LAUSR

Abstract Aims: Alcohol consumption has become a serious public health concern. The objective of the present study is to investigate sociodemographic factors associated with alcohol consumption across regions of Malaysia. Methods: Data are obtained from the Malaysian Household Expenditure Survey 2014, which contains 10,665 observations. Double-hurdle model is used to examine the consumption decision and amount decision of alcohol among households. Analyses are stratified by regions (Northern, East coast, Central and Southern). Findings: Results show that age, household size, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education, employment status, location of residence and tobacco consumption are independently associated with alcohol consumption. Households headed by males and well-educated individuals are more likely to consume alcohol and also spend more compared with households headed by females and less-educated individuals. Being employed, non-Bumiputera and tobacco consumption seem to increase the likelihood of consuming alcohol. Household size is negatively associated with the amount spent on alcohol. Conclusion: In conclusion, sociodemographic factors play an important role in determining alcohol consumption. It appears that factors associated with alcohol consumption vary across regions. Hence, policies that address regional differences in the sociodemographic factors associated with alcohol consumption are needed.