Determinants of alcohol consumption among men and women aged 15-49 years in Cambodia: Evidence from the Cambodia demographic and health survey 2021-2022.

Introduction: Alcohol consumption is a global health issue linked to over 200 diseases and accounts for 5.3% of all deaths annually. We aimed to determine the sociodemographic factors associated with alcohol consumption among Cambodian women and men aged 15-49 years.

Methods: We used data from the 2022 Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey, including 19,496 women and 8825 men aged 15-49. Multiple logistic regressions were performed using STATA V18 to examine factors associated with alcohol consumption.

Results: Nearly 70% of men (95% CI 67.6-70.9) and 16.3% of women (95% CI 15.3-17.3) reported consuming alcohol in the past months. Among men, predictors of alcohol consumption, including those aged 19-24 years, had higher odds of consuming alcohol than the younger ages ≤18 years (AOR 2.14; 95% CI 1.65-2.77). Married men consumed alcohol more than unmarried men and smokers had higher odds of alcohol use than non-smokers with AOR 1.80 (95% CI 1.52-2.14). Similar patterns were found among women, including increased ages, marriage and smoking were predictors of alcohol consumption.

Discussion and conclusions: The study highlights the high prevalence of alcohol consumption among the Cambodian adult population, particularly among men. For both sexes, increased ages greater than 18 years, those who were married, had jobs, and smoking were the main predictors of alcohol consumption. Health promotion efforts should be focused on younger adults aged 19-24, who are increasingly engaging in risky behaviours, including alcohol intake and smoking, by raising awareness about the health consequences of harmful alcohol consumption.