Association between caregiver and household alcohol use and child behavior problems in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

We explored the association between household alcohol use and behavior problems among South-African children, using data from the Asenze study, a population-based cohort of South African children and their caregivers. Household alcohol use and child behavior were assessed when children were 6-8 years old. To examine the association, we performed linear regressions. The sample included 1383 children with complete data under the care of 1251 adults. Children living in a household where self-reported caregiver alcohol use was scored as hazardous (4.6%) had higher levels of problem behavior (β = 1.94, 95% CI 0.06-3.82). There were no statistically significant associations between reported hazardous alcohol use by another member of the household (14.5%) and child problem behavior. Hazardous household alcohol use was associated with child problem behavior and this effect appeared to be mainly driven by primary caregiver use.