Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Determinants among Public Sector Employees in Kenya

Abstract

Global data estimates that 237 million men and 46 million women have alcohol use disorders (AUDs) representing 5.1% of adults. Despite the growing burden of AUDs in the general population, there is limited attention on the situation in the workplace. Further, there is limited evidence to inform tailored interventions specific to the public sector workplace. This study therefore aimed to assess the status of AUDs and associated determinants among public sector employees in Kenya. A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2020 – May 2021 where a total of 9,422 public sector employees were interviewed. Results showed that the lifetime prevalence of alcohol use among public sector employees in Kenya was 44.5%; the annual or 12 – month prevalence was 34.2%; and the 30 – day prevalence was 23.8%. Results also showed that 13.2% of the public sector employees presented with an AUD where 5.7% met the criteria for mild AUD, 3.0% moderate AUD and 4.5% severe AUD. Findings of the multinomial logistic regression analysis also showed that public sector employees who were male; married; separated/widowed/divorced; employed for 5 – 14 years; with temporary employment terms; from a state corporation; and from a medium sized public sector institution (PSI) were significantly associated with exposure to AUDs. Even though evidence showed a high burden of AUDs among employees in the public sector workplace, the problem was not generalized. Findings revealed AUDs risk disperaties across gender, marital status, duration of service, nature of employment, category of workplace and institutional size. The study therefore underscored the need for implementation of target specific interventions in the public sector workplace sensitive to the intricate dynamics of employee sub-group characteristics.