[Drinking habits and characteristics of urban male residents with high alcohol intake--analysis of temporary housing residents after the Great Hanshin Earthquake].

In December 1996, a health survey was conducted of 49,033 temporary housing residents of Kobe City, who were victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake on Tuesday, January 17, 1995. A total of 33,414 residents (68.1% of those requested) filled in self-administered questionnaires. This study focused on males over 20 years old and examined factors related to increase in alcohol intake. A total of 14,179 men were analyzed, 67.4% of whom reported habitual drinking, and 32.1% an increase in their alcohol intake. The factors related to elevated alcohol intake were a low Breslow's health practice index, a high nervous complaint score and a low living score. In addition, the health practice index demonstrated an inverse link. There are many drinkers among urban residents and drinking related problems are easily evoked when living conditions worsen, as in the case of a natural disaster. Logistic regression analyses were used to predict which persons are likely to increase their alcohol intake. Significant predictors identified were the smoking habit, sleep disturbance, nervous complaints and the health practice index. It is important to ensure that this latter remains high to prevent the alcohol-related problems in urban residents.