Social Determinants of Alcohol Use Disorder in Patients Attending Private Primary Care Clinics in Nairobi Kenya

Abstract

Introduction: Socio-demographic factors are predictors of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). The Kenyan WHO STEPWISE survey indicated that 13% of adult Kenyans are heavy episodic drinkers. However, the relationship between social determinants of AUD among patients attending primary health care clinics has not been well investigated in Kenya. We aimed to determine the association between sociodemographic determinants and AUD in patients attending private primary care clinics in Nairobi, Kenya. Methods A cross-sectional survey design was used to purposively sample 389 patients. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires adapted from the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) Tool. The prevalence of AUD was calculated as a percentage of all the enrolled patients. Independent associations between explanatory variables and AUD were determined using the chi-square test. Variables with a p-value < 0.2 were considered for Multivariable Logistic Regression to identify factors associated with AUD. Results The prevalence of AUD in this cohort of participants was 18.5%. Significant social determinants for AUD were: tobacco and marijuana smoking (AOR 2.89 95%CI: 1.09–7.46), insomnia (AOR 3.40 95%CI: 1.52–7.70), and first-degree relatives who consumed alcohol (AOR 4.00 95% CI:1.86–8.63). The study showed that social determinants influenced the occurrence of AUD. Conclusion Alcohol users with insomnia, marijuana users and those with a family history of alcohol use should be prioritized for AUD screening. Further studies could explore the influence of these findings on AUD qualitatively.