Comment

Increases in alcohol consumption in middle-income countries will lead to increased harms

The present study investigates the socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol use and harmful drinking in Argentina, a middle-income beer- and wine-producing country with high levels of alcohol consumption.

Data from the last three waves (2009, 2013, and 2018) of the National Risk Factors Survey were used. Each wave comprised samples of 34,732, 32,365, and 29,224 individuals, respectively. Outcome measures included the prevalence of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking (HED). The Erreygers concentration index was employed to measure the socioeconomic inequalities.

HED prevalence among drinkers increased from 17 % in 2009 to 25 % in 2018. Overall, the results showed significant pro-rich inequality for alcohol use and pro-poor inequality for HED, indicating that while a smaller proportion of the most disadvantaged population consumed alcohol, harmful drinking tended to concentrate among them. Pro-rich inequality for alcohol use was deeper in the population aged 25+, particularly among women. HED among males aged 35+ showed the highest inequality against lower income groups. During the period analyzed, the group aged 18–24 years had the highest HED prevalence as well as the greatest increase in this measure; it tended to be equally distributed across socioeconomic groups, presenting no socioeconomic inequality by 2018.

These results highlight the importance of the assessment and characterization of the most exposed population to alcohol and harmful drinking. Regardless of their socioeconomic status, the young population was identified as a group for targeted interventions because of its greater alcohol exposure and the potential growth in economic and social burdens.