% respectively, with significant difference (P < 0.01). Data from Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that when the frequency of alcohol drinking > or = 3 days per week or the weekly average alcohol intake > or = 100 grams, the risk would be higher to develop hypertension than in those non-drinkers (P < 0.01). The age of initiating behavior as weekly alcohol drinking younger than 20 years old or the dinking-related adverse condition appeared to be more than two kinds. The risks of developing hypertension were 1.50 times and 3.27 times than those non-drinkers in men but not in women.

CONCLUSIONThe frequency of drinking alcohol and the amount of alcohol intake per week was different between males and females. Along with the following factors as: increase of frequency on alcohol drinking per week, the amount of alcohol intake also increased. The advance of age related to the initiation of weekly drinking and the increase of alcohol-related adverse condition was also seen, the risk of hypertension showed an upward trend in males but not in females.