Factors determining alcohol consumption in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Alcohol consumption in Burkina Faso is still relatively high, despite economic, social and health consequences on people, households and society as a whole, and despite the restrictive legislation adopted on production, importation, marketing and advertisement. Therefore, this study is undertaken to identify the main factors influencing the persistent use of these products by men and women in the country. The data used came from the Burkina Faso Demographic and Health Survey, conducted in 2021 on a representative sample of 7,720 men aged 15-59 and 17,659 women aged 15-49. The analyses began with a description of practice according to a number of salient characteristics. Ordinal logistic regression is then used to identify the consumption determinants for each gender. We found that women consume less alcohol than men (9.8% and 27.1% respectively), that the more affluent consume more alcohol, while Muslims consume less. In addition, no longer being in union (divorced, separated, widowed), being older and living in the south-west region are associated with higher alcohol consumption. Alcohol consumption also predisposes to smoking. These parameters help us to better target the categories and areas where to raise awareness of harmful effects of alcohol.