Online Program

276157
Drinking habits of rural-to-urban versus urban-to-urban internal migrants in chengdu, China


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Lara Steele, MA, School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
Melanie Sabado, MPH, School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
Bin Xie, PhD, School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
Paula H. Palmer, PhD, School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
Aim: To analyze differences in and reasons for drinking habits and rates of binge drinking between urban-to-urban and rural-to-urban migrants in a metropolitan city in China.

Design: Cross-sectional, 165-item survey of job-seeking migrants carried out in Chengdu, China in 2005.

Setting: Respondents were selected randomly for an in-person survey from eight labor markets targeting various job types.

Participants: Weighted analyses included 1,005 participants. 504 females, 501 males. 47% between ages 18 and 25. 36% of respondents were rural migrants, and 64% were urban migrants.

Measurements: Thirty-day drinking history including binge drinking rates as well as demographic and socioeconomic measures.

Results: 35.5% of total respondents had had at least one drink in the past 30 days, with no significant difference between rural- and urban-migrant respondents. ~19% of respondents had binged on alcohol in the past 30 days. For urban-migrants, increases in education level and monthly income were correlated with increased likelihood of being a current drinker. Increased education, increased income, and increased pressure at work led to higher likelihood of binge drinking in the urban-migrant population. Increased income was the only variable correlated with increased likelihood of current drinking in rural-migrants. Increased affordability of medical care was negatively correlated with binge drinking in rural-migrants.

Conclusion: Though the general drinking rates do not vary significantly between urban-to-urban and rural-to-urban migrants in Chengdu, China, the reasons behind drinking rates may be different. These differences are important when making alcohol-related policy choices.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Compare the drinking habits of urban versus rural migrants to a metropolitan area of China Identify differences in alcohol consumption patterns based on socioeconomic status Assess the reasons behind the differences in consumption for rural-to-urban and urban-to-urban migrants

Keyword(s): Alcohol Use, Migrant Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am currently a doctoral student studying global health and world politics. My research has looked at the effects of government-level policies on health in international populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.