We evaluated alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in Korean adults by evaluating alcohol consumption and responses to the CAGE questionnaire obtained from the second Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The age-adjusted prevalence of males who consumed 0, 0.1-20, 20.1-40, or >40 g/day of alcohol were 28.0, 51.5, 12.5, and 8.0%, respectively; 26.9% of male drinkers were CAGE-positive (> or =2 affirmative responses to the CAGE). The age-adjusted prevalence of females who consumed 0, 0.1-10, 10.1-20, or >20 g/day of alcohol were 67.7, 26.6, 3.9, and 1.8%; 11.9% of female drinkers were CAGE-positive. The risk factors for high alcohol consumption were old age, low education level, smoking, and drinking onset at young ages in male drinkers, whereas low education level and smoking in female drinkers. The risk factors for a positive CAGE were young age, marriage, low education level, smoking, high amount of alcohol consumed on a single occasion, and high drinking frequency in male drinkers, whereas high household income, ex-smoking, high amount of alcohol consumed on a single occasion, and high drinking frequency in female drinkers. Our results suggest that high alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in Korean adults are not negligible and require intervention.
Adult ; Aged ; *Alcohol Drinking ; Alcohol-Related Disorders/*diagnosis/epidemiology ; Alcoholism ; Female ; *Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; State Medicine ; Treatment Outcome

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between weight status and mental disorders, including depressive disorder, anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder. A total of nationally representative 6,510 subjects aged 18-64 yr was interviewed in face-to-face household survey. Response rate was 81.7%. Mental disorders were diagnosed using the Korean version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (K-CIDI). The subjects reported their heights and weights. After adjusting for age and gender, the lifetime diagnosis of depressive disorder had a significant association with only the underweight group (odds ratio [OR], 1.68, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19-2.38). The association between underweight and depressive disorder was the strongest for subjects with a high education level (OR, 1.75, 95% CI, 1.2-2.56), subjects with a married/cohabiting status (OR, 1.94, 95% CI, 1.17-3.22) and smokers (OR, 2.58, 95% CI, 1.33-4.98). There was no significant association between obesity and depressive disorder in Korea. But there was a significant association between the underweight group and depressive disorder. The relationship between obesity and mental disorder in a Korean population was different from that in a Western population. These results suggest that the differences of traditional cultures and races might have an important effect on the associations between the weight status and mental disorders.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Alcohol-Related Disorders/diagnosis ; Anxiety Disorders/diagnosis ; *Body Weight ; Depressive Disorder/diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Mental Disorders/diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/diagnosis/epidemiology ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; Thinness

INTRODUCTIONGiven that past research on drinking problems has focused primarily on younger samples, the present study sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of alcohol use among the elderly in Singapore.

MATERIALS AND METHODSData were extracted from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study, a cross-sectional, epidemiological survey conducted among a nationally representative sample of Singapore residents (n = 2565) aged 60 years and above. Variables assessed include drinking problems, depression and anxiety symptoms, obesity, smoking status, chronic physical disorders and disability.

RESULTSThe weighted prevalence of drinking problems (CAGE score ≥2) in our sample was 4.2%. Male sex, Indian ethnicity, and being divorced or separated were associated with a significantly higher likelihood of drinking problems. Participants with drinking problems were also more likely to have subthreshold depression. There were no significant differences in disability among those with drinking problems, those without drinking problems and non-drinkers, after adjusting for demographic variables.

CONCLUSIONOur findings contribute to the body of research that indicates an association between drinking problems and depressive symptoms among the elderly. Thus, screening for depressive symptoms in the elderly with drinking problems may be useful in identifying such comorbidities in order to aid treatment planning.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alcohol-Related Disorders ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Alcoholism ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Anxiety ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; epidemiology ; psychology ; Divorce ; statistics & numerical data ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Humans ; India ; Male ; Marital Status ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Smoking ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires