Predictors of moderate to high risk of alcohol harm among site-based South African construction workers

Abstract Alcohol consumption is an accepted part of many social and cultural practices, but excessive alcohol consumption is a global public health concern. Aside of its detrimental effects on health, it is linked to HIV-related health behaviours such as unprotected sex, multiple/concurrent sexual partnerships, and lower levels of HIV testing. Little is known about the association between alcohol use and HIV-related heath behaviours in construction. Using data from 450 workers drawn from 18 construction sites in the Western Cape, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to predict alcohol risk of harm as a function of demographic characteristics and sex-related behaviours among workers. Binary logistic regression determined factors associated with increased risk of alcohol harm. The most proximal factor predicting risk of alcohol harm was the frequency of alcohol or drug use before and/or during sex, followed by attitude towards condom use, education, and HIV testing behaviour. Future research efforts should develop a better appreciation of the role of sex-related alcohol expectancies in explaining harmful alcohol use, and intervention management practices should focus on this.