Browsing by Author "Takahashi, Risa"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Correlates of Alcohol Consumption in Rural Western Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study
    (BMC Psychiatry, 2017-05-10) Takahashi, Risa; Wilunda, Calistus; Magutah, Karani; Tenambergen, Mwaura Wanja; Wilunda, Boniface; Usaneya, Perngparn
    Background: Studies on alcohol consumption in rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa are scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of alcohol consumption in rural western Kenya. The study was conducted as a preliminary stage of a community-based intervention to reduce hazardous alcohol consumption. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 478 participants aged 18–65 years residing in Ikolomani Sub-county, Kakamega County was conducted in April 2015. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. We defined current drinkers as participants who consumed any alcoholic product in the preceding one month, and hazardous/high-risk drinkers as participants with an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score of 8 and above. We summarised data using descriptive statistics and used logistic regression to explore for the correlates of each of current alcohol consumption and hazardous/high-risk alcohol consumption. Results: The sex-standardized prevalence of current alcohol drinkers was 31.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 26.8%–37.2%). The prevalence was higher in men (54.6%) than in women (8.9%). The mean AUDIT score among current drinkers was 16.9 (SD 8.2) and the sex-standardized prevalence of hazardous/high-risk alcohol drinking was 28.7% (95% CI: 24.1%–34.0%). Traditional brews were the most commonly consumed types of alcohol and most drinkers took alcohol in the homes of alcohol sellers/brewers. In multivariate analyses, the number of drinkers in the family, the number of friends who are drinkers and the attitude towards alcohol intake were positively associated with current alcohol drinking status, and with hazardous/high-risk alcohol consumption. Women were less likely to be current drinkers and hazardous/high-risk drinkers than were men. Other socio-demographic factors were not significantly associated with alcohol consumption. Conclusions: The prevalence of alcohol consumption in the study area was higher than the national level estimate of 13.3%. The results suggest that the social environment is the main determinant of alcohol consumption in this setting. These findings imply that interventions to mitigate alcohol consumption in this area will have to target the social networks of the alcohol consumers, change the drinkers’ attitude towards alcohol, and tackle the issue of availability of unlicensed homemade brews.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Evaluation of Alcohol Screening and Community-Based Brief Interventions in Rural Western Kenya: A Quasi-Experimental Study
    (Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2017-10-26) Takahashi, Risa; Wilunda, Calistus; Magutah, Karani; Tenambergen, Mwaura Wanja; Atwoli, Lukoye; Usaneya, Perngparn
    Aims To assess the effectiveness of community-based alcohol brief interventions (ABI) implemented by community-health workers with and without motivational talks (MT) by former drinkers, in reducing harmful and hazardous alcohol consumption. Methods We conducted a three-arm quasi-experimental study (one control and two intervention groups) between May and December 2015 in Kakamega County, Kenya. Participants were hazardous or harmful alcohol drinkers with an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score of 8–19 at baseline. One intervention group received only ABI while the other received ABI + MT. The interventions’ effects on AUDIT scores were analysed using linear mixed models. Logistic regression was used to analyse the interventions’ effects on low-risk drinking (AUDIT score <8) after 6 months. Results The study included 161 participants: 52 in the control group, 52 in the only ABI group and 57 in the ABI + MT group. The mean AUDIT scores were lower in the intervention groups at 1, 3 and 6 months post-intervention; the ABI + MT group showed a greater reduction. The mean AUDIT scores over a 6-month period were lower in both intervention groups compared with the control group. The odds of low-risk drinking were almost two times higher in both intervention groups than in the control group, although the effect of only ABI on low-risk drinking was not significant. Conclusions ABI + MT and only ABI were associated with a reduced mean AUDIT score among hazardous and high-risk drinkers in this resource-limited setting. ABI + MT was also associated with low-risk drinking in this population. Short summary Community-based alcohol brief interventions implemented by community-health workers accompanied by motivational talks by former drinkers were associated with reduced hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption in a rural setting in western Kenya.