Descriptive Epidemiology of Alcohol Use in the Lagos State Mental Health Survey (LSMHS), Nigeria

This study aimed to describe the level and form of alcohol consumption, drinking motives and the correlates of alcohol use disorders in Lagos, Nigeria. Adults ( n = 11,246) selected via multi-staged random sampling, completed questionnaire detailing sociodemographic variables, alcohol and other psychoactive substance use, presence of common mental disorders and disability. Results showed an average daily intake (ADI) of 35.5 g of alcohol. There were 6510 (57.9%) current drinkers. The rate of heavy episodic drinking (HED) was 21.9%. About 17.5% of the population started regular drinking before the age of 21 years. The most endorsed reasons for drinking were social and coping motives. The rate of alcohol use disorders (AUD) was 7.1% (SE 0.2) and the significant associated factors were being male (OR 4.4), not married (OR 1.2) and non-Muslim (OR 6.42). Our study emphasised the need for large local surveys to generate data order for planning mental health services in sub-Saharan Africa countries.