This study explores statistically the possible socio-cultural factors impacting addictive behaviors leading to disability in work-aged populations. A sparse canonical correlation analysis was employed to explore factors that may impact work place by being correlated with high addictive behaviors related to drug, tobacco, alcohol, and food overconsumption in working populations (15 to 49 yearolds). The results revealed that both within the sociocultural and the health/addictive factors there is a great degree of homogeneity, with less developed countries exhibiting lower addictive behaviors (such as food consumption for males and females, tobacco use for females, drug use for females) as the culture of these countries exhibited less information flow, social globalization, personal contact, cultural proximity, but more gender inequality. These results suggest that the development of a country influence addictive behaviors, and may lead to increased disability due to these addictions.

Published in: Canada International Conference on Education, 2017

• Date of Conference: 26-29 June, 2017
• DOI: 10.2053/CICE.2017.0266
• Electronic ISBN: 978-1-908320-83-4
• Conference Location: University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada