Alcohol Drinking Patterns in Spain: a Country in Transition

Background: Alcohol consumption in Mediterranean countries is In,r a:amnion period The objective is to describe in the Spanish adult population the pattern of (alcohol consumption by major sociodemographic variables Methods:A cross-sectional study among 20,608 individuals aged >= 5 years who participated in the Spanish Health Interview Survey (ENS) 2011-2012. According to average intake; people were classified as heavy drinkers if they drank >= 40 g/day of alcohol (Ken) or >= 24 g/day (women). Binge drinking was defined as the consumption of >6 standard drinks (men) and 1,35 (women) at any drinking occasion (4-6 hours) in the last year. The beverage preference and the trend for 1987-2012 (ENS of these years) were estimated. The relationship of the disbribution of drinking patterns with sciciodemographic variables was analyzed using adjusted logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence of heavy drinkers was 1.3% (2% in men and 0.7% in women). In men, heavy drinking was more frequent among 45 to 64 year olds (odds ratio (OR)=2.92 compared to men of 15-29 years; CI 95114: 1.59-5.38) and those born in Spain OR 345: Cl 95%; 1.59-7.69). In women, the only differences observed were those regarding education level, with heavy drinking increasing as the level of education increases (j) linear wend 0.001). The prevalence of binge drinking during the last year was 19.6% in men and 7.1% in women. In both genders, the rid(of binge drinking decreased with age and increased with higher education level (j) linear trend <0.001). The standardized prevalence of heavy drinkers has declined loom 18.8% in 1987 to 1.3% in 2012. Conclusion: Alcohol consumption in Spain is consists h floe :model fin: countries in transition, where binge drinking is the most common pattern of excessive use of alcohol. A strong decline in heavy drinkers was observed andwane has been displaced by' beer in beverage preference.