Geographical inequalities in alcohol-related mortality rates in taiwan due to socio-demographic differences

Abstract

Aims: To assess the relationships between alcohol-related mortality and socio-demography in Taiwan. Methods: Using 2002-2006 data from the national death-diagnosis registration system, we calculated the alcohol-attributed disease mortality of those aged 15 and older in 348 townships in Taiwan. This study provides spatial clustering of alcohol-attributed disease mortality rates and area sociodemographic conditions across townships, examining the relationship between the two using a spatial autoregressive model. Results: The relative risk of death due to alcohol-attributed diseaseswas estimated to increase by 2.1 and 0.9% as a result of a 1% increase in the percentage of men and aboriginal residents, respectively. The risk of death was estimated to decrease by 25% for every 1 year increase in education level. Industrialization and labor participation were also found to be predictors of the outcome measure in areas with differing levels of urbanization. Conclusions: This study provides significant evidence that township-level relationships between alcohol-related mortality and socioeconomic variables exist in Taiwan. Public health policymakers should better prioritize the specific areas in which comprehensive intervention should be undertaken accordingly.