Droomers M, Schrijvers C T, Stronks K, van de Mheen D, Mackenbach J P
Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Prev Med. 1999 Jul;29(1):1-10. doi: 10.1006/pmed.1999.0496.
Socioeconomic differences in health are determined mainly by socioeconomic differences in unhealthy behavior. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms that account for socioeconomic differences in unhealthy behavior, such as excessive alcohol consumption. In this paper we examined educational differences in excessive alcohol consumption in The Netherlands and whether these may be explained by educational differences in experienced stress and stress-moderating factors.
Data were obtained from the baseline survey of the Longitudinal Study on Socio Economic Health Differences in 1991. Excessive drinking was defined as drinking more than six glasses on 3 or more days a week or more than four glasses on 5 or more days a week. Socioeconomic status was indicated by educational level. Stressors were divided into psychosocial and material factors. Analyses were performed for women (n = 756) and men (n = 1,006) separately, among drinkers only.
Excessive alcohol consumption was more common among lower educational groups. Material stressors, such as financial problems, deprivation, and income, were related to part of the educational gradient in excessive alcohol consumption. Differences in stress-moderating factors were not related to the educational gradient in excessive drinking.
Our results suggest that improvement of material conditions among the lower educational groups could result in a reduction of socioeconomic differences in excessive alcohol consumption.
健康方面的社会经济差异主要由不健康行为中的社会经济差异决定。然而，对于导致不健康行为（如过度饮酒）存在社会经济差异的机制，我们却知之甚少。在本文中，我们研究了荷兰过度饮酒方面的教育差异，以及这些差异是否可以通过经历的压力和压力调节因素方面的教育差异来解释。
数据取自1991年社会经济健康差异纵向研究的基线调查。过度饮酒被定义为每周3天或以上饮用超过6杯酒，或每周5天或以上饮用超过4杯酒。社会经济地位用教育水平来表示。压力源分为心理社会因素和物质因素。仅在饮酒者中分别对女性（n = 756）和男性（n = 1,006）进行了分析。
过度饮酒在低教育群体中更为常见。物质压力源，如经济问题、贫困和收入，与过度饮酒的部分教育梯度有关。压力调节因素的差异与过度饮酒的教育梯度无关。
我们的结果表明，改善低教育群体的物质条件可能会减少过度饮酒方面的社会经济差异。
