Thai drinkers with higher AUDIT-C risk less likely to plan Lent abstinence

Adults in Thailand classified as low risk for problematic alcohol use were more likely than hazardous or high-risk drinkers to intend complete abstinence during the 2021 Buddhist Lent campaign, according to a population-based study. Among current drinkers, 51.9% of those in the low-risk group planned to abstain, compared with 33.2% of hazardous drinkers and 25.5% of people classified as high risk. The study measured stated intentions before the campaign rather than completed abstinence, so its findings describe readiness to stop drinking, not the campaign’s effectiveness.

The analysis drew on a cross-sectional survey of 1,330 Thai adults conducted through face-to-face interviews. Researchers used stratified multistage sampling to select participants across the country’s major regions, with the aim of maintaining population representativeness. Of the full sample, 615 adults, or 46.2%, were identified as current drinkers. The researchers assessed alcohol-related risk with AUDIT-C and classified respondents into low, hazardous and high-risk categories. The main outcome was whether participants intended to abstain fully during the upcoming 2021 Buddhist Lent.

Overall, prospective intention for complete abstinence during the 2021 Buddhist Lent was 42.9%. The bivariate analysis showed a clear gradient across risk categories: a majority of low-risk drinkers intended to abstain, compared with roughly one in three hazardous drinkers and one in four high-risk respondents. Multivariable complex-survey analysis produced similar associations after accounting for the sampling design through weights, five strata and 15 primary sampling units. Compared with low-risk drinkers, hazardous drinkers had lower adjusted odds of intending to abstain, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.44 and a 95% confidence interval of 0.24–0.79. High-risk drinkers also had lower adjusted odds, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.31 and a 95% confidence interval of 0.12–0.80.

Sociodemographic and employment characteristics were also independently associated with abstinence intentions. Students had lower adjusted odds of planning to abstain, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.23 and a 95% confidence interval of 0.06–0.98. Private-company employees receiving a regular salary likewise had lower adjusted odds, with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.47 and a 95% confidence interval of 0.26–0.83. These estimates identify statistical associations; they do not show that student status or employment conditions caused people to be less willing to abstain. Variables with p-values below 0.05 in the final model were treated as statistically significant, and sensitivity analysis was used to assess the model’s stability.

The study also reported information about behavior surrounding the previous campaign. The results indicated that 33.8% abstained completely during the entire 2020 Buddhist Lent and resumed drinking afterward, while 3.7% abstained completely. The authors cited earlier population-level evidence linking the campaign to a 10% reduction in alcohol consumption, while noting that it remained unclear whether such a reduction was evenly distributed across different baseline consumption-risk levels. Because the present study was cross-sectional and focused on prospective intentions, it could not establish temporal sequence, determine whether planned abstinence was achieved, or test whether risk-stratified support would change behavior. The findings may therefore inform the design and prospective evaluation of support strategies tailored to drinking risk, but no intervention was evaluated here.

Subject of Research: AUDIT-C risk profiles and Buddhist Lent abstinence intentions among adult drinkers in Thailand

Article Title: Intentions to abstain from alcohol during the Buddhist Lent campaign in Thailand: AUDIT-C risk profiles and independent sociodemographic correlates

Article References: Saengow, U., Yakob, T., & Badacho, A. S. (2026). Intentions to abstain from alcohol during the Buddhist Lent campaign in Thailand: AUDIT-C risk profiles and independent sociodemographic correlates. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-29731-w

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-29731-w

Keywords: Thailand, Buddhist Lent, alcohol abstinence, AUDIT-C, drinking risk, cross-sectional survey, sociodemographic correlates, alcohol consumption, health behavior, public health, Intentions, abstain