Prevalence and predictors of drinking patterns among young and middle-aged men in Ghana

• Prevalence of alcohol use among young and middle-aged men was 31.7%. • Prevalence of drinking pattern decreased with increasing intensity of alcohol use. • Predictors of lighter drinking patterns were age and tobacco use. • Age and separation from partner were predictors of heavier drinking patterns. Harmful use of alcohol is associated with noncommunicable diseases. Ghana reported that 46.8% of deaths were due to noncommunicable diseases, which mostly affected men. In order to reduce the risk of harmful use of alcohol and its negative consequences, there is a need to understand the drinking patterns of young and middle-aged men. This study therefore sought to investigate the prevalence of various drinking patterns among young and middle-aged men in Ghana and their respective predictors. This study employed a cross-sectional quantitative study design that relied on dataset from Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, 2022, which consisted of background characteristics and patterns of alcohol use of 7, 044 men. Association and predictors of various drinking pattern among young and middle-aged men were identified using Pearson’s chi-square and binary logistic regression analyses respectively. Prevalence of abstinence, moderate, “low-risk” (low intensity), heavy and high-intensity drinking were found to be 68.3%, 20.4%, 5.4%, 2.9% and 2.9% respectively. Chi-square analysis revealed that all demographic characteristics of participants were significantly associated with drinking patterns. Predictors of moderate and low-risk drinking patterns were age, smoking of tobacco, and currently working. Age, region of residence and separation from partner were identified as predictors of heavy and high-intensity drinking. Protective factors which promoted abstinence were marriage and wealth index. Harmful use of alcohol was prevalent among young and middle-aged men in Ghana. This study therefore recommends the formulation and implementation of alcohol consumption reducing policies that are tailored to target various high-risk groups.