Abstract:

Objective  To investigate on the alcohol use patterns among adult urban residents in Xingtai city for evidences to plan appropriate intervention measures for this population group．Methods  By multi-stage random cluster sampling, we conducted a survey in 5800 adult urban residents with questionnaire response. Then descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze the individual drinking behavior of responders. Results  Rate of alcohol use was 51.48% in adults, in which 78.45％ were males and 19.75% females. The former was significantly higher than the latter. Alcohol use was most common in population aged 35 and 45 years, which accounted for 59.45% and 54.50%, respectively. The difference existed in residents in disparate industries, with maximal number in manufacturing enterprises. Incentive to drinking was primarily associated with social-interaction. Conclusion  Alcohol use appears common in urban residents in Xingtai city, and issues associated with health and social harm could not be underestimated. Therefore, comprehensively planning preventive and control strategies should be based on the patterns of population distribution.

Key words: Urban residents, Drinking behavior, Epidemiological survey, Xingtai City