Excessive drinking and history of unemployment and cohabitation in Danish men born in 1953

TY - JOUR

T1 - Excessive drinking and history of unemployment and cohabitation in Danish men born in 1953

AU - Kriegbaum, Margit

AU - Christensen, Ulla

AU - Osler, Merete

AU - Lund, Rikke

PY - 2011/8/1

Y1 - 2011/8/1

N2 - Background: Few studies exist on social inequality of excessive drinking in Denmark and differences seem to be less pronounced than in other European countries. The aims of this study were to investigate how history of employment and cohabitation is associated with excessive drinking and to study interaction between both. Methods: Birth-cohort study of 6112 Danish men born in 1953 with follow-up in 2004 on excessive drinking at age 51 years. Results: Excessive drinking (between 22 and 35 units of alcohol per week) differed little depending on history of unemployment and cohabitation. Risk of very excessive drinking (drinking >35 units of alcohol per week) increased with number of job losses - ranging from one job-loss [odds ratio (OR) 1.72, 95 confidence interval (CI) 1.39-2.14Ş to three or more job-losses (OR 2.48, 95 CI 1.75-3.52) - and duration of unemployment - ranging from 1 to 5 years (OR 1.34, 95 CI 1.11-1.63) to 10 years (OR 4.16, CI 3.13-5-53). Very excessive drinking was also associated with number of broken partnerships - ranging from one broken partnership (OR 1.43, 95 CI 1.16-1.77) to three or more broken partnerships (OR 2.69, 95 CI 2.03-3.55) - and with living alone for >5 years - ranging from 6 to 9 years (OR 1.73, 95 CI 1.30-2.29) to 10 years (OR 2.55, 95 CI 2.04-3.55). We found an interaction between the number of job-losses and of broken partnerships in relation to very excessive drinking. Conclusions: Very excessive drinking is related to number of job-losses, broken partnerships, living alone and duration of unemployment.

AB - Background: Few studies exist on social inequality of excessive drinking in Denmark and differences seem to be less pronounced than in other European countries. The aims of this study were to investigate how history of employment and cohabitation is associated with excessive drinking and to study interaction between both. Methods: Birth-cohort study of 6112 Danish men born in 1953 with follow-up in 2004 on excessive drinking at age 51 years. Results: Excessive drinking (between 22 and 35 units of alcohol per week) differed little depending on history of unemployment and cohabitation. Risk of very excessive drinking (drinking >35 units of alcohol per week) increased with number of job losses - ranging from one job-loss [odds ratio (OR) 1.72, 95 confidence interval (CI) 1.39-2.14Ş to three or more job-losses (OR 2.48, 95 CI 1.75-3.52) - and duration of unemployment - ranging from 1 to 5 years (OR 1.34, 95 CI 1.11-1.63) to 10 years (OR 4.16, CI 3.13-5-53). Very excessive drinking was also associated with number of broken partnerships - ranging from one broken partnership (OR 1.43, 95 CI 1.16-1.77) to three or more broken partnerships (OR 2.69, 95 CI 2.03-3.55) - and with living alone for >5 years - ranging from 6 to 9 years (OR 1.73, 95 CI 1.30-2.29) to 10 years (OR 2.55, 95 CI 2.04-3.55). We found an interaction between the number of job-losses and of broken partnerships in relation to very excessive drinking. Conclusions: Very excessive drinking is related to number of job-losses, broken partnerships, living alone and duration of unemployment.

U2 - 10.1093/eurpub/ckq152

DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckq152

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 20943991

SN - 1101-1262

VL - 21

SP - 444

EP - 448

JO - European Journal of Public Health

JF - European Journal of Public Health

IS - 4

ER -