Citation

Sobue I, Takeshita T, Maruyama S, Morimoto K. J. Stud. Alcohol 2002; 63(5): 527-530.

Affiliation

Department of Social and Environment Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12380847

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the relationship between a history of a flushing reaction and drinking behavior in Japanese university students, adjusting for the effects of alcohol-related psychosocial factors including academic year, school division, club membership and housing situation. METHOD: In 1995, 419 men and 321 women at Kyoto University were enrolled in a study using informed consent. Subjects were classified as nonflushers or flushers by using a self-reported measure, the ALST (Alcohol Sensitivity Screening Test). Alcohol drinking behavior during the last year, including drinking frequency, alcohol intake per occasion and problem drinking behavior, was investigated. RESULTS: Compared with male flushers, male nonflushers showed a 1.8 times higher frequency of drinking with family members (p < .01) and drank significantly larger amounts of alcohol with family members (p < .05). Male nonflushers drank significantly larger amounts of alcohol with friends than did male flushers (p < .0001) and showed significantly heavier mean alcohol consumption per month than male flushers did (p < .001). Compared with male flushers, male nonflushers showed a 1.7 times higher rate of high-problem drinking (p < .01). In contrast, none of these drinking behaviors differed between female nonflushers and female flushers. CONCLUSIONS: Even after adjusting for aspects of alcohol-related psychosocial factors, flushing reactions among Japanese university students were significantly related to drinking behavior in men but not in women.

Language: en