Abstract / Summary
Although the population level of the Buddhist Lent campaign was associated with a 10% reduction in alcohol consumption, it remains undetermined whether this reduction is uniform across different risk levels with respect to baseline alcohol consumption. To examine the association between AUDIT-C risk level and the prospective intention to fully abstain during Buddhist Lent and to identify independent correlates of behaviour readiness in a population-based sample of current Thai adult drinkers. A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among Thai adults. Stratified multistage sampling was employed to select the major regions in Thailand to maintain representativeness. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews. The AUDIT-C categorized risk as low, hazardous, or high risk. The outcome was the intention to fully abstain during 2021 Buddhist Lent. A bivariate chi-square analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between AUDIT-C risk level and prospective intention to abstain fully during Buddhist Lent. Data were analysed using complex survey procedures, with sampling weights across 15 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) and 5 Strata (df = 10). Multivariable complex survey analysis was conducted, and variables in the final model with p < 0.05 were declared significant, reporting the Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Sensitivity analysis was conducted to check the stability of the model. Among a total sample of 1,330 adults, 615 (46.2%) were identified as current drinkers, with 33.8% abstaining completely during the entire 2020 Buddhist Lent and resuming drinking afterward, while 3.7% abstained completely. Prospective intention for the 2021 Buddhist Lent: 42.9% intended to fully abstain. In the bivariate analysis, it was demonstrated that 51.9% of low-risk drinkers intended to achieve full abstinence, compared to 33.2% of hazardous drinkers and 25.5% of high-risk individuals. In multivariable complex survey analysis, being students (AOR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06–0.98), private company employees with regular salary (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.26–0.83), high-risk drinkers (AOR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.12–0.80) or hazardous drinkers (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.24–0.79) was independently associated with lower odds of intending to fully abstain during the upcoming Buddhist Lent. A lower risk of AUDIT-C was highly associated with the intention to fully abstain during Buddhist Lent. Being a student, working in a private company (regular salary), high-risk individual, and being a hazardous drinker were significantly associated with lower odds of intending to fully abstain during the upcoming Buddhist Lent. These findings may inform the development and prospective evaluation of risk-stratified support strategies.