Support for a browser plug-in blocking online alcohol imagery among Australian participants: A qualitative interview study

ISSUES ADDRESSED

Alcohol depictions are extremely common online, and there is a reported relationship between alcohol exposure and alcohol use. A browser plug-in specifically designed to block online alcohol depictions may be helpful to prevent the uptake of alcohol or increased alcohol use.

METHODS

Twenty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted, examining participants' beliefs about the effects of online alcohol exposure and their support for developing the browser plug-in.

RESULTS

Using reflexive thematic analysis, we found participants highlighted a clear impact of viewing alcohol online and offline alcohol use. Participants believed a browser plug-in that blocked alcohol was acceptable and would be especially useful for minors (to prevent alcohol initiation) and those who are aiming to reduce their alcohol use.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants emphasised that viewing online alcohol exposure had an impact on drinking behaviours, such as increased craving and temptation. The browser plug-in was considered an easy intervention tool for both parents and people who are experiencing alcohol-related problems or trying to reduce their drinking. SO WHAT?: Participants' continuous support of an alcohol-blocking browser plug-in suggests that future health promotion strategies should consider the development of a prototype plug-in.

How to apply zero-shot learning to text data in substance use research: An overview and tutorial with media data

A vast amount of media-related text data is generated daily in the form of social media posts, news stories or academic articles. These text data provide opportunities for researchers to analyse and understand how substance-related issues are being discussed. The main methods to analyse large text data (content analyses or specifically trained deep-learning models) require substantial manual annotation and resources. A machine-learning approach called 'zero-shot learning' may be quicker, more flexible and require fewer resources. Zero-shot learning uses models trained on large, unlabelled (or weakly labelled) data sets to classify previously unseen data into categories on which the model has not been specifically trained. This means that a pre-existing zero-shot learning model can be used to analyse media-related text data without the need for task-specific annotation or model training. This approach may be particularly important for analysing data that is time critical. This article describes the relatively new concept of zero-shot learning and how it can be applied to text data in substance use research, including a brief practical tutorial.

Exploring the relationship between solitary drinking and living without other adults on alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic

AIMS

The COVID-19 pandemic presents the opportunity to learn about solitary drinking as many people were forced to spend time at home. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between solitary drinking and living without other adults on alcohol consumption.

METHODS

A longitudinal study with four survey waves (between May and November 2020) obtained seven-day drinking diary data from Australian adults living in New South Wales. In May, a convenience sample of 586 participants (Mage = 35.3, SD = 14.8; 65.3% women) completed the first wave. Participants then completed a survey in June (n = 319, 54.4% response rate), July/August (n = 225, 38.4% response rate), and November (n = 222, 37.9% response rate). Information about alcohol consumption including risky drinking (more than four drinks on one occasion), household structure, solitary drinking, and demographics were collected. We conducted random-effects panel bivariate and multivariable regression analyses predicting the number of standard drinks and risky drinking.

RESULTS

Participants with solitary drinking occasions consumed more and had more risky drinking occasions than participants with no solitary drinking occasions, which was also found to be the case during lockdown. Living without other adults was associated with less consumption and less risky drinking than living with other adults. However, participants who lived without other adults and had frequent solitary drinking occasions (solitary drinking in >50% drinking occasions) reported more consumption than participants without a solitary drinking occasion.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals who consume alcohol alone and live without other adults or spend long periods of time at home may be more at risk of alcohol-related harm.

The prevalence of alcohol references in music and their effect on people's drinking behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Understanding the prevalence of alcohol references in music and their impact on alcohol drinking behavior is important given the increased accessibility to daily music listening with the proliferation of smart devices. In this review, we estimate the pooled prevalence of alcohol references in music and its association with drinking behavior. Systematic searches were conducted across four major databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and CINHAL). Articles were selected following duplicate checking, title and abstract screening, and full-text review. Studies reporting the prevalence of alcohol-referencing music and/or investigating its association with drinking behavior were included. Pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using a random effects model. Of 1007 articles identified, 26 met inclusion criteria and 23 studies comprising 12,224 songs were eligible for meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of alcohol references in music (including lyrics and videos) was 24.0% (95% CI: 19.0%-29.0%). The pooled prevalence was 22.0% (95% CI: 16.0%-29.0%) for only lyrics, 25.0% (95% CI: 18.0%-33.0%) for only the visual elements of music videos, and 29.0% (95% CI: 21.0%-38.0%) for both the lyrical content and the visual components. Only three studies assessed the relationship between listening to music with alcohol references and drinking behavior, and all three reported a positive association. Whereas almost a quarter of all songs included references to alcohol, public health preventive measures are needed to reduce alcohol exposure from music. Future research is needed to understand fully the effect of music with alcohol references on drinking behavior.

Digital health interventions for all? Examining inclusivity across all stages of the digital health intervention research process

Digital interventions offer many possibilities for improving health, as remote interventions can enhance reach and access to underserved groups of society. However, research evaluating digital health interventions demonstrates that such technologies do not equally benefit all and that some in fact seem to reinforce a "digital health divide." By better understanding these potential pitfalls, we may contribute to narrowing the digital divide in health promotion. The aim of this article is to highlight and reflect upon study design decisions that might unintentionally enhance inequities across key research stages-recruitment, enrollment, engagement, efficacy/effectiveness, and retention. To address the concerns highlighted, we propose strategies including (1) the standard definition of "effectiveness" should be revised to include a measure of inclusivity; (2) studies should report a broad range of potential inequity indicators of participants recruited, randomized, and retained and should conduct sensitivity analyses examining potential sociodemographic differences for both the effect and engagement of the digital interventions; (3) participants from historically marginalized groups should be involved in the design of study procedures, including those related to recruitment, consent, intervention implementation and engagement, assessment, and retention; (4) eligibility criteria should be minimized and carefully selected and the screening process should be streamlined; (5) preregistration of trials should include recruitment benchmarks for sample diversity and comprehensive lists of sociodemographic characteristics assessed; and (6) studies within trials should be embedded to systematically test recruitment and retention strategies to improve inclusivity. The implementation of these strategies would enhance the ability of digital health trials to recruit, randomize, engage, and retain a broader and more representative population in trials, ultimately minimizing the digital divide and broadly improving population health.

Development of the lyrics-based deep learning algorithm for identifying alcohol-related words (LYDIA)

BACKGROUND

Music is an integral part of our lives and is often played in public places like restaurants. People exposed to music that contained alcohol-related lyrics in a bar scenario consumed significantly more alcohol than those exposed to music with less alcohol-related lyrics. Existing methods to quantify alcohol exposure in song lyrics have used manual annotation that is burdensome and time intensive. In this paper, we aim to build a deep learning algorithm (LYDIA) that can automatically detect and identify alcohol exposure and its context in song lyrics.

METHODS

We identified 673 potentially alcohol-related words including brand names, urban slang, and beverage names. We collected all the lyrics from the Billboard's top-100 songs from 1959 to 2020 (N = 6110). We developed an annotation tool to annotate both the alcohol-relation of the word (alcohol, non-alcohol, or unsure) and the context (positive, negative, or neutral) of the word in the song lyrics.

RESULTS

LYDIA achieved an accuracy of 86.6% in identifying the alcohol-relation of the word, and 72.9% in identifying its context. LYDIA can distinguish with an accuracy of 97.24% between the words that have positive and negative relation to alcohol; and with an accuracy of 98.37% between the positive and negative context.

CONCLUSION

LYDIA can automatically identify alcohol exposure and its context in song lyrics, which will allow for the swift analysis of future lyrics and can be used to help raise awareness about the amount of alcohol in music. Highlights Developed a deep learning algorithm (LYDIA) to identify alcohol words in songs. LYDIA achieved an accuracy of 86.6% in identifying alcohol-relation of the words. LYDIA's accuracy in identifying positive, negative, or neutral context was 72.9%. LYDIA can automatically provide evidence of alcohol in millions of songs. This can raise awareness of harms of listening to songs with alcohol words.

Support for policies restricting alcohol exposure in films: Does feeding back the amount of alcohol in films increase support?

INTRODUCTION

Alcohol exposure is common in popular films, and research has demonstrated a link between alcohol exposure and use. The likelihood of implementing specific policies to reduce the amount of film exposure is dependent on the level of public support; however, evidence is currently lacking. This study investigated how supportive people are of film-related alcohol policies and whether providing information about the amount of film exposure increased support.

METHODS

Australian adults (N = 252) first provided estimates of how much alcohol they thought were in popular films and then were randomised to either see an infographic about the amount of alcohol in films or not. All participants rated how supportive they were of eight policies.

RESULTS

The items 'alcoholic beverages and consumption should not be shown in G or PG rated films' (M = 3.54) and 'alcohol should not be glorified in films' (M = 3.49) were rated significantly higher than the scale's midpoint of 3 (p < 0.001). Participants who were older, female or reported lower alcohol use were more supportive of the policies. Only one policy item, 'information about alcohol sponsorship should be provided' received higher support from those who received the infographic compared to those who did not (M = 3.53 vs. M = 3.05; t(250) = -3.09, p = 0.002).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Participants were relatively supportive of film alcohol policies. However, providing information about the amount of alcohol in films did not make a difference on the level of support for most film alcohol policies.

Reducing intervention- and research-induced inequalities to tackle the digital divide in health promotion

Social inequalities are an important contributor to the global burden of disease within and between countries. Using digital technology in health promotion and healthcare is seen by some as a potential lever to reduce these inequalities; however, research suggests that digital technology risks re-enacting or evening widening disparities. Most research on this digital health divide focuses on a small number of social inequality indicators and stems from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) countries. There is a need for systematic, international, and interdisciplinary contextualized research on the impact of social inequality indicators in digital health as well as the underlying mechanisms of this digital divide across the globe to reduce health disparities. In June 2023, eighteen multi-disciplinary researchers representing thirteen countries from six continents came together to discuss current issues in the field of digital health promotion and healthcare contributing to the digital divide. Ways that current practices in research contribute to the digital health divide were explored, including intervention development, testing, and implementation. Based on the dialogue, we provide suggestions for overcoming barriers and improving practices across disciplines, countries, and sectors. The research community must actively advocate for system-level changes regarding policy and research to reduce the digital divide and so improve digital health for all.

Strategies to support midlife women to reduce their alcohol consumption: an Australian study using human-centred design

Alcohol consumption is causally associated with long-term health-related consequences, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, and short-term harms, such as accidents and injuries. Alcohol consumption has increased among midlife women (aged 40-65) over the last two decades in high-income countries. This study aimed to centre women's voices by using co-design methodologies to investigate what women identify as strategies that could assist them and other women their age to reduce their alcohol consumption. Human-centred design workshops were undertaken with 39 women, and conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyse information from written workshop materials to develop categories in the data and count their occurrence. Six categories, or strategies, emerged, listed here from most to least represented: 'Participate in alternative activities to drinking alcohol', 'Track alcohol consumption and set goals', 'Seek support from family and friends', 'Drink alcohol-free beverages', 'Reduce supply of alcohol in the home' and 'Seek professional support'. Our findings identify strategies that are realistic and feasible to midlife women; our sample, however, likely reflects a more affluent subsection of this group, and as such, any focus on individual-level strategies must be complemented by policies that increase equitable access to healthcare and act on the social and commercial determinants of health. An intersectional approach to alcohol and other drug research is required to examine how the interplay of gender and other markers of social identities shape alcohol consumption.

Social and contextual factors associated with drinking before, during and after watching Australian Football League games: A pilot ecological momentary assessment study

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to: (i) determine the feasibility of using ecological momentary assessment to collect data from Australian Football League (AFL) fans; (ii) explore pre-game, during-game and post-game consumption patterns of AFL fans; and (iii) explore the social and setting-related factors associated with risky single occasion drinking (5+ drinks) among AFL fans.

METHODS

Thirty-four participants completed up to 10 ecological momentary assessment surveys before, during and after 63 AFL games (n = 437 completed surveys). Surveys collected data about their drinking, and their social and environmental milieu (e.g., location, company). Binary logistic regression analyses clustered by participant identified which game-day characteristics were associated with higher odds of risky single occasion drinking. Significant differences between pre-game, during-game and post-game drinking on social and environmental factors were explored using pairwise comparisons.

RESULTS

Risky single occasion drinking was more likely when games began in the early-afternoon (1-3 pm) than late-afternoon (3-6 pm), when participants watched the game at a stadium or pub compared to home, and when participants watched the game with friends compared to family. Pre-drinking was more likely before night games and post-drinking was more likely after day games. Drinking during the game was heavier when watching the game at a pub and when watching with a combined group of friends and family.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Preliminary findings suggest that social and contextual factors matter in the way alcohol is consumed while watching AFL games. These findings require further investigation in larger samples.

The promise of zero-shot learning for alcohol image detection: comparison with a task-specific deep learning algorithm

Exposure to alcohol content in media increases alcohol consumption and related harm. With exponential growth of media content, it is important to use algorithms to automatically detect and quantify alcohol exposure. Foundation models such as Contrastive Language-Image Pretraining (CLIP) can detect alcohol exposure through Zero-Shot Learning (ZSL) without any additional training. In this paper, we evaluated the ZSL performance of CLIP against a supervised algorithm called Alcoholic Beverage Identification Deep Learning Algorithm Version-2 (ABIDLA2), which is specifically trained to recognise alcoholic beverages in images, across three tasks. We found ZSL achieved similar performance compared to ABIDLA2 in two out of three tasks. However, ABIDLA2 outperformed ZSL in a fine-grained classification task in which determining subtle differences among alcoholic beverages (including containers) are essential. We also found that phrase engineering is essential for improving the performance of ZSL. To conclude, like ABIDLA2, ZSL with little phrase engineering can achieve promising performance in identifying alcohol exposure in images. This makes it easier for researchers, with little or no programming background, to implement ZSL effectively to obtain insightful analytics from digital media. Such analytics can assist researchers and policy makers to propose regulations that can prevent alcohol exposure and eventually prevent alcohol consumption.

Drinking before sporting events in Australia: An ecological momentary assessment study

This study investigates the individual and event-level correlates of drinking prior to attending Australian Football League (AFL) games among a sample of Australian spectators.

A total of 30 adults (20% female, mean age = 32) completed a series of questionnaires (n = 417) before, during, and after an AFL match on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Cluster-adjusted regression analyses were conducted to examine the impact of individual-level (age, gender, drinking habits) and event-level factors (time and day of game, location of viewing the game, viewing with friends or family) on drinking prevalence and the number of drinks consumed prior to the game.

41.4% of participants engaged in drinking before attending an AFL match with a mean of 2.3 drinks consumed by those who reported pre-game consumption. Those aged 30 and over were significantly more likely to engage in pre-game consumption (OR = 14.44, p = 0.024) and consumed significantly more pre-game (B = 1.39, p = 0.030). Drinking before the game was significantly more likely before night games than daytime games (OR = 5.24, p = 0.039). Those who watched the game on-premise consumed significantly more before the game than those who watched the game at a private residence or at home (B = 1.06, p = 0.030). Those who watched games with family also drank significantly less prior to the game than those who attended without family (B=-1.35, p = 0.010).

Addressing the contextual factors associated with drinking before the sporting events, such as the time of the game, may assist with efforts to reduce risky alcohol consumption and related harm.

Measurement of Transdermal Alcohol Concentration using a Wrist Worn Enzymatic Transdermal Monitor

BACKGROUND

New-generation transdermal monitors such as the ION Research Alpha Prototypes (ION RAP) hold promise for real-time alcohol measurement, with improvements in design features such as sampling frequency, size and comfort. This paper aims to provide the first comparisons of the wrist worn enzyme-based ION RAP and the fuel-cell based SCRAM-CAM against breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) readings.

METHODS

Participants (N=23) completed a total of 69 laboratory alcohol administration sessions, while wearing both a prototype of the ION RAP wristband and a SCRAM-CAM ankle monitor; they also gave breath samples each 10 minutes. Analyses focused on latencies of transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) after alcohol ingestion, correlations, and cross-correlations between BrAC and TAC measurements.

RESULTS

A high failure rate of the ION RAP was observed (61.5% of the sessions were excluded due to the sessions not containing enough valid data). On average, the SCRAM-CAM and ION RAP detected alcohol 43 (SD=21) and 50 (SD=27) minutes after the first drink, with peak values reached after 138 (SD=47) and 154 (SD=56) minutes, respectively. SCRAM-CAM TAC peak (r=0.185,p=0.375) and area under the curve (AUC; r=0.320, p=0.118) showed small- and medium-sized correlations to BrAC. ION RAP TAC peak (r=-0.082, p=0.698) and AUC (r=0.040, p=0.852) correlations to BrAC were close to zero.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the new-generation ION RAP and the traditionally used SCRAM-CAM show similar delays in detection and similar TAC curves over time, despite using either enzyme or fuel-cell based technologies, respectively. Due to high failure rates of the ION RAP prototypes and close to zero correlations to BrAC, further developments and improvements of these TAC wristbands are required for reliable and valid use in real-time alcohol measurement.

Sex differences in young children's perceptions of situational drinking norms over time

OBJECTIVES

To date, there have been no previous studies examining sex differences in the development of alcohol-related perceptions over time, a potential avenue for targeted prevention and early intervention efforts. This article examines any potential sex differences in young children's development of situational drinking norms over time.

METHOD

Two hundred ninety-eight children (aged 4-6 years at baseline) completed the Dutch electronic Appropriate Beverage Task-which involves attributing alcoholic beverages to adults in varying situational contexts-annually over 3 years (2015, 2016, 2017). Three-level regression models were estimated examining whether perceptions of situational drinking norms varied as a function of the sex of the participant and whether there were any changes over time.

RESULTS

Over time children did not attribute more alcoholic beverages to adults in various situations, instead both boys and girls became more accurate at correctly identifying situations in which drinking is more common. Over time, both boys and girls attributed more alcoholic beverages in common situations and less in uncommon situations, with no significant sex differences in attributions of alcohol found.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified no significant sex differences in the development of situational drinking norms over time, suggesting that education and prevention campaigns can be unified/nontargeted by sex. However, given our findings differ from previous studies that identify significant sex differences between children on the development of other alcohol-related cognitions beyond situational drinking norms, there is a need for more international research in this space to understand the importance and nature of the development of alcohol-related perceptions over time. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The Effects of a Web-Based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Consumption Among Middle-Aged Women: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

In the last decade, alcohol consumption among middle-aged women (40-65 years old) in Australia increased, despite declines in overall population consumption. Web-based, brief interventions are promising for reducing alcohol consumption, with efficacy shown in a wide range of populations. However, no published interventions have been designed specifically for and tested with middle-aged women.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to design and implement a web-based intervention intended to reduce alcohol consumption among middle-aged women.

METHODS

The study is a 3-arm randomized controlled trial with a web-based intervention plus ecological momentary assessment (EMA) group compared to an EMA-only and a pre-post only control group. The study is aimed at middle-aged women, defined as women aged between 40 and 65 years, who consume alcohol at least weekly or who have consumed 4 or more drinks on 1 occasion in the last month. The intervention aims to reduce alcohol consumption through 4 modules that provide information on the health impacts of alcohol, mindfulness, social influences, and alcohol marketing. Intervention participants will also fill out biweekly EMA assessments. The comparators are EMA-only and pre-post control only. The primary outcome is alcohol consumption at 8 weeks compared between groups. Secondary outcomes are awareness of alcohol-related harms, readiness to change alcohol consumption, health status, mental health, and social support.

RESULTS

Ethics approval for this project was received on September 11, 2019. The trial was registered on August 14, 2020. Recruitment has commenced, and the expected results will be available in 2022.

CONCLUSIONS

This web-based intervention aims to reduce alcohol consumption among middle-aged women, a currently understudied cohort in alcohol research.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12620000814976; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?ACTRN=12620000814976.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/34842.

All alcohol exposure counts - testing parental, older sibling, best friend and peer exposure on young adolescent drinking in a seven-wave longitudinal study

AIMS

Role models around the adolescent, including parents, peers, best friends and older siblings, all act in ways to socialize the adolescent into alcohol use. This study aims to examine the effect of exposure to siblings' drinking alongside the more traditionally examined role models on alcohol use among adolescents.

DESIGN

A longitudinal study followed adolescents (45.6% male) who completed a questionnaire every 6 months over 3 years (seven in total).

SETTING

Netherlands PARTICIPANTS: This resulted in 5112 observations clustered in 765 participants aged between 10 and 16 years.

MEASUREMENTS

We examined three alcohol use measures: alcohol use in the last 6 months, in the last 4 weeks and binge drinking in the last 4 weeks-both cross-sectionally at each time-point and their change from one time-point to the next in a series of multi-level logistic regression models.

FINDINGS

Results revealed a non-significant difference in any of the exposure or alcohol use variables between those with or without older siblings. Higher exposure to sibling drinking was significantly associated with all alcohol use outcomes: use in the last 6 months, odds ratio (OR) = 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.25-1.91; last 4 weeks, OR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.60-2.60; and binge drinking, OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.82-3.05. When adding the other role models (i.e. peers, mothers, fathers and best friends), the significant association between siblings' exposure and adolescents' alcohol use remains.

CONCLUSIONS

It would appear that, after adjustment for the effect of role models, adolescents who are exposed to more sibling drinking are more likely to have drunk alcohol during the past 6 months and past 4 weeks and also to binge drink.

Validation of the revised Alcohol Expectancy Task [rAET]

Alcohol expectancies are well-established determinants of alcohol consumption. Traditionally, expectancies were assessed using self-report questionnaires. However, researchers have increasingly begun to explore the use of pictographic assessments, for example, the revised Alcohol Expectancy Task [rAET]. The current research aimed to examine the factor structure of the task in relation to the hypothesised expectancy dimensions, participants' endorsement of these dimensions, and whether rAET scores are associated with drinking patterns. The rAET presents participants with several illustrated scenarios in which people are displaying emotions, following the Circumplex Model of Affect. For each scenario, participants select which type of drink the person presented in the illustration was most likely to have drunk. The rAET was administered online to a convenience sample (n = 1,192, female: 50.7%, Mage = 36.8, SD = 13.7). The confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated adequate fit of the hypothesised four-factor model. Mean comparisons demonstrated that positive expectancies were more pronounced than negative expectancies, and a distinction between arousal and sedation expectancies was found. Results of a structural equation model found that positive sedation and positive arousal were related to high drinking frequency. There were no links between usual quantity of alcohol use or binge drinking. It appears that the rAET can be successfully used to assess alcohol expectancies in terms of the emotions that are expected to occur from alcohol consumption. Future research is needed to establish the tool's assessment properties in different settings, and its utility in predicting alcohol consumption in different age groups, particularly children and young adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and validation of the Alcoholic Beverage Identification Deep Learning Algorithm version 2 for quantifying alcohol exposure in electronic images

BACKGROUND

Seeing alcohol in media has been demonstrated to increase alcohol craving, impulsive decision-making, and hazardous drinking. Due to the exponential growth of (social) media use it is important to develop algorithms to quantify alcohol exposure efficiently in electronic images. In this article, we describe the development of an improved version of the Alcoholic Beverage Identification Deep Learning Algorithm (ABIDLA), called ABIDLA2.

METHODS

ABIDLA2 was trained on 191,286 images downloaded from Google Image Search results (based on search terms) and Bing Image Search results. In Task-1, ABIDLA2 identified images as containing one of eight beverage categories (beer/cider cup, beer/cider bottle, beer/cider can, wine, champagne, cocktails, whiskey/cognac/brandy, other images). In Task-2, ABIDLA2 made a binary classification between images containing an "alcoholic beverage" or "other". An ablation study was performed to determine which techniques improved algorithm performance.

RESULTS

ABIDLA2 was most accurate in identifying Whiskey/Cognac/Brandy (88.1%) followed by Beer/Cider Can (80.5%), Beer/Cider Bottle (78.3%), and Wine (77.8%). Its overall accuracy was 77.0% (Task-1) and 87.7% (Task-2). Even the identification of the least accurate beverage category (Champagne, 64.5%) was more than five times higher than random chance (12.5% = 1/8 categories). The implementation of balanced data sampler to address class skewness and the use of self-training to make use of a large, secondary, weakly labeled dataset particularly improved overall algorithm performance.

CONCLUSION

With extended capabilities and a higher accuracy, ABIDLA2 outperforms its predecessor and enables the screening of any kind of electronic media rapidly to estimate the quantity of alcohol exposure. Quantifying alcohol exposure automatically through algorithms like ABIDLA2 is important because viewing images of alcoholic beverages in media tends to increase alcohol consumption and related harms.

Family affluence as a protective or risk factor for adolescent drunkenness in different countries and the role drinking motives play

AIMS

Previous research has shown mixed results (positive, negative or no effects) regarding socio-economic disparities in adolescent drunkenness. This study investigates whether family affluence is differently associated with frequency of adolescent drunkenness in traditional countries, at a later diffusion of innovation adopter stage according to the Theory of Diffusions of Innovations by Rogers (2003), compared with more progressive countries at a more advanced stage. Furthermore, we investigated as to whether differences in this association can be explained by differences in adolescent drinking motives.

METHODS

This study used data from the 2009/2010 survey of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, including 25,566 alcohol-using adolescents aged 11-19 years old from 11 European countries. The Global Innovativeness Index was used to classify countries in progressive or more traditional countries. Multi-level regression analyses and structural equation modelling were conducted.

FINDINGS

In traditional countries, family affluence showed a positive association with adolescent frequency of drunkenness. A higher endorsement of social (drinking to celebrate an event) and enhancement motives (drinking to increase moods) by adolescents with a higher family affluence mediated this positive association between family affluence and frequency of drunkenness. In progressive countries, family affluence was negatively associated with frequency of drunkenness. In these countries, a higher endorsement of coping drinking motives by adolescents with a lower family affluence mediated this association.

CONCLUSION

A country's diffusion of innovation stage (i.e., traditional vs. progressive) seems to shape the direction of the association between family affluence and adolescent drunkenness including the psychological pathways that explain these socio-economic inequalities. This is most likely due to a quicker and smoother adoption of the new 'low drunkenness norms' ('it is not cool to drink to get drunk') in progressive countries and among adolescents with a higher family affluence.

Effects of exposure to mother's and father's alcohol use on young children's normative perceptions of alcohol

BACKGROUND

While consumption of alcohol does not often begin until early adolescence, young children are highly capable of internalizing normative information through observational learning. We used a longitudinal multiple-informant family study to examine the impact of exposure to mothers' and fathers' drinking on young children's normative perceptions of who drinks alcohol.

METHODS

Three hundred twenty-nine children (4 to 6 years old at baseline [M_age 4.78 (SD = 0.725)], 51% girls) completed the Dutch electronic appropriate beverage task [eABT] where they attributed alcoholic beverages to a variety of persons depicted in an illustrated scenario. Their parents completed an online survey that included information on alcohol use and exposure.

RESULTS

Children more frequently exposed to their mothers' drinking provided females shown in the eABT illustrations with alcohol significantly more often than children less frequently exposed to mothers' drinking. There was no effect of mother's exposure on providing males in the eABT with alcoholic beverages. Similarly, children more frequently exposed to their fathers' drinking provided fathers with alcoholic beverages significantly more often than children less frequently exposed to their fathers' drinking. There was no effect of father's exposure on providing the females with alcoholic beverages, nor was there an effect of father's exposure on providing "other males" with alcohol. These patterns held after adjusting for age and sex.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that there are gender-specific effects of exposure to parents' (particularly mothers') drinking on young children's perceptions of person-specific drinking norms. The findings provide unique evidence in a young population group of effects on an understudied dimension of alcohol-related perceptions with implications for future drinking behavior.

Why do adults drink alcohol? Development and validation of a Drinking Motives Questionnaire for adults

OBJECTIVE

The Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (DMQ-R; Cooper, 1994) is frequently used to assess adult drinking motives despite being designed for younger drinkers. This study aimed to develop and validate a Drinking Motives Questionnaire for Adults (DMQ-A).

METHOD

A convenience sample of 1,617 adults (25-65-year-olds; M_age = 51.4, SD = 10.8; 67% female) and 145 young-adults (18-24-year-olds; M_age = 20.8, SD = 2.0; 72% female) who reported drinking at least monthly were asked how often they consumed alcohol due to 53 drinking motives. Using item endorsement and exploratory factor analysis on half of the split sample of adults, 20 items were selected for the DMQ-A.

RESULTS

The DMQ-A was found to have social, coping, confidence, taste, and enhancement dimensions. The DMQ-R conformity dimension was replaced by one of drinking for confidence and a novel drinking for taste dimension was identified. The second half of the split sample was used to demonstrate the DMQ-A's adequate model fit (CFI = 0.93), good internal consistency (α = .81-.90) and 6-month test-retest reliability (r = .65-.74), correlation with corresponding DMQ-R dimensions (r = .90-.96), and better model fit for adults than young-adults (ΔCFI = .03). The DMQ-A also demonstrated higher endorsement for each of its dimensions and better model fit than the DMQ-R among adults (ΔCFI = .05). Like the DMQ-R, DMQ-A coping and enhancement dimensions correlated with alcohol consumption and harmful drinking (r = .19-.42).

CONCLUSIONS

The DMQ-A is a promising tool for future research or clinical application involving adult alcohol use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Double shifts, double trouble: Alcohol as a problematic panacea for working mothers

Alcohol consumption among midlife women has become an area of research focus. We suggest it is important to examine the social roles that many midlife women take on - specifically working mothers. Working mothers balance both employment and the unequal burden of caring/domestic duties, leading to 'double shifts' of paid and unpaid labor. This creates unique stresses that may impact their drinking. This is particularly important as a growing number of mothers re-enter the workforce after childbirth. In this commentary, we suggest that working mothers' drinking tends to be overlooked or even endorsed as a means of managing the gendered stresses they face - stresses which have been exacerbated during the pandemic. We highlight the dearth of literature focusing on the drinking patterns, practices, and motives of working mothers and argue that gendered expectations placed on working mothers may be an increasingly important social determinant of health among this group.

Assessing driving-relevant attentional impairment after a multiday drinking session: A two-phase pilot study

Background

The possibility of residual impairment of cognitive performance after multiday drinking sessions is particularly important given the potential for the deleterious effects of fatigue and hangover. This pilot study aimed to devise a methodology to compare sober performance on driving‐relevant attentional tasks at the end of a 4‐day music festival with performance at varying levels of the breath–alcohol curve.

Methods

Fifty‐two participants completed selective and sustained attention tasks at a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of 0.00%, 0.05%, and 0.08% following acute dosing in a controlled laboratory setting. A subset of participants (n = 13) were then tested at the conclusion of a 4‐day music festival at 0.00% BrAC, with task performance compared with laboratory results.

Results

During the laboratory phase, sustained attention was poorer at the 0.05% ascending timepoint only (compared to 0.00% BrAC). During the festival phase, participants made a greater number of errors on the selective attention task predeparture than at 0.00% and 0.05% BrAC in the laboratory. Sustained attention performance was poorer while intoxicated in the laboratory.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the absence of blood alcohol acutely may not be indicative of unimpaired cognitive performance and that other factors related to multiday drinking may produce driving‐related attentional deficits. The findings reinforce the need to measure attentional performance in real‐world drinking contexts despite the methodological complexities of doing so. A larger study is warranted to replicate the findings and should include attentional measures that either are more sensitive to the effects of acute alcohol intoxication than those in our study or are based on a driving simulator.

Why adolescents engage in early alcohol use: A study of drinking motives

Shortly after young adolescents initiate alcohol use, we investigated whether (1) drinking motives are associated with current alcohol use and binge drinking, (2) motives predict these alcohol outcomes 6 months later, and (3) alcohol outcomes predict motives 6 months later. Data on adolescents' drinking motives and alcohol use were drawn from a Dutch longitudinal 7-wave family study at the timepoint of alcohol use initiation (t0, N = 210, 51.4% male, Mage = 14.01 SD = 1.02) and 6 months later (t1, n = 88). Logistic and linear regressions were conducted. Results indicated that young adolescents mainly drink for social and enhancement motives rather than coping and conformity motives. Shortly after alcohol initiation, social motives were associated with alcohol use at t0 (OR = 1.52), enhancement motives with binge drinking at t0 (OR = 2.35), and coping motives with binge drinking at t0 (OR = 2.62) and at t1 (OR = 3.00). Conformity motives were inversely associated with binge drinking at t0 (OR = 0.42). Binge drinking predicted coping motives at t1 (B = 0.71, SE = -0.35), but no other associations among alcohol use, binge drinking, and drinking motives at t1 were found. Conclusively, this study shows that young adolescents drink to enjoy parties and to get drunk (social and enhancement motives) rather than to fit in (conformity motives). The study also indicates that shortly after alcohol initiation, alcohol to cope represents a reciprocal risk factor for binge drinking that may persist in the future, thus pointing to the importance of drinking motives for drinking behaviors among young adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The who and what of women's drinking: Examining risky drinking and associated socio-demographic factors among women aged 40-65 years in Australia

INTRODUCTION

Recent trends in Australian national survey data show an increase in alcohol use among middle-aged people, amidst declines in alcohol use among other population groups. There is limited research, however, on middle-aged women's alcohol use. This study aimed to examine patterns in alcohol use among Australian women aged 40-65 and the associated sociodemographic and contextual factors.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from six waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (2001-2019). We estimated the prevalence of long-term risky drinking (>2 Australian standard drinks per day) and risky-single occasion drinking (>5 Australian standard drinks on one occasion) among middle-aged women. Logistic regression models were estimated using 2019 data to examine demographic characteristics and contextual factors associated with alcohol use.

RESULTS

Since 2001, there has been a statistically significant increase in long-term risky drinking and risky-single occasion drinking amongst middle-aged women in Australia. Educational attainment, marital status and employment status were negatively associated with risky drinking, whereas rurality, age and location of use were positively associated with risky drinking. Beverage type was both positively and negatively associated with risky drinking.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Given the significant increase in alcohol use amongst middle-aged women in Australia, prevention efforts are needed for this group, which may focus in particular on home drinking and the impact of rurality on alcohol use.

Men and Women's Alcohol Consumption by 4- to 8-Year-Olds: A Longitudinal Investigation of Gendered Drinking Norms

INTRODUCTION

Evidence suggests an association between perceived alcohol-related norms and personal consumption. These perceptions develop over years of observation and exposure to alcohol, likely beginning in early childhood, and likely differing by sex. Understanding the early development of perceptions of drinking may provide insight into the development of gendered drinking practices. The aim of this study was to explore boys' and girls' perceptions about men and women's alcohol consumption and whether and how these change over time as children age.

METHODS

329 children (aged 4-6 years at baseline) completed the Dutch electronic Appropriate Beverage Task annually for three consecutive years (2015 [baseline], 2016, 2017). Regression models were used to examine whether perceptions of consumption varied as a function of the gender of the adult, the participants' sex, and any changes over time.

RESULTS

In illustrated pictures, children perceived that men (39%) drank alcoholic beverages more often than women (24%). Men were perceived to drink alcohol more frequently than women at baseline and this difference increased with age. Girls were more likely to perceive men drinking at baseline (aged 4-6), but there were few sex differences by time point three (aged 6-8).

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

From a young age, children perceive that men drink more than women. These perceptions strengthen as children grow older, with young girls perceiving these gender differences at earlier ages than boys. Understanding children's perceptions of gendered drinking norms and their development over time can enable targeted prevention efforts.

Exposure to Parental Alcohol Use Is Associated with Adolescent Drinking Even When Accounting for Alcohol Exposure of Best Friend and Peers

AIMS

To further disentangle the role of exposure to drinking of role models (parents, peers, best friends) in the development of young adolescent alcohol use, the current study examined (a) whether parent's alcohol use exposure was associated with alcohol use outcomes among adolescents and (b) whether this association remained significant when including best friend and peer drinking exposure.

METHODS

A longitudinal study followed 765 adolescents from the Netherlands over 3 years. Adolescents (45.6% male, Mage = 11.78, standard deviation = 0.49 at baseline) completed questionnaires every 6 months, resulting in seven measurement waves. Adolescents reported their own alcohol use and exposure to parental, best friend and peers drinking.

RESULTS

Multilevel regression analyses indicated that parental alcohol use exposure was positively associated with a higher likelihood of adolescent alcohol use in the past 6 months, drinking in the last month and binge drinking in the last month. These associations remained significant when including exposure to peer and best friend's alcohol use, also when controlling for alcohol use at the previous timepoint (i.e. change in drinking). These associations were also consistent for boys and girls.

CONCLUSIONS

Throughout early adolescence, parental alcohol exposure matters for their offspring's alcohol use, independently of whether peers or their best friend expose them to alcohol or not. Parental alcohol exposure should be considered in prevention efforts to further decrease the number of adolescents that engage in early alcohol use and binge drinking.

A parallel test of the SCRAM-CAM transdermal monitors ensuring reliability

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies validating the transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) as measured by the Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitors Continuous Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM-CAM) have tested the monitor against self-reports or breath alcohol concentration (BrAC). This study aims to provide further evidence of the reliability of the SCRAM-CAM testing two monitors in parallel.

METHODS

Participants (N = 21) received four standard drinks in a laboratory session while wearing SCRAM-CAMs simultaneously on their left and right ankles. The SCRAM-CAMs sampled TAC every 30 min and participants were monitored for at least 2-3 h after their BrAC levels reached zero. Weight and height measures were taken to calculate body mass index (BMI).

RESULTS

There was a positive correlation between the TAC measurements from the left and right SCRAM-CAM (r = 0.718), a cross-correlation model revealed that this correlation was not significantly different for sex or BMI. Area under the TAC curve (AUC) and peak TAC values as measured by the left and right SCRAM-CAM also show positive correlations (r = 0.554 and r = 0.579, respectively). Cross-correlation models show a significant effect of BMI on the relationship between left and right peak TAC values, which may be due to outlier effects. No further effects were significant for on both peak and AUC values.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Results show that TAC measured by SCRAM-CAMs worn on the left and right showed a good correlation, with correlations between AUC and peak TAC values considered to be fair. TAC monitors show promise for use in research settings; however, work is needed testing the reliability of TAC as measured by two TAC monitors.

Shifts in alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic: early indications from Australia

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol consumption is currently unclear. This study aimed to provide early estimates of how stress and demographics will interact with shifts in harmful alcohol consumption from before the COVID-19 outbreak to 2 months into social distancing.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional convenience sample.

SETTING

Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1684 Australians aged 18-65 years who drink at least monthly.

MEASUREMENTS

Items from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS).

FINDINGS

Overall, harmful drinking decreased during social distancing measures in our sample [2019 score = 8.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 7.9-8.4; during the pandemic = 7.3, 95% CI = 7.1-7.6]. Younger drinkers, particularly young women, decreased their consumption the most, but there was a small increase in consumption in middle-aged women. Drinkers experiencing high levels of stress also reported a relatively higher shift in harmful consumption compared with those with low levels of stress (β = 0.65, P = 0.003), despite reporting a small decrease overall.

CONCLUSIONS

The closure of licensed premises and social distancing measures in Australia in response to the COVID-19 outbreak appear to have reduced harmful alcohol consumption in younger drinkers, particularly young women.

Ten seconds of my nights: Exploring methods to measure brightness, loudness and attendance and their associations with alcohol use from video clips

Introduction

Most evidence on associations between alcohol use behaviors and the characteristics of its social and physical context is based on self-reports from study participants and, thus, only account for their subjective impressions of the situation. This study explores the feasibility of obtaining alternative measures of loudness, brightness, and attendance (number of people) using 10-second video clips of real-life drinking occasions rated by human annotators and computer algorithms, and explores the associations of these measures with participants’ choice to drink alcohol or not.

Methods

Using a custom-built smartphone application, 215 16-25-year-olds documented characteristics of 2,380 weekend night drinking events using questionnaires and videos. Ratings of loudness, brightness, and attendance were obtained from three sources, namely in-situ participants’ ratings, video-based annotator ratings, and video-based computer algorithm ratings. Bivariate statistics explored differences in ratings across sources. Multilevel logistic regressions assessed the associations of contextual characteristics with alcohol use. Finally, model fit indices and cross-validation were used to assess the ability of each set of contextual measures to predict participants’ alcohol use.

Results

Raw ratings of brightness, loudness and attendance differed slightly across sources, but were all correlated (r = .21 to .82, all p < .001). Participants rated bars/pubs as being louder (Cohen’s d = 0.50 [95%-CI: 0.07–0.92]), and annotators rated private places as darker (d = 1.21 [95%-CI: 0.99–1.43]) when alcohol was consumed than when alcohol was not consumed. Multilevel logistic regressions showed that drinking in private places was more likely in louder (OR_participants = 1.74 [CI: 1.31–2.32]; OR_annotators = 3.22 [CI: 2.06–5.03]; OR_algorithm = 2.62 [CI: 1.83–3.76]), more attended (OR_participants = 1.10 [CI: 1.03–1.18]; OR_algorithm = 1.19 [CI: 1.07–1.32]) and darker (OR = 0.64 [CI: 0.44–0.94]) situations. In commercial venues, drinking was more likely in darker (OR_participants = 0.67 [CI: 0.47–0.94]; OR_annotators = 0.53 [CI: 0.33–0.85]; OR_algorithm = 0.58 [CI: 0.37–0.88]) and louder (OR_participants = 1.40 [CI: 1.02–1.92]; OR_algorithm = 2.45 [CI: 1.25–4.80]) places. Higher inference accuracies were found for the models based on the annotators’ ratings (80% to 84%) and the algorithms’ ratings (76% to 86%) than on the participants’ ratings (69% to 71%).

Conclusions

Several contextual characteristics are associated with increased odds of drinking in private and commercial settings, and might serve as a basis for the development of prevention measures. Regarding assessment of contextual characteristics, annotators and algorithms might serve as appropriate substitutes of participants’ in-situ impressions for correlational and regression analyses despite differences in raw ratings. Collecting contextual data by means of sensors or media files is recommended for future research.

When the Burden Gets Overwhelming: Testing an Inverse U-Shaped Relation between Work-Family Conflicts and Alcohol Use

BACKGROUND

Combining work and family demands often results in conflicts increasing alcohol use. However, extreme levels of conflict may be associated with low volumes consumed. This study tests such an inverse u-shaped relationship and whether this is influenced by the source from which the conflicts mainly arise (family duties and/or work obligations).

METHODS

Regression models including linear and quadratic terms were estimated based on a sample of 305 employed parents (mean age = 38.7; 52.1% mothers) in French-speaking Switzerland.

RESULTS

No significant gender differences were found for the total level of conflict, but men reported significantly more work conflicts influencing family life than women. A significant positive linear (B = 2.10, SE = 0.72) and negative quadratic (B = -0.60, SE = 0.26) effect was found indicating that parents with low and those with high level of conflict report drinking less alcohol than those with a medium level of conflict. This relation was independent from the underlying sources of conflict and persisted when adjusting for gender, level of employment, number of children, or age of the youngest child.

CONCLUSION

This study extends existing knowledge by demonstrating that the relationship between work-family conflicts (WFC) and alcohol use is more complex than previously assumed. To explain the inverse u-shaped relation, future studies should test two major processes: (a) holding multiple roles may cause more conflicts but will also limit the opportunities to engage in alcohol use, (b) those facing high level of WFC are a particular risk group experiencing detrimental health outcomes other than hazardous drinking, and (c) a combination of both.

Drinking to cope mediates the link between work-family conflict and alcohol use among mothers but not fathers of preschool children

Based on the assumptions of emotion regulation theory, this study tests whether drinking to cope mediates the association between work-family conflict (WFC) and alcohol use; an important link missing in previous studies. Based on a sample of 144 fathers and 165 mothers of pre-schoolers in Switzerland, Poisson regression mediation models were estimated. Models were adjusted for other drinking motives, age, and employment level. The results revealed that, among mothers, coping motives fully mediated the effect of WFC on frequency of risky single occasion drinking (IRR direct effect = 0.969, p > .05; IRR indirect effect = 1.043, p < .05) and partially mediated the link between WFC and usual quantity per drinking day (IRR direct effect = 1.181, p < .01; IRR indirect effect = 1.035, p < .05). Among fathers, no effect of WFC on alcohol use was found and consequently no mediation of coping motives. The findings suggest that mothers who drink to cope are at risk of excessive drinking, particularly when experiencing WFC. This puts them at risk for long-term health consequences when the stress and negative affects resulting from WFC are not adequately addressed. Intervention efforts should focus on women who drink for coping motives by providing them with support and non-drinking alternatives.

Shooting shots: Estimating alcoholic drink sizes in real life using event-level reports and annotations of close-up pictures

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Drinks consumed in real life are diverse, in terms of beverage type, container size and alcohol by volume. To date, most ecological momentary assessment studies have assessed drinking amounts with 'standard' drinks, although their event-level design allows for more advanced assessment schemes. The purpose of this empirical study is to compare participants' estimates of alcoholic drink characteristics, assessed using drink-specific questions, with estimates generated by annotators based on pictures of the same drinks.

DESIGN AND METHODS

On weekend nights, 186 young adults took 1484 close-up pictures of their drinks using a custom-built smartphone application. Participants reported the beverage type, drink size and alcohol by volume. Annotators described the beverage type, container size and filling level. Correspondence between participants' and annotators' estimates was explored using descriptive statistics, difference tests and correlations.

RESULTS

Annotators were unable to precisely identify the beverage types in most pictures of liqueurs, spirits and mixed drinks. Participants' drink size estimates converged with annotators' estimates of the container size for beer (41 cl corresponding to 16 g of pure alcohol) and mixed drinks (28 cl/35 g), and of the content size for wine (10 cl/9 g). However, annotators estimated larger sizes for liqueur/fortified wine (12 cl/14 g vs. 7 cl/9 g) and spirits (8 cl/26 g vs. 4 cl/10 g) than participants.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Annotations of pictures should be considered as a complement to participants' reports rather than a substitute. Except for wine, real-life drinks vary largely and often exceed 10 g 'standard' drinks.

Combining transdermal and breath alcohol assessments, real-time drink logs and retrospective self-reports to measure alcohol consumption and intoxication across a multi-day music festival

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Comprehensively investigating alcohol-related behaviours in the context of a dynamic multi-day alcohol-licensed event is important for understanding and minimising patron risk. We aimed to assess the measurement utility of implementing a multi-dimensional alcohol assessment battery using biometric data collection, real-time drink logs and retrospective self-report measures over the course of a 4-day music festival.

METHODS

Fourteen adults participated (n = 7 male, mean age 21.9 years). Breath and transdermal alcohol concentration (BrAC and TAC, respectively) were measured using breathalysers and transdermal alcohol bracelets. A real-time drink log was completed via smartphones on initiating each drink, and a retrospective questionnaire was administered up to twice daily throughout the event (6 timepoints total).

RESULTS

While almost all participants (92.9%) logged significantly fewer drinks in real-time than they retrospectively reported via the twice-daily questionnaires, logs provided important contextual information including the types of drinks consumed and drinking intensity. Compared to BrAC, TAC provided a better understanding of the time course of intoxication, indicating highest alcohol consumption outside of static BrAC assessment windows. However, BrAC provided a better assessment of present state: all participants were 0.00% BrAC at departure despite over two-fifths (42.9%) of the sample's last TAC reading exceeding 0.00%.

CONCLUSIONS

As standalone assessments, each method possessed limitations. As a combined battery, they were successfully administered simultaneously, resulting in a more comprehensive overview of alcohol consumption/intoxication over the prolonged drinking session. However, the marked burden of simultaneous administration should be considered, and measures should be chosen judiciously based on research needs.

Purchasing, consumption, demographic and socioeconomic variables associated with shifts in alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Restrictions introduced to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have had major impacts on the living circumstances of Australians. This paper aims to provide insight into shifts in alcohol consumption and associated factors during the epidemic.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional convenience sample of 2307 Australians aged 18 and over who drank at least monthly was recruited through social media. Respondents were asked about their alcohol consumption and purchasing in 2019 prior to the epidemic plus similar questions about their experiences in the month prior to being surveyed between 29 April and 16 May 2020.

RESULTS

Reports of average consumption before (3.53 drinks per day [3.36, 3.71 95% confidence interval]) and during (3.52 [3.34, 3.69]) the pandemic were stable. However, young men and those who drank more outside the home in 2019 reported decreased consumption during the pandemic, and people with high levels of stress and those who bulk-bought alcohol when restrictions were announced reported an increase in consumption relative to those who did not.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

A reported increase in consumption among those experiencing more stress suggests that some people may have been drinking to cope during the epidemic. Conversely, the reported decrease in consumption among those who drank more outside of their home in 2019 suggests that closing all on-trade sales did not result in complete substitution of on-premise drinking with home drinking in this group. Monitoring of relevant subgroups to assess long-term changes in consumption in the aftermath of the epidemic is recommended.

Effects of Question Type and Order When Measuring Peak Consumption of Risky Drinking Events

AIMS

There is new interest in measuring alcohol consumption during risky drinking events, but there is little guidance on how to best ask such questions. In this study, we contrast two different types of questions on peak consumption over a single heavy drinking occasion. We used a general question that ask respondents to recall the total amount consumed (total consumption question), and location-specific questions that ask respondents to recall consumption in each drinking location (location-specific peak consumption, LSPC).

METHODS

Heavy drinkers (≥11 Australian Standard Drinks (ASD) per occasion for males, ≥8 for females) from the second wave of a prospective cohort study were recruited via landline random digit dial from Melbourne in 2012. Respondents were randomly assigned to surveys of different question order, and either first received total consumption (n = 127) or LSPC questions (n = 147). T-tests compared peak consumption between categories stratified by sex and consumption tercile.

RESULTS

Mean peak consumption was 12.5 ASD. Irrespective of question order, consumption amounts for total consumption and LSPC questions were not significantly different for both sexes. However, drinkers in the highest tercile asked LSPC questions first provided significantly higher consumption estimates in response to the total consumption question than in response to the LSPC questions.

CONCLUSION

At a population level, LSPC and total consumption questions produce similar estimates of peak consumption for risky drinking events. Except for heavy drinkers, general consumption questions may be sufficient when asking about these drinking events in consumption surveys, without the greater response burden of longer LSPC questions.

Beverage-specific situational norms: Evidence from the Dutch electronic appropriate beverage task

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

By the time young adolescents initiate alcohol consumption they have firmly established attitudes, expectations and beliefs about alcohol and its effects. To further unravel the origins of this knowledge in childhood, we aim to address Dutch children's knowledge of the types of alcoholic beverages adults typically consume in certain situational contexts (i.e. their knowledge of beverage-specific situational norms).

DESIGN AND METHODS

A total of 329 children (4-8 years old) completed the Dutch electronic Appropriate Beverage Task at three-time points (2015, 2016, 2017). Three-level regression models were estimated examining whether children's beverage-specific situational norms depend on the gender of the person displayed in the task, sex of the participant and whether there were any beverage-specific changes over time.

RESULTS

Beverage-specific findings seem to be robust across the appropriateness of the situation. Beer was the most frequently attributed alcoholic beverage overall and across the common drinking situations. White wine was attributed significantly more to females in the task. Beer, red wine and champagne were attributed significantly more to males. Attributions of individual alcoholic beverages did not change significantly over time. There were no significant differences between the participating boys and girls.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that 4-8-year olds are yet to form knowledge of beverage-specific situational norms. Independent of the situation, time and participants' sex, the gender of the person displayed in the task seemed to be more salient to children than situational or environmental indicators in determining consumption.

Patterns of alcohol consumption in 16 cohorts of Australian young adults aged 15-24 between 2001 and 2016

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Repeated cross-sectional surveys have identified substantial declines in adolescent drinking in Australia and some other countries in recent years. There is debate about whether these declines will be maintained as the cohort ages. This study modelled alcohol consumption over time to check for cohort effects reflecting a decrease in youth consumption, and then used this model to predict how decreases in youth drinking will be sustained through to adulthood.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study using data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey from 2001 to 2016. Piecewise latent growth models were estimated to assess consumption trajectories for each birth cohort from ages 15-18 and 18-24 years.

SETTING

Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

This study focused on 5320 (51.9% female) respondents aged between 15 and 22 in wave 1 (2001) to those aged between 17 and 24 in wave 16 (2016).

MEASUREMENT

Annual volume of alcohol consumption was calculated as the product of the quantity per occasion and the frequency of drinking expanded to represent drinking occasions per year.

FINDINGS

The model with best fit suggested that consumption increased rapidly [b = 0.667, standard error (SE) = 0.046, P < 0.001] until the legal drinking age of 18 and then plateaued (b = -0.027, SE = 0.016, P = 0.088). More recent cohorts start with significantly lower levels of consumption (b = -0.145, SE = 0.010; P < 0.001) but increase at a faster rate (b = 0.022, SE = 0.003, P < 0.001) between 15 and 18; however, not enough to catch up to earlier cohorts.

CONCLUSION

Recent decreases in adolescent drinking in Australia may, at least in part, be attributed to lower consumption in recent cohorts of younger drinkers. Results indicate that this group may continue to drink less than previous cohorts as they age into their twenties.

Do different drinks make you feel different emotions? Examination of young adolescents' beverage-specific alcohol expectancies using the Alcohol Expectancy Task

The aim of this paper is to explore whether in the eyes of young adolescents the consumption of different alcoholic beverages is associated with different alcohol expectancies, namely beliefs on what emotional outcomes take place when alcohol is consumed. 283 nine to 12-year olds from Switzerland completed the Alcohol Expectancy Task (AET). Participants were asked to assign one of 12 beverages (four alcoholic, eight non-alcoholic) to 16 adults depicting four emotional states (happy, angry, relaxed, sad). General linear modelling was used to examine beverage attributions across the four different emotional states. Beer was the most commonly attributed beverage across all 16 adults depicted. Happy and angry persons were most commonly attributed beer. Gender variations were found for relaxed persons, with females predominantly attributed champagne and males predominantly attributed beer. Young adolescents predominantly gave white wine to sad persons. Findings reveal a level of nuanced knowledge existing among young adolescents with minimal drinking experience, in that they hold very different expectancies for different beverages, prompting for future investigations to examine beverage-specific expectancies. Furthermore, findings showing beverage-specific expectancies among young adolescents may have implications for researchers' considerations of how alcohol-related knowledge and expectancies develop throughout childhood.

Alcohol expectancies change in early to middle adolescence as a function of the exposure to parental alcohol use

INTRODUCTION

The subjective effects of alcohol, i.e., alcohol expectancies (AE), are important predictors of alcohol use. This three-year longitudinal study examined: 1) the development of enhancement, social, coping, and conformity AE from age 10-16; 2) the association between parental alcohol use exposure and positive AE among adolescents and between exposure and changes in AE over the six month period and 3) the moderating effect of gender on the association between exposure and change in AE.

METHODS

A longitudinal study followed adolescents between 10-13-years old at baseline (N = 755; 45.6 % boys) in six months intervals for three years, resulting in seven measurements.

RESULTS

Adolescents most strongly endorsed enhancement AE. Social and coping AE dimensions positively increased over time. The estimated Multilevel Model of Change revealed that exposure to either fathers 'or mothers' alcohol use predicted an increase in social AE six months later (B = .129, SE = .032). Exposure to fathers' drinking predicted an increase in enhancement AE for boys (B = .075, SE = .031) but not for girls (B=-0.045, SE = .030). No associations between parental exposure and other AE dimensions were found.

CONCLUSION

The results add to previous studies in showing that the association between parental drinking behavior and offspring AE develops within short periods. Prevention should, therefore, include explicit guidelines for parents with respect to how their drinking behavior affect their offspring.

Effectiveness of an Ecological Momentary Intervention for Reducing Risky Alcohol Consumption Among Young Adults: Protocol for a Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Recent research has investigated the utility of mobile phone–delivered interventions for reducing risky single-occasion drinking, also known as binge drinking. In the past five years, focus has been placed on ecological momentary interventions (EMIs), which aim to deliver intervention content in correspondence to real-time assessments of behavior, also known as ecological momentary assessments (EMAs).

Objective

This study aims to assess the effect of a fully automated, tailored, mobile phone–delivered EMI termed Mobile Intervention for Drinking in Young people (MIDY) on young people's risky single-occasion drinking behavior.

Methods

We will use a three-armed randomized controlled trial design to determine the impact of MIDY on peak consumption of alcohol among young people. A list of mobile telephone numbers for random digit dialing will be generated, and researchers will telephone potential participants to screen for eligibility. Participants will be randomized into one of three intervention groups. For 6 weeks, EMI, EMA, and attention control groups will complete hourly EMA surveys on their mobile phones on Friday and Saturday nights. EMI participants will receive personalized feedback in the form of text messages corresponding to their EMA survey responses, which focus on alcohol consumption, spending, and mood. EMA participants will not receive feedback. A third group will also complete EMA and receive feedback text messages at the same time intervals, but these will be focused on sedentary behavior and technology use. All groups will also complete a short survey on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with the primary outcome measure taken on Sunday mornings. A more detailed survey will be sent on the final Sunday of the 6-week period, and then again 1 year after recruitment.

Results

The primary outcome measure will be an observed change (ie, reduction) in the mean peak number of drinks consumed in a single night over the 6-week intervention period between the EMI and attention control groups as measured in the weekly EMA. We expect to see a greater reduction in mean peak drinking in the EMI group compared to that in the attention control group. As a secondary aim, we will assess whether mean peak drinking is reduced in the EMA group compared to the attention control group. We will use a random-effects mixed-modeling approach using maximum-likelihood estimation to provide estimates of differences in peak drinking across time periods between those receiving the intervention (EMI) and attention control participants. An intention-to-treat approach will be taken for the analysis. Individuals and study groups will be modeled as random and fixed factors, respectively.

Conclusions

This study extends our previous work investigating the efficacy of a mobile EMI (MIDY) for reducing risky drinking among young adults in Australia, and will add to the expanding literature on the use of mobile interventions for reducing risky alcohol consumption.

Trial Registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registration (ANZCTR): ACTRN12617001509358p; http://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12617001509358p.aspx

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/14190

How much are we exposed to alcohol in electronic media? Development of the Alcoholic Beverage Identification Deep Learning Algorithm (ABIDLA)

BACKGROUND

Evidence demonstrates that seeing alcoholic beverages in electronic media increases alcohol initiation and frequent and excessive drinking, particularly among young people. To efficiently assess this exposure, the aim was to develop the Alcoholic Beverage Identification Deep Learning Algorithm (ABIDLA) to automatically identify beer, wine and champagne/sparkling wine from images.

METHODS

Using a specifically developed software, three coders annotated 57,186 images downloaded from Google. Supplemented by 10,000 images from ImageNet, images were split randomly into training data (70 %), validation data (10 %) and testing data (20 %). For retest reliability, a fourth coder re-annotated a random subset of 2004 images. Algorithms were trained using two state-of-the-art convolutional neural networks, Resnet (with different depths) and Densenet-121.

RESULTS

With a correct classification (accuracy) of 73.75 % when using six beverage categories (beer glass, beer bottle, beer can, wine, champagne, and other images), 84.09 % with three (beer, wine/champagne, others) and 85.22 % with two (beer/wine/champagne, others), Densenet-121 slightly outperformed all Resnet models. The highest accuracy was obtained for wine (78.91 %) followed by beer can (77.43 %) and beer cup (73.56 %). Interrater reliability was almost perfect between the coders and the expert (Kappa = .903) and substantial between Densenet-121 and the coders (Kappa = .681).

CONCLUSIONS

Free from any response or coding burden and with a relatively high accuracy, the ABIDLA offers the possibility to screen all kinds of electronic media for images of alcohol. Providing more comprehensive evidence on exposure to alcoholic beverages is important because exposure instigates alcohol initiation and frequent and excessive drinking.