Ryoko Osaka

Gender Differences in Health-Related Practices among University Students in Northeast Thailand

The study aims at appraising gender differences in health-related practices, and health behaviour among university students of the Khon Kaen University, northeast Thailand, using a self-administered questionnaire. Of 539 university students, there were 155 males, 384 females, with mean ages 19.7 (±1.2) and 19.6 (±1.1) years, respectively. Persistent health problems were not significantly different between male and female students (12.9% vs. 15.4%). An average body mass index (BMI) was significantly different between male and female students (20.2 ± 2.1 vs. 19.8 ± 2.1). Female students reported positive health habits, in terms of drinking, smoking, sun protection, tooth brushing, fruit consumption, conscious efforts to avoid fat and cholesterol, over men, while regular exercise and safety belt use were more likely practised among male students. Using ANOVA and pairwise multiple comparisons, female students demonstrated better health eating habits than men (p=0.0001). Coronary heart disease preventive habits between the medical and non-medical faculty was greater for female students than for male students (p=0.0006 for gender; p=0.0001 for faculty). Health behaviour (combination of health eating habits, deliberate nutritional practices and coronary heart diseases preventive behaviour) was found to be better practised among women than men (p= 0.0001). These findings, therefore, should focus attention on university students as a target group for health education.

Alcohol dehydrogenase-2 and aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 genotypes and male alcohol use disorders in Khon Kaen, north-east Thailand

Abstract A case–control study on the relationship between alcohol dehydrogenase‐2 (ADH2), aldehyde dehydrogenase‐2 (ALDH2) and male probable alcohol use disorders (AUD) was performed in Khon Kaen, north‐east Thailand. One hundred and fifty‐three paired cases (probable AUD) and controls (non‐probable AUD) were sampled from villagers aged 18–65 years using the modified Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test − Thai version, controls being matched for gender, age (± 4 years) and village. All of the cases and 86.9% of the controls were current drinkers. The percentage of ADH2*1/1 among cases was 47.1%, being significantly larger than the 29.4% among controls, and yielding a univariate odds ratio (OR) of 2.421* (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.419–4.132) for developing probable AUD. The ALDH2*1/1 proportion among cases, 92.8%, was comparable to the 92.2% among controls, yielding a univariate OR of 1.100 (95%CI = 0.757–1.599). Multivariate analysis based on a conditional logistic regression model and a hierarchically well‐formulated model strategy revealed that: (i) the OR of developing probable AUD due to 1 g increment of daily ethanol drinking was 1.110* among farmers (95%CI = 1.054–1.170); (ii) OR due to 1 g increment of daily ethanol drinking was 1.329* among non‐farmers (95%CI = 1.109–1.593); (iii) OR due to either ADH2*1/1 or ALDH2*1/1 was insignificant; and (iv) the daily amount of smoking is independently associated with probable AUD. The present findings suggest that one of the genetic factors that may be related to probable AUD among Thai males living in the north‐east is the ADH2 gene.