Differences in alcohol consumption and preferences for types of alcoholic beverages in OECD countries

BACKGROUND: Increased alcohol consumption is generally considered to be a very negative matter affecting the socio-economic status of countries. Different types of alcohol pose different risks. Therefore, mapping the alcohol consumption and alcohol preferences of different countries is a very important step in the process of reducing geographical disparities. AIM: The primary objective of this study was to determine the differences in alcohol consumption and alcohol preferences in OECD countries. DESIGN AND MEASUREMENT (METHODS): Non-parametric analysis of difference (Kruskal-Wallis test) and cluster analysis (hierarchical clustering – Ward’s method) were used to achieve the main objective. SAMPLE (PARTICIPANTS): The analytical process involved 36 OECD countries and the data that was analysed was divided into the following main categories of alcohol consumption: (i) beer, (ii) wine, (iii), spirits, (iv) other, and (v) all. Data was collected from 2010 to 2018. RESULTS: The differences between the countries that were analysed were significant for all the selected variables (beer, wine, spirits, other, and all), but there was no significant difference between the years that were analysed. The findings show that the highest total alcohol consumption was in Estonia. The Czech Republic showed the highest beer consumption and France was the dominant country in wine consumption. The highest consumption of spirits was found in Estonia and other types of alcoholic beverages were preferred in Korea. The highest total alcohol consumption was found in Eastern Europe. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted the need for an effective intervention strategy to control alcohol consumption in developed countries. Drinking spirits and beer is the riskiest, and therefore education and prevention should focus on areas with a higher consumption of these types of alcoholic beverages. © 2020, Sdruzeni SCAN. All rights reserved