Drinking abstinence during a 3-month abstinence campaign in Thailand: weighted analysis of a national representative survey

Abstract Background Temporary drinking abstinence campaigns have emerged globally in recent years. In Western countries, campaigns usually challenge drinkers to abstain for one month. In Thailand, the campaign called the Buddhist Lent Abstinence Campaign has been organized annually since 2003. The campaign encourages Thai people to abstain from drinking for three months during the Buddhist Lent period, which coincides with the monsoon season in Southeast Asia (around July–October). This study aimed to estimate the proportion and number of drinkers changing their drinking behaviours during the 3-month Thai abstinence campaign and to examine the determinants of abstinence. Methods The 2016 Buddhist Lent Abstinence Evaluation Survey was analysed. The survey was a national representative survey of Thai populations aged ≥15 years. Weighted data were employed throughout the analysis. The number and proportion of drinkers changing their drinking behaviours were estimated. The determinants of alcohol abstinence during the campaign were explored using weighted logistic regression. Results The prevalence of drinking in the Thai population was 34.3% (95% CI: 32.2–36.4%). A third of the current drinkers, equal to almost six million drinkers, abstained completely during the 3-month period. Another six million drinkers partially changed their drinking behaviours (16.3% abstained for a certain period, and 18.7% decreased the quantity of alcohol they consumed). The factors associated with abstinence included religion, occupation, drinking frequency prior to the campaign, type of beverages consumed, perceived harm from alcohol, exposure to campaign media, and making a public commitment. Conclusion This study demonstrated the effectiveness of a temporary abstinence campaign in Thailand. The work is part of the growing global evidence on the effectiveness of this type of intervention. Temporary abstinence campaigns could be a potential approach to controlling alcohol consumption and related harms. Further research should focus on the long-term effects of such campaigns.

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Ready-to-drink beverage (RTD) consumption in Thai population: trend and associated factors

10.1101/2021.01.22.21250292 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Udomsak Saengow ◽

Ruttiya Asksonthong ◽

Apinya Laohaprapanon

Keyword(s):

Drinking Behavior ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Reliable Estimate ◽

List Type ◽

Representative Survey ◽

Thai Population ◽

Middle Income ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Using Data ◽

Drinking Frequency

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo examine ready-to-drink beverage (RTD) consumption and to investigate the effects of gender and age on RTD consumption by using data 2011 and 2014 waves of a national alcohol survey.DesignAnalysis of data from Smoking and Drinking Behavior Survey (SADBeS) 2011 and 2014, a nationally representative survey.SettingThailandParticipants177,350 (2011 survey) and 25,758 (2014 survey) samples of Thais aged 15 years or older who were randomly selected using multistage-sampling technique.Primary outcomeRTD consumption in past 12 months (yes/no) as stated by survey participantsResultsThe prevalence of RTD drinkers increased from 0.5% (95% CI, 0.5-0.5%) in 2011 to 2.4% (95% CI, 2.1-2.6%) in 2014. Female drinkers were 5.1 (95% CI, 4.1-6.4) times more likely to consume RTDs than male drinkers. The likelihood of drinking RTDs decreased with age. Drinking initiation before the legal purchasing age (20 years old) was associated with 1.5 (95% CI, 1.1-1.9) times likelihood of RTDs consumption.ConclusionsA substantial increase in RTD consumption was observed in Thailand, a middle-income country, during 2011-2014. The consumption was notable in youths and females. Given that RTDs have been introduced into the Thai market relatively recently, this may be a part of the alcohol industry strategies to boost their sales in middle-income countries. Growth in RTD consumption could pose a challenge for health authorities to control alcohol-related harms in the future especially among youths and females.Article SummaryStrengths and limitations of this studyA reliable estimate of prevalence of RTD consumption was obtained by using data from two waves of a large national representative survey.The lack of information about pattern of RTD consumption including quantity and drinking frequency limited further analysis.FundingThis work was supported by the Center for Alcohol Studies, Thailand, grant number 62-02029-0043.Competing interests statementNone declared.

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Biodiversity of butterflies in endosulfan-affected areas of Kerala, India

The Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology ◽

10.1186/s41936-020-00192-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

Author(s):

K. N. Raghavendra ◽

Kumar Arvind ◽

G. K. Anushree ◽

Tony Grace

Keyword(s):

Monsoon Season ◽

Winter Season ◽

Wiener Index ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Affected Area ◽

Butterfly Assemblages ◽

Abundance And Diversity ◽

The One ◽

One Way Anova

Abstract Background Butterflies are considered as bio-indicators of a healthy and diversified ecosystem. Endosulfan was sprayed indiscriminately in large plantations of Kasaragod district, Kerala which had caused serious threats to the ecosystem. In this study, we surveyed the butterflies for their abundance and diversity in three differentially endosulfan-affected areas viz., Enmakaje—highly affected area, Periye—moderately affected area, Padanakkad—unaffected area, carried out between the end of the monsoon season and the start of the winter season, lasting approximately 100 days. Seven variables viz., butterfly abundance (N), species richness (S), Simpson’s reciprocal index (D), the Shannon–Wiener index (H′), the exponential of the Shannon–Wiener index (expH′), Pielou’s evenness (J) and species evenness (D/S), related to species diversity were estimated, followed by the one-way ANOVA (F = 25.01, p < 0.001) and the Kruskal-Wallis test (H = 22.59, p < 0.001). Results A population of three different butterfly assemblages comprised of 2300 butterflies which represented 61 species were encountered. Our results showed that Enmakaje displayed significantly lower butterfly diversity and abundance, compared to the other two communities. Conclusion So far, this is the first study concerning the effect of endosulfan on the biodiversity of butterfly in the affected areas of Kasaragod, Kerala, India. This study may present an indirect assessment of the persisting effects of endosulfan in the affected areas, suggesting its long-term effects on the ecosystem.

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