Drinking Trajectories and Factors in Koreans

Yun-Young Kim, Hyung-Joo Park and Mee-Sook Kim
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Yun-Young Kim: Department of Social Welfare, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea
Hyung-Joo Park: Department of Social Welfare, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea
Mee-Sook Kim: Division of General Education, Catholic Kkottongnae University, Cheongju 28211, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-16

Abstract: This study aimed to explore the drinking culture in Korea by sex, age, household type, occupation, and income level to identify demographic groups with prominent drinking behaviors and factors affecting their drinking. Furthermore, we evaluated recent changes, including those due to COVID-19, in drinking behavior, using data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study from 2010 to 2020. Panel analysis was performed to reveal the effects of material deprivation, depression, and sociodemographic factors on drinking behavior. We used the AUDIT 3 scale including frequency of drinking, average amount of drinking, and frequency of excessive drinking. The two characteristics of Korean drinking are consistent with the claim of the ecological system theory that humans, as social beings, drink to facilitate social communication or promote problematic drinking when social communication is difficult. Drinking among Koreans is characterized by a pattern that alternates between social drinking and problem drinking. Our study recognizes drinking as a social problem that should be managed at social as well as national levels.

Keywords: alcohol and culture; social drinking; problematic drinking; ecological system theory (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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