Alcohol consumption and subjective well-being in Ghana: Evidence from the World Health Organisation’s study on global ageing and adult health

Background: Adverse outcomes of unhealthy alcohol use are highest in Africa. The prevalence of heavy episodic drinking, defined as 60 or more grams of pure alcohol on at least one occasion at least once per month, remains high among drinkers, particularly in some sub-Saharan African countries. Objective: This study evaluates sociodemographic factors associated with lifetime alcohol consumption and characterises the relationship between alcohol consumption and subjective well-being across regions of Ghana. Methods: The dataset of the WHO Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) wave 2 for Ghana was used for analysis. Subjective well-being was measured using the WHO-8 Quality of Life tool. Predictors of the outcome variables were determined using logistic regression in Stata 14. Results: Overall, 4090 participant entries comprising 1692 males were evaluated. The prevalence of lifetime alcohol use was 20.7%. Lifetime alcohol drinkers were more likely to be male (p < 0.001), aged 40-49 years (p < 0.001) and having a smoking history (p < 0.001) or residence in Southern Ghana (p < 0.001). Participants aged 50 years of older (PR 0.67, CI 0.48-0.92)who were separated, divorced (PR 0.70, CI 0.48-0.99)or widowed (PR 0.51, CI 0.39-0.67) had significantly lower levels of subjective well-being. Conclusion: Sociodemographic determinants of lifetime alcohol consumption define the at-risk population, and thus, provide a framework for targeted health policies against the harmful physical and psychological effects of unhealthy alcohol intake in Ghana.