SOCIAL PATTERNS OF SMOKING AND ALCOHOL DRINKING AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE IN MOLDOVA

This paper explores the incidence and individual determinants of smoking and alcohol drinking with a high prevalence among young people in Moldova. It goes beyond epidemiological approach and descriptive analysis and provides a sociological explanation for these risk-taking behaviours by linking them to local social context in which young people inhabit. The study is based on secondary data analysis of National Youth Survey of Moldova among 14-29 aged population (1112 respondents) carried out in 2016, commissioned by the EU-OECD Youth inclusion project and Ministry of Education, Culture and Research of the Republic of Moldova. Data were processed in SPSS. Multivariate analysis, adjusting for demographic co-variates was performed using logistic regression. The results of this study show that rates of male smoking and alcohol drinking are high, while rates in women are far lower. According to multivariate data analysis, gender and age are strong individual determinants for both health-risk practices. As well, another important predictor for these behaviors is young people’s educational level – those with lower education level were particularly likely to smoke and drink alcohol. The study revealed also a strong interrelation between these health-risk practices. In paper is argued that high prevalence of smoking and drinking in male may reflect a normative structure for male socializing. Taking into consideration that strongest predictor variable overall is male gender, and strong relationship between heavy drinking and smoking, these behavioral factors might be responsible for the increasing in premature deaths among males in middle age.