Association between frequency of heavy episodic drinking and self-reported consequences: a cross-sectional study in a Swedish population

Population-Level Impacts of Alcohol Use on Mental and Physical Health Outcomes

This study explores patterns of alcohol drinking within a representative New Zealand sample (2887 participants (1464 female, 1423 male)). Alcohol use and drinking patterns across the population are described. Multivariable logistic regressions document associations between alcohol use and drinking patterns and the likelihood of experiencing different health outcomes. Alcohol use, early drinking initiation, frequent drinking, and heavy episodic drinking (HED) are prevalent in New Zealand and vary in relation to gender, age, and socioeconomic characteristics. Those who reported alcohol-related problems were more likely to report poor mental health (AOR: 2.21; 95% CI: 1.42-3.46) and disability (AOR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.06-3.00), and less likely to experience positive mental health (AOR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.18-0.42). Those who reported HED were also less likely to experience good general health (AOR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.47-0.81) and positive mental health (AOR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.53-0.84). Younger age cohorts were more likely to engage in early drinking, and those who initiated regular drinking before age 18 were more likely to report HED and alcohol-related problems. Findings indicate that problem drinking and HED are not only associated with poor physical health, but also reduce the likelihood of individuals experiencing positive mental health. This provides information to enable public health practitioners to target alcohol prevention strategies at the entire population of drinkers.

Regular versus episodic drinking in Swedish women: Reporting of regular drinking may be less biased by social desirability

AIM

To describe the personality and social characteristics associated with regular and episodic alcohol consumption in a Swedish cohort of women.

METHODS

406 women aged 38 and 50 who participated in the Population Study of Women in Gothenburg in 2004-2005 with complete data on the key variables are included. Regular alcohol use was based on frequencies of alcoholic beverage consumption, reported to examining physicians. Regular drinking was defined as those consuming wine, beer, or spirits at least twice weekly. Episodic drinking was defined as consumption of six drinks or more on a single occasion at least once during the last year. Personality traits were studied using the self-administered 57-item Eysenck Personality Inventory, which includes a 'lie scale' measuring the tendency toward social desirability, a 'neuroticism scale', and an 'extraversion scale'. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) for regular and episodic drinking, respectively, in relation to standardized (SD) personality scores and selected social characteristics.

RESULTS

49% of the women reported episodic drinking, while 58% reported regular drinking, and 34% reported both. Women with a higher tendency toward socially desirable responses were less likely to report episodic drinking (odds ratio [OR] = 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.53-0.84) per standard deviation (SD), a trait that was not associated with regular drinking.

CONCLUSIONS

The strong inverse association between the propensity to lie scale with episodic but not regular drinking suggests that episodic drinking is subject to greater social desirability and under-reporting biases than regular drinking. Our findings indicate that this type of problem drinking may be missed in medical examinations, which limits the ability of health professionals to intervene.

Assessing Heavy Episodic Drinking: A Random Survey of 18 to 34-Year-Olds in Four Cities in Four Different Continents

Background: Heavy episodic drinking (HED) can have health and social consequences. This study assesses the associations between HED and demographic, socioeconomic, motivation and effects indicators for people aged 18–34 years old living in four cities in different regions of the world. Method: Multistage random sampling was consistent across the four cities (Ilorin (Nigeria), Wuhan (China), Montevideo (Uruguay) and Moscow (Russia)). The questionnaire was forward/back translated and face-to-face interviewing was undertaken. A total of 6235 interviews were undertaken in 2014. Separate univariable and multivariable modelling was undertaken to determine the best predictors of HED. Results: HED prevalence was 9.0%. The best predictors differed for each city. The higher probability of HED in the final models included beliefs that they have reached adulthood, feeling relaxed as an effect of drinking alcohol, and forgetting problems as an effect of drinking alcohol. Lower probability of HED was associated with not being interested in alcohol as a reason for limiting alcohol, and the belief that drinking alcohol is too expensive or a waste of money. Conclusion: Although some indicators were common across the four cities, the variables included in the final models predominantly differed from city to city. The need for country-specific prevention and early intervention programs are warranted.

Alcohol drinking patterns and differences in alcohol-related harm: a population-based study of the United States

Alcohol use and associated alcohol-related harm (ARH) are a prevalent and important public health problem, with alcohol representing about 4% of the global burden of disease. A discussion of ARH secondary to alcohol consumption necessitates a consideration of the amount of alcohol consumed and the drinking pattern. This study examined the association between alcohol drinking patterns and self-reported ARH. Pearson chi-square test (χ²) and logistic regression analyses were used on data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). The NCS-R is a cross-sectional nationally representative sample. Data was obtained by face-to-face interviews from 9282 adults aged ≥18 years in the full sample, and 5,692 respondents in a subsample of the full sample. Results presented as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Alcohol drinking patterns (frequency of drinking, and drinks per occasion) were associated with increased risks of self-reported ARH; binge or “risky” drinking was strongly predictive of ARH than other categories of drinks per occasion or frequency of drinking; and men had significantly higher likelihood of ARH in relation to frequency of drinking and drinks per occasion. Findings provide evidence for public health practitioners to target alcohol prevention strategies at the entire population of drinkers.