Age at onset of alcohol consumption and its association with alcohol misuse in adulthood

Abstract

Abstract Objective This study aimed to explore the association between early age onset of alcohol consumption and alcohol misuse in adulthood. Methods The study sample consisted of 16 829 individuals' (8349 males, 8435 females) survey responses obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2016 through 2019. Alcohol dependence was measured using the AUDIT‐C (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test‐Consumption), and the ages at which alcohol consumption began were grouped into four categories: under 16, 16 to 18, 19 to 23, and over 24. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the association between current alcohol misuse and age at onset of alcohol consumption. Results Compared to individuals who started drinking alcohol after the age of 24, those who began drinking alcohol before the age of 16 were more likely to score 8 or more on AUDIT‐C questions (under 16: males, odds ratio [OR] 2.50, confidence interval [CI] 1.97–3.17; females, OR: 1.66, CI: 1.18–2.33). Similar to the main analysis, the earlier the onset of alcohol assumption starts, the more likely one is to develop alcohol misuse in adulthood according to subgroup analysis stratified by independent variables in both gender. Conclusion The lower the age at the onset of alcohol consumption, the higher the likelihood of alcohol misuse in adulthood. While both males and females showed the same trend in response to the AUDIT‐C questions, males tended to have a stronger association between early onset alcohol consumption and alcohol misuse.

Keywords

• age at first use of alcohol
• alcohol misuse
• alcohol use disorder identification test‐consumption
• early age drinking
• health policy