The prevalence and correlates of hazardous drinking in industrial workers: a study from Goa, India

Introduction
This study aimed to describe the prevalence and association of hazardous drinking in a male industrial worker population in India.

Methods
A total of 984 subjects from a randomly selected sample of 1013 workers from four industries in Goa, India, were recruited. Interviews included the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) as an indicator of hazardous drinking and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12) as a measure of common mental disorders (CMDs).

Results
The prevalence of hazardous drinking, defined as an AUDIT score of more than 8 was 21%. There was a significant association with CMD (OR 2, P = 0.003). Hazardous drinking was significantly associated with severe health problems, such as head injuries and hospitalization whereas CMD was found to be a confounder in its association with adverse economic outcomes.

Discussion
Hazardous drinking is common among male industrial workers in Goa. Interventions in the workplace must target both drinking problems and CMDs, since they often co-exist and are associated with different types of adverse outcomes.