Background: In Islamic countries alcohol consumption is considered as against religious values. Therefore, estimation
of frequency of alcohol consumptions using direct methods is prone to different biases. In this study, we indirectly
estimated the frequency of alcohol use in Iran, in network of a representative sample using network scale up (NSU)
method.
Methods: In a national survey, about 400 participants aged above 18 at each province, around 12 000 in total, were
recruited. In a gender-match face to face interview, respondents were asked about the number of those who used
alcohol (even one episode) in previous year in their active social network, classified by age and gender. The results
were corrected for the level of visibility of alcohol consumption.
Results: The relative frequency of alcohol use at least once in previous year, among general population aged above 15,
was estimated at 2.31% (95% CI: 2.12%, 2.53%). The relative frequency among males was about 8 times higher than
females (4.13% versus 0.56%). The relative frequency among those aged 18 to 30 was 3 times higher than those aged
above 30 (3.97% versus 1.36%). The relative frequency among male aged 18 to 30 was about 7%.
Conclusion: It seems that the NSU is a feasible method to monitor the relative frequency of alcohol use in Iran, and
possibly in countries with similar culture. Alcohol use was lower than non-Muslim countries, however, its relative
frequency, in particular in young males, was noticeable