Alcohol Use Disorder in the General Population in Sub-Saharan Africa

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the major risk factors for population health worldwide. In some regions, this disorder remains underdiagnosed. This is particularly the case in sub-Saharan Africa, where data on this disease in the general population remains scarce. The aim of this review was to describe the characteristics of AUD in sub-Saharan Africa.

We have conducted a systematic review according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science, African Journals Online, African Index Medicus, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Scopus were investigated. Studies were included if they were conducted in a general population using a validated assessment tool.

A total of 16 articles were selected and were conducted in 8 sub-Saharan African countries. The prevalence of AUD ranged from 0.1% to 33.2% in Nigeria. The most commonly used screening tool was the Alcohol Use Disorders Test (AUDIT), and among the factors associated with the AUD, we find mainly male gender, low income, Catholic religion, and the presence of a psychiatric comorbidity.

In sub-Saharan Africa, too few studies have investigated the AUD in the general population with validated diagnostic tools. Prevalence data seem to vary widely between and even within countries. The main factors associated with AUD are those found in the Western literature. The wide variety of assessment tools used to screen for AUD makes it difficult to compare prevalences across countries.