Alcohol use among adults in Uganda: findings from the countrywide non-communicable diseases risk factor cross-sectional survey

Background: There are limited data on levels of alcohol use in most sub-Saharan African countries. Objective: We analyzed data from Uganda's non-communicable diseases risk factor survey conducted in 2014, to identify alcohol use prevalence and associated factors. Design: The survey used the World Health Organization STEPS tool to collect data, including the history of alcohol use. Alcohol users were categorized into low-, medium-, and high-end users. Participants were also classified as having an alcohol-use-related disorder if, over the past 12 months, they were unable to stop drinking alcohol once they had started drinking, and/or failed to do what was normally expected of them because of drinking alcohol, and/or needed an alcoholic drink first in the morning to get going after a heavy drinking session the night before. Weighted logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with medium-to high-end alcohol use. Results: Of the 3,956 participants, 1,062 (26.8%) were current alcohol users, including 314 (7.9%) low-end, 246 (6.2%) medium-end, and 502 (12.7%) high-end users. A total of 386 (9.8%) were classified as having an alcohol-use-related disorder. Male participants were more likely to be medium-to high-end alcohol users compared to females; adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.34 [ 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.88-2.91]. Compared to residents in eastern Uganda, participants in central and western Uganda were more likely to be medium- to high-end users; AOR = 1.47 (95% CI = 1.01-2.12) and AOR = 1.89 (95% CI = 1.31-2.72), respectively. Participants aged 30-49 years and those aged 50-69 years were more likely to be medium-to high-end alcohol users, compared to those aged 18-29 years, AOR = 1.49 (95% CI = 1.16-1.91) and AOR = 2.08 (95% CI = 1.52-2.84), respectively. Conclusions: The level of alcohol use among adults in Uganda is high, and 9.8% of the adult population has an alcohol-use-related disorder.