AIM
Alcohol use is the third highest risk factor for disease and disability. This study explored the association between binge drinking and mental health, general health, and diet and nutrition of young adults.

METHODS
A sub-sample of 2590 adults 18-29 years old was selected from 10,364 participants in the survey to investigate the effect of binge drinking exposure on depression, anxiety, quality of life and nutrition. AUDIT-C was used to assess hazardous drinking. A short version of WHO CIDI was used to assess mental health. The quality of life was measured through the WHO QOL Survey. Multivariate regression analysis was performed. Potential confounders were age, gender, social class and AUDIT-C score. A two-tailed p value was presented with a significance cut off point at 0.05.

RESULTS
Univariate regression analysis showed significant associations between binge drinking and depression (OR= 1.8; p<0.03), eating fried food (OR=0.4; p<0.001) and poor quality of life (OR=1.5; p=0.01). In a multivariate model adjusted for age, gender, social class and the AUDIT-C results, the association between binge drinking and depression disappeared despite the high risk indicated by the odds ratios in the univariate analysis. A significant relationship was found between binge drinking and eating fried food (OR = 0.43 and p<0.001) and quality of life (OR=1.09; p=0.01) in the fully adjusted models.

CONCLUSION
The link between alcohol drinking and mental health remains poorly understood. More research into the relation between different aspects of alcohol consumption, mental health and quality of life is required.