Analysis of factors affecting alcohol and tobacco concurrent use by bivariate probit model in Turkey

Alcohol and tobacco use are risky factors that are associated with one another. High alcohol and tobacco use are significant public health problems with social and economic costs and one of the leading causes of preventable death and disease. The aim of this study was to determine the sociodemographic and economic factors on alcohol and tobacco concurrent use. In this study, a bivariate probit model was employed to determine the factors affecting alcohol and tobacco concurrent use among individuals aged 15 and above who were living in Turkey. The data used in this study was obtained from the Turkey Health Survey conducted in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 by the Turkish Statistical Institute. The data were gathered from a total of 77,327 individuals. Empirical findings suggest that factors affecting alcohol and tobacco use were simultaneous. Also, the results revealed that several key variables such as age, gender, educational status, marital status, household monthly income level, and survey year were significant determinants of alcohol and tobacco concurrent use. Psychosocial support is significant for only tobacco use. In the last decade, a number of restrictions aimed to combat alcohol and tobacco use have been associated with reducing the usage habits of individuals. This is the first study that simultaneously compared both alcohol use and tobacco use using a Turkish sample.