Alcohol drinking and associated factors among chronic disease patients in primary health centers in Cambodia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Background Alcohol drinking is a significant risk factor for many chronic diseases. It can aggravate some existing chronic conditions, which are likely to be worsened even by occasional and short-term alcohol consumption. Given the high prevalence of at-risk drinking among the Cambodian general population and the potential health consequences of alcohol, this study aims to estimate the prevalence of alcohol consumption and identified factors associated with alcohol drinking among outpatients with chronic diseases in Cambodia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted with outpatients receiving care and treatment for one or more of twenty chronic diseases and conditions in four urban and rural primary health centers. Eligible patients were selected from the outpatient department of the selected health centers using a systematic sampling procedure. We conducted a multiple logistic regression model to identify factors associated with alcohol drinking. Results This study included 1600 patients, with 77.7% being female. Of the total, 24.8% reported using alcohol at least once in the past 12 months. After controlling for other covariates, the odds of alcohol drinking were significantly lower among participants in the age groups of 35–51, 52–68, and 69–85 than those in the age group of 21–34. The odds of alcohol drinking were significantly higher among participants who were male, had 6 to 12 years of formal education, were employed, had a poor diet index, and had hypertension and migraine or frequent headaches. Conclusions A considerably high proportion of patients with chronic diseases and conditions in this study consumed alcohol in the past year despite being diagnosed with and on treatment for chronic diseases and conditions. Given the potential interaction of alcohol use and chronic diseases, a history of and current alcohol use should be elicited in the treatment process in primary healthcare settings, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Cambodia.