Trends in Alcohol Intake and the Association between Socio-Demographic Factors and Volume of Alcohol Intake amongst Adult Male Drinkers in China

Background: The volume of alcohol intake and type of alcohol affect Chinese men’s health. This study investigated changes of alcohol type between 2004 and 2011, explored the trend of change in alcohol type with age and determined the social demographic factors influencing the alcohol intake of Chinese men. Methods: Research data originated from the public database, China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). Three chi-square tests were used to determine the prevalence of different alcohol types (beer, wine and liqueur) and the trend with age among male drinkers from 2004 to 2011. An ordered logistic regression model was established with alcohol intake as the dependent variable and social demography as the independent variable to analyze the influence of these factors on male alcohol intake. Results: This study confirmed that from 2004 to 2011, 70.1% of Chinese men consumed alcohol less than 168 g/w. The popularity of beer was on the rise, while the liqueur alcohol consumption decreased from 2004 to 2011 and the consumption of wine began to rise rapidly after 2006 (p < 0.05 for all). The prevalence of liqueur drinking increased with age and the prevalence of beer drinking decreased with age among Chinese male drinkers (p < 0.05 for all). From 2004 to 2011, a positive correlation appeared between age and male alcohol intake (p < 0.05 for all). In 2004 (OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03–1.44), 2006 (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.02–1.42) and 2011 (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.31–1.75), Chinese men living in rural areas had a high volume of alcohol intake. From 2004 to 2011, the participants had married consumed more alcohol (p < 0.05 for all). In 2004 (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43–0.88) and 2011 (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68–0.94), higher education levels were negatively correlated with male alcohol intake. In 2006 (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07–1.56), 2009 (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.45–2.14) and 2011 (OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.13–1.61), male drinkers who were working consumed more alcohol. From 2004 to 2011, a significant positive correlation appeared between tobacco consumption and alcohol intake (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: Consumption of three types of alcohol (beer, wine and liqueur) varies with the year. Beer consumption decreases with age, whereas liqueur consumption increases with age. Social demographic factors, such as residence, age, highest education level, working status and tobacco consumption, are related to alcohol intake. Our study affirms the effect of age on the choice of different types of alcohol.