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. 2025 Apr 24;13:1444304. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1444304

Table 2.

Factors associated with illicit alcohol consumption among patrons in Zambia.

Characteristics *UOR (95% CI) p-value **AOR (95% CI) p-value
Socio-demographic
Age group
18–29 Ref Ref
30–44 0.95 (0.59–1.54) 0.843 0.65 (0.34–1.24) 0.190
45–59 0.88 (0.46–1.67) 0.695 0.59 (0.25–1.40) 0.229
60–69 0.76 (0.13–4.34) 0.762 0.48 (0.05–5.00) 0.541
70 and above 0.38 (0.05–2.81) 0.345 0.78 (0.01–2.26) 0.183
Gender
Male Ref Ref
Female 0.40 (0.24–0.65) 0.000 0.38 (0.20–0.73) <0.003
Marital status
Married Ref Ref
Not married 0.86 (0.55–1.33) 0.496 0.59 (0.32–1.06) 0.078
Separated 1.85 (0.67–5.12) 0.234 0.94 (0.29–3.04) 0.914
Employment status
Employed Ref NA
Unemployed 0.55 (0.29–1.03) 0.063
Student 0.75 (0.18–3.05) 0.686
Income
Less than 4,001 Ref Ref
4,001 – 10,000 1.87 (1.00–3.52) 0.052 1.93 (0.90–4.17) 0.093
Above 10,000 0.44 (0.24–0.81) 0.009 0.40 (0.19–0.85) <0.017
Residence
Livingstone Ref Ref
Lusaka 0.37 (0.20–0.68) 0.002 0.27 (0.12–0.56) <0.001
Ndola 0.33 (0.18–0.62) 0.001 0.28 (0.12–0.62) <0.002
Behavioral variables
Age at first drink
15< Ref Ref
15–19 1.55 (0.89–2.72) 0.124 1.43 (0.72–2.83) 0.310
20–25 0.74 (0.40–1.36) 0.328 0.52 (0.24–1.17) 0.116
>25 0.70 (0.32–1.53) 0.372 0.71 (0.24–2.05) 0.519
Education
Primary school (G1-G7) Ref Ref
Secondary school (G8-G9) 0.99 (0.52–1.87) 0.972 0.59 (0.25–1.41) 0.239
High school (G10-12) 1.40 (0.77–2.57) 0.272 0.83 (0.35–1.95) 0.667
College/ University 0.79 (0.39–1.60) 0.511 0.51 (0.19–1.34) 0.171
First alcohol introducer
Friend or acquaintance Ref NA
Brother or sister 1.66 (0.46–5.93) 0.438
Parent 0.88 (0.39–2.01) 0.768
Spouse or Partner 0.27 (0.07–1.02) 0.054
Other relative 0.61 (0.21–1.72) 0.347
Stole it 0.51 (0.24–1.09) 0.082
Purchased it myself 0.70 (0.38–1.28) 0.245
Cannot recall 0.28 (0.13–1.09) 0.072
Frequency of alcohol consumption
Everyday Ref Ref
5–6 days a week 1.00 (0.32–3.17) 1.000 0.97 (0.25–3.70) 0.959
3–4 days a week 0.63 (0.33–1.20) 0.160 1.01 (0.43–2.36) 0.984
1–2 days a week 0.32 (0.18–0.57) 0.000 0.38 (0.17–0.85) 0.018
2–3 days a month 0.18 (0.08–0.42) 0.000 0.19 (0.06–0.53) <0.002
About 1 day a month 0.03 (0.00–0.25) 0.001 0.01 (0.00–0.19) <0.001
Less often 0.26 (0.07–1.04) 0.057 0.14 (0.02–0.81) <0.028
Alcohol pattern
An occasional drinker Ref Ref
A light drinker 1.70 (0.87–3.31) 0.119 1.69 (0.68–4.19) 0.259
A social drinker 1.24 (0.62–2.46) 0.543 0.99 (0.40–2.42) 0.976
A heavy drinker 3.01 (1.36–6.65) 0.006 1.38 (0.44–4.29) 0.577
A binge drinker 1.47 (0.52–4.22) 0.469 0.62 (0.16–2.45) 0.496
Dependency variables
Cannot stop drinking
No Ref Ref
Yes 3.08 (1.99–4.79) 0.000 2.48 (1.35–4.57) <0.003
Failed to function normally due to drinking
No Ref Ref
Yes 2.05 (1.33–3.16) 0.001 1.27 (0.71–2.25) 0.423
Needed a drink first thing in the morning
No Ref Ref
Yes 2.17 (1.40–3.37) 0.001 0.72 (0.38–1.37) 0.314
Social impact variable
Had problems with friends due to drinking
No Ref Ref
Yes 1.79 (1.16–2.75) 0.008 0.92 (0.53–1.62) 0.784
Health consequence variables
Visited hospital due to drinking
No Ref Ref
Yes 1.93 (1.05–3.55) 0.034 1.10 (0.51–2.39) 0.805
Intent to quit
No Ref NA
Yes 1.15 (0.73–1.83) 0.544
Ever stopped drinking due to health reasons
No Ref NA
Yes 1.16 (0.72–1.87) 0.532

Variables included in the multivariable analysis despite lack of statistical significance in univariate analysis: age group, marital status, education and age at first drink; UOR* Unadjusted odds ratio; AOR** Adjusted odds ratio; AOR. Bold values indicates statistically significant.