earticle

영어

Objectives : This study was conducted to examine social factors associated with problematic drinking among middle- and older-aged men in South Korea. Methods : The data were collected from the baseline survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, and the sample consisted of 3,631 men between 45 and 64 years of age and 1,173 men aged 65 or older. This study employed variables identifying various socioeconomic features, social ties, and health-related factors. Logistic regressions were used for the data analysis. Results : Middle-aged men having frequent social relationship with close persons were significantly more likely to be problematic drinkers than those having less frequent social relationships with close persons. Lower education, unemployment, smoking, and depression were associated with problematic drinking only among middle-aged men. Conclusions : We suggest that health professionals develop specific intervention strategies that could lead to more moderate alcohol habits and better health in middle aged Korean men who are actively engaged in social networks. In addition, health professionals need to focus more on the unemployed, lower educated, depressed, and smoking groups for early detection of problematic drinking among middle-aged Korean men.