84.9 pct of Turks ‘don’t drink alcohol,’ according to Health Ministry

Meltem ÖZGENÇ ANKARA / Hürriyet

Some 84.9 percent of Turks say they do not consume alcohol, according to a Health Ministry study titled 'Health and Nutrition in Turkey' conducted among 44,607 participants.

Some 84.9 percent of Turks say they do not consume alcohol, according to a Health Ministry study titled “Health and Nutrition in Turkey” conducted among 44,607 participants.

According to the study, women between the ages of 19 and 30 consume an average of 4.79 milliliters of alcohol per year, while women between the ages of 31 and 50 consume an average of 1.5 milliliters of alcohol per year.

Surprisingly, men of younger ages consume less alcohol than their older cohorts. Men between the ages of 19 and 30 consume an average of 25.35 milliliters of alcohol per year, while their cohorts in the 31-50 range imbibe an average of 39.62 milliliters per annum. The figure drops slightly for the 51-64 range, but only to 35.37 milliliters per year, according to the ministry’s data.

The report also revealed that Turks living in rural areas consume alcohol more than those living in urban areas.

The survey also yielded other intriguing results, such as body sizes in comparison with education levels.

The survey revealed that women of lower education levels tended to be heavier, although the weight of men did not differ according to their level of education.

Shopping for food is mostly done by women in Turkish households. In 60 percent of all households surveyed, women do the shopping for food and beverages.

Eating habits

Meanwhile, a majority of respondents, 72.5 percent, said they were influenced by commercials when buying snacks such as chocolate, wafers and chips.

Only 47 percent of respondents said they ate vegetables every day.

The study also shows that 11.9 percent of Turkish people consume potato chips once or twice a week, 9.2 percent consume readymade soups once a month. People eat traditional Turkish foods pide and lahmacun once or twice every month.