Alcohol‐related Admissions to a Psychiatric Hospital: a comparison of Asians and Europeans

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Abstract
The prevalence of alcohol-related problems in the British Asian community is unknown. We obtained details of all patients living in Southall who had been admitted with a primary alcohol-related diagnosis to a psychiatric hospital from 1980 to 1987. We used 1981 census data to calculate overall and age-specific incidence rates for Asian and European men and woman, expressed per 10,000 subjects over the 7-year period. The overall incidence in Asian men (105.8) was markedly higher than in European men (54.3) (p < 0.001). The overall incidence in Asian women was markedly lower than in European women (4.1 versus 18.6, p < 0.001). Proportionately more Asian than European men were married (82% versus 34%, p < 0.001). This pilot study suggests that alcohol-related problems severe enough to warrant inpatient treatment are unduly common in Southall Asian men, especially in married subjects. Further community-based studies are needed to ascertain the prevalence of alcoholism in this and other British Asian communities.