ISSN: 2155-9880
Razvodovsky YE
Background: Stroke is one of the major causes of death in the developed world and a top ten contributor to the global burden of disease. Russia has one of the world’s highest stroke incidence and mortality rates. Several studies have emphasized the role of binge drinking as important determinant of high stroke mortality rate in Russia.
Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the relation between the consumption of different beverage types and stroke mortality rates in Russia. Method: Age-standardized male and female stroke mortality data for the period 1980-2005 and data on beverage-specific alcohol sales were obtained from Russian State Statistical Committee. Time-series analytical modelling techniques (ARIMA) were used to examine the relation between the sale of different alcoholic beverages (vodka, wine, beer) and stroke mortality rates.
Result: Vodka consumption as measured by sale was significantly associated with both male and female stroke mortality rate. The consumption of beer and wine were not associated with stroke mortality rate. The estimates of the age specific models for men were positive (except for the 75+ age group) and ranging from 0.038 (60-74 age group) to 0.98 (30-44 age group). The estimates for women were positive for the 30-44 age groups (0.074) and 45-59 age groups (0.053).
Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest that public health efforts should focus on both reducing overall consumption and changing beverage preference away from distilled spirits in order to reduce cerebrovascular mortality rates in Russia.