Social Meaning of Alcohol-Related Flushing Among University Students in China

Authors

Ian M. Newman, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Izumi Jinnai, Tama City International Center and Tokyo English Life Line, Tokyo, Japan
Jie Zhao, National Opinion Research Center, Chicago, IL, USA
Zhaoqing Huang, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA, USA
Jia Pu, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Ling Qian, China Ministry of Health, Beijing, ChinaFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2011

Citation

Newman, I.M., Jinnai, I., Zhao, J., Huang, Z.Q., Pu, J., Qian, L. (2013). Social meaning of alcohol-related flushing among university students in China. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 25(5):409-419 doi:10.1177/1010539511420702

Comments

© 2011 APJPH

Abstract

This study explored drinking patterns, alcohol-related flushing, and ways students themselves and other people respond to flushing in drinking situations. Of 1080 Chinese undergraduate university students given the survey questionnaire, 725 (67.1%) returned the completed surveys. Eighty percent of the students were drinkers (93% of males and 69% of females); 68% of the drinkers were flushers. Most of the students (59.3%) said flushing had no special meaning, that is, would ignore flushing; 54% of the flushers said they could keep drinking “but less” when they flush; 27% of the students said that a flushing person should stop drinking; however, if the flushing person is a girl, 89% of the students said the girl should drink less or stop. If the flushing person was a boy, 61% of students said he should drink less or stop. The data do suggest gender differences in the understanding of and social reaction to alcohol-related flushing, and these differences raise interesting questions as to how flushing acts as a potential protective factor against alcohol misuse.