Exploring the Predictors of Alcohol Consumption Intensity among Men: Empirical Evidence from Nigeria

Oluwatobi Alawode, Department of Sociology, University of Florida

Alcohol remains one of the most abused psychoactive substances. High consumption affects the mental health and results in the death of millions of people on yearly basis. Intensity of consumption is associated with some non-communicable diseases. Identifying the predictors of alcohol consumption intensity could be vital for prevention and control strategies and initiatives. Hence this study identified the predictors of the alcohol consumption intensity (number of alcohol drinks usually consume) among men in Nigeria. The study used data from the 5th round of the multiple indicator cluster surveys for 2015/16 (n=3,128). Data analysis was done using the poisson regression for modelling count data. Findings showed that the predictors of alcohol consumption intensity among men in Nigeria include age, age at which alcohol was first taken, household wealth index and ethnic group of a man. Control and prevention initiatives should be more sensitive to the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of individual.