Factors associated with alcohol use and dependence among youth in Kolar district, India: A cross-sectional study

This study aims to examine the prevalence and factors associated with alcohol use and alcohol dependence among youth in Kolar district, Karnataka, India.

A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Youth Health and Behavior Surveillance Survey (2021-2022) with 5,072 youth aged 15-30 years. Alcohol use was assessed using the WHO AUDIT score, categorizing participants into low-risk, hazardous, and dependent users. Descriptive and multivariate ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant associations.

The study found that 6.6% of youth were current alcohol users. Among these users, 21.8% engaged in hazardous use and 11% met criteria for alcohol dependence. This translates to a prevalence of 1.4% for hazardous use and 0.7% for alcohol dependence in the total population. Factors significantly associated with higher alcohol use included youth aged 26-30 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 5.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.7-10.7), current smokeless tobacco use (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI: 2.0-5.1), smoking (AOR = 7.7, 95% CI: 4.8-12.3), and smokeless tobacco dependence (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.4-7.1), consumption of burgers/pasta (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.7-8.9) and carbonated drinks (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.3), engagement in premarital/extramarital sexual relationships (AOR = 6.4, 95% CI: 3.2-12.9), experiencing physical violence (AOR = 5.1, 95% CI: 2.5-10.3), suicidal behaviors (AOR = 7.7, 95% CI: 2.2-25.9), and having peers who drink alcohol (AOR = 6.8, 95% CI: 4.6-10.2). Conversely, protective factors included being unemployed, engaging in free-time activities, and migrant status.

The study highlights the complex interplay of sociodemographic, behavioral, and social factors influencing alcohol use patterns among youth and underscores the need for targeted interventions in this population.