Heavy Episodic Drinking and Hazardous Drinking Among Japanese Young Adults: A Cross‐Sectional Study on Prevalence and Associated Factors

BACKGROUND: No studies have investigated alcohol consumption patterns in a mixed sample of students and employees among Japanese young adults. This study estimated the prevalence of problematic drinking in a sample that includes 18- and 19-year-old individuals and aimed to identify factors related to problematic drinking, which may ultimately contribute to its prevention. METHODS: This cross-sectional study conducted in 2019 included 5500 randomly selected adults (18-24 years) from 11 cities. Data on geographical and socioeconomic characteristics, alcohol consumption, and drinking patterns were collected. The prevalence of heavy episodic drinking (HED; consuming ≥ 60 g pure alcohol on a single occasion) and hazardous drinking (HD; daily ethanol intake ≥ 40 g for men and ≥ 20 g for women) was calculated. Binomial logistic regression analysis identified variables associated with HED + HD - group, HD + group, and HED + HD + group as dependent variables. RESULTS: Among 1743 participants who were analyzed (response rate: 32.3%), the prevalence of HED and HD was 27.2% and 17.9%, respectively. Being a student (OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.43-3.37) and male sex (OR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.60-3.19) were associated with HED + HD - group, while living with parents (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.43-0.94) was negatively associated with HD. Underage drinking, all-you-can-drink use, smoking, and alcohol mixed with energy drinks were positively associated with all dependent variables. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided data on HED and HD prevalence and associated variables. These findings could help prioritize populations for targeted intervention programs.