Participation in leisure activities and binge drinking in adults: Findings from a Swedish general population sample

Abstract

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the associations between participation in different leisure activities and binge drinking in Swedish adults. The study was based on a questionnaire in a general population sample (n = 3567) of individuals aged 19–64 years old. Men and women were defined as binge drinkers if they reported that they had consumed alcohol at least once a month, and stated that at a typical drinking occasion they consumed five or more standard glasses (12 g of alcohol). Multivariate analyses found associations between binge drinking and socializing with friends among men aged 19–30 years (odds ratio, OR 2.88), in the 31–64 years old age group (OR 1.87). Corresponding results was found in younger women (OR 2.36). A higher OR was also found for younger men who regularly attended sporting events as spectators (OR 1.83), and among respondents in the older age group who regularly played computer or video games (OR 2.11 for women and 1.61 for men). A lower OR for binge drinking was found for men who regularly participated in religious services in both age-groups. Lower prevalence of binge drinking among women was only found in the younger group among those who regularly participated in sports/athletics or other training (OR 0.51). Our findings suggest that prevention strategies could benefit from an everyday life approach, but also that different interventions should be used in relation to specific leisure activities.

• Alcohol, binge drinking, leisure activities