ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8995-9386
Current Organisation
Curtin University
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-11-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.16070
Publisher: Concurrent Disorders Society Press
Date: 10-2014
Abstract: Local environment plays an important role in understanding gambling as a public health issue. This study uses help-seeking as an outcome measure for a local area analysis of problem gambling in Victoria, Australia. We used a cross-sectional ecological design to investigate the extent to which gaming industry and demographic, economic, and social factors are associated with rates of telephone and face-to-face counselling for problem gambling at the local government area level. Electronic gaming machine density was independently correlated with both types of help-seeking, with a range of local factors controlled. This study supports previous research that has consistently found an association between gaming machine density and problem gambling, using gaming machine expenditure as a proxy measure of harm. We build on previous work by confirming that this relationship exists when gambling harm is measured through two types of help-seeking.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2017
Abstract: Many variations of venue lockout and last-drink policies have been introduced in attempts to reduce drinking-related harms. We estimate the public health gains and licensee costs of these policies using a computer simulated population of young adults engaging in heavy drinking. Using an agent-based model we implemented 1 am/2 am/3 am venue lockouts in conjunction with last drinks zero/one/two hours later, or at current closing times. Outcomes included: the number of incidents of verbal aggression in public drinking venues, private venues or on the street and changed revenue to public venues. The most effective policy in reducing verbal aggression among agents was 1 am lockouts with current closing times. All policies produced substantial reductions in street-based incidents of verbal aggression among agents (33-81%) due to the smoothing of transport demand. Direct revenue losses were 1-9% for simulated licensees, with later lockout times and longer periods between lockout and last drinks producing smaller revenue losses. Simulation models are useful for exploring consequences of policy change. Our simulation suggests that additional hours between lockout and last drinks could reduce aggression by easing transport demand, while minimising revenue loss to venue owners. Implications for public health: Direct policies to reduce late-night transport-related disputes should be considered.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-10-2017
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-08-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-04-2019
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12933
Abstract: Public support for restrictions on late night trading of licensed venues increased substantially between 2001 and 2013, a period with very few policy interventions in Australia. In early 2014 a set of high profile restrictions were introduced in Sydney, New South Wales. In this study, we examine whether these 2014 policy interventions affected public support for late trading restrictions. We use data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, focussing especially on the 2013 (n = 23 521) and 2016 (n = 23 425) waves. A series of regression models with interaction terms between socio-demographic variable and year were used to examine how trends in support for late trading policies varied between different population groups. Support for late trading restrictions fell substantially between 2013 and 2016-from 2.58 to 2.35 on a 0-4 point scale. In particular, support fell more in New South Wales than in other jurisdictions. Among New South Wales residents, support fell more for middle-aged and older respondents and more for drinkers than non-drinkers. Support for late trading restrictions fell sharply, especially among those affected in New South Wales. Advocates for public health-oriented alcohol policy restrictions need to pay attention to public support in the aftermath of policy 'wins'.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-04-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12139
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2015
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12255
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12135
Abstract: The aim of the current study is to look for differences in drink choice and drinking location between a recent heavy drinking occasion (RHDO) and usual low-risk occasions among those that recently had both types of drinking occasion. Seven hundred and seventy-four respondents to a population-based survey reported having a RHDO [8 + Australian standard drinks (ASD) for females, 11 + ASD for males] in the past six months also reported that their usual drinking occasion in at least one location involved less than five ASD. Drink choice and drinking locations for the RHDO and usual low-risk occasions were compared using confidence intervals. The RHDO was more likely than usual low-risk occasions to occur away from licensed premises (59%), despite a higher percentage of respondents reporting drinking at a pub, bar or nightclub on a RHDO (28%) than on a usual low-risk night (12%). A higher percentage of respondents nominated bottled spirits (33%) as their main drink for their RHDO, with 11% primarily drinking bottled spirits on a usual low-risk occasion the converse was true for bottled wine (20% and 33%, respectively). While the high proportion of RHDOs that occurred at least in part at pubs or nightclubs was not surprising, a high proportion also occur in private homes. Previously found links between heavy drinking and beer may be a reflection of the usual drink choice of heavier drinkers, rather a choice specific to a particularly heavy occasion.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 17-04-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.16192
Abstract: Restrictive late‐night alcohol policies are aimed at reducing alcohol‐related violence but, to date, no evaluations of their impact on family and domestic violence have been conducted. This study aimed to measure whether modifying the drinking environment and restricting on‐site trading hours affected reported rates of family and domestic violence. This study used a non‐equivalent control group design with two treatment sites and two matched control sites with pre‐ and postintervention data on rates of family and domestic violence assaults within local catchment areas of four late‐night entertainment precincts in New South Wales, Australia, covering a population of 27 309 people. Participants comprised monthly counts of police‐recorded incidents of domestic violence assaults from January 2001 to December 2019. Two variations of restrictive late‐night interventions were used: restricted entry to late‐night venues after 1:30 a.m., trading ceasing at 3:30 a.m. and other restrictions on alcohol service (Newcastle) and restricted entry to late‐night venues after 1 a.m. and a range of restrictions on alcohol service (Hamilton). The comparators were no restrictions on late‐night trading or modifications of the drinking environment (Wollongong and Maitland). Measurements involved the rate, type and timing of reported family and domestic violence assaults. Reported rates of domestic violence assaults fell at both intervention sites, while reported domestic violence assaults increased over time in the control sites. The protective effects in Newcastle were robust and statistically significant across three main models. The relative reduction associated with the intervention in Newcastle was 29% (incidence rate ratio = 0.71, 95% confidence interval: 0.60–0.83) and an estimated 204 assaults were prevented across the duration of the study. The protective effects found in Hamilton were not consistently supported across the three main models. Increases to late‐night alcohol restrictions may reduce rates of domestic violence.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-10-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12889-021-11957-5
Abstract: The Northern Territory (NT) has the highest levels of alcohol consumption and harms in Australia. Since the creation of the NT Liquor Act 1978, which came into effect in 1979, numerous legislated alcohol policies have been introduced to attempt to address these harms. We present a narrative historical overview of alcohol policies implemented in the NT from 1979 to 2021. Using scoping review methodology, databases were searched from 1979 to 2021. Of 506 articles screened, 34 met inclusion criteria. Reference lists of all included articles were searched, resulting in the inclusion of another 41 articles and reports, totalling 75 final documents. Policies were organised using Babor and colleagues (2010) established framework: 1. pricing/ taxation 2. regulating physical availability 3. modifying drinking environments 4. drink-driving countermeasures 5. restrictions on marketing 6. education ersuasion 7. treatment/early intervention. Two pricing/taxation policies have been implemented, Living With Alcohol (LWA) and Minimum Unit Price, both demonstrating evidence of positive effects on health and consumption outcomes. Eight policies approaches have focused on regulating physical availability, implemented at both in idual and local area levels. Several of these policies have varied by location and been amended over time. There is some evidence demonstrating reduction in harms attributable to Liquor Supply Plans, localised restrictions, and General Restricted Areas, although these have been site specific. Of the three policies which targeted modifying the drinking environment one was evaluated, finding a relocation of social harms, rather than a reduction. The literature outlines a range of controversies, particularly regarding policies in domain 2–3, including racial discrimination and a lack of policy stability. No policies relating to restricting marketing or education ersuasion programs were found. The only drink-driving legislated policy was considered to have contributed to the success of the LWA program. Three policies relating to treatment were described two were not evaluated and evidence showed no ongoing benefits of Alcohol Mandatory Treatment. The NT has implemented a large number of alcohol policies, several of which have evidence of positive effects. However, these policies have often existed in a context of clear politicisation of alcohol policy, frequently with an implicit focus on Aboriginal people’s consumption.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2018
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12808
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Date: 11-2017
DOI: 10.15288/JSAD.2017.78.844
Abstract: Per-capita alcohol consumption in Australia increased between 2001 and 2007 and has subsequently declined, particularly for young people over this period. We examine trends in general attitudes to alcohol and to perceptions of risk from alcohol consumption to assess whether consumption trends have been mirrored by changing ideas about alcohol. We also examine whether trends in attitudes vary across sociodemographic subgroups. Data are from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (n = 127,916), 2001-2013. To examine trends in attitudes to alcohol and perceptions of risk related to alcohol, logistic regression was used to assess changes over time, with interaction analyses used to explore whether changing attitudes have been consistent across sociodemographic subgroups. There were statistically significant increases in the percentage of the population naming excessive alcohol consumption as the most serious drug problem in Australia (22.6% in 2001 to 43.6% in 2013, p < .001), naming alcohol as the drug that causes the most deaths (22.7% in 2001 to 34.2% in 2013, p < .001), and suggesting thresholds for low-risk drinking below two drinks per day for men (22.4% in 2001 to 33.0% in 2013, p < .001) and women (54.4% in 2001 to 64.8% in 2013, p < .001). These trends were consistent across all sociodemographic subgroups. Australian attitudes to alcohol became more conservative between 2001 and 2013. These trends may partly explain the decline in youth drinking observed over the same period, with young people's consumption potentially more likely to be affected by growing social concern about alcohol, although shifts in attitudes occurred even while consumption was increasing.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-01-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1465-3362.2011.00414.X
Abstract: In 2009, the National Health and Medical Research Council released a revision of Australia's official low-risk alcohol guidelines, specifying low-risk consumption levels for both short- and long-term consumption. This study aims to assess how the general population's assessment of low-risk drinking levels compares to these guidelines and to examine whether the changes to the official guidelines corresponded with changes in perceptions of low-risk drinking levels in the population. The study uses two waves of a large, general population survey which was run in 2007 (n = 19 818) and 2010 (n = 26 648), providing before and after measures of respondents' estimates of low-risk drinking levels. In the 2010 survey, less than 5% of respondents estimated low-risk drinking levels that matched those in the 2009 guidelines. Generally speaking, younger respondents and heavier drinkers provided higher estimates of low-risk drinking thresholds. There was little change in estimates between 2007 and 2010, although there was some evidence that the changes to the guidelines had influenced perceptions of safe drinking. There is very little knowledge of the official drinking guidelines among the general Australian population. If drinking guidelines are to have any effect on levels of consumption, a more concerted effort to publicise them is necessary.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-09-2011
Abstract: As a formative step towards determining the accuracy of self-reported drinking levels commonly used for estimating population alcohol use, the validity of a 'last occasion' self-reporting approach is tested with corresponding field observations of participants' drinking quantity. This study is the first known attempt to validate the accuracy of self-reported alcohol consumption using data from a natural setting. A total of 81 young adults (aged 18-25 years) were purposively selected in Perth, Western Australia. Participants were asked to report the number of alcoholic drinks consumed at nightlife venues 1-2 days after being observed by peer-based researchers on 239 occasions. Complete observation data and self-report estimates were available for 129 sessions, which were fitted with multi-level models assessing the relationship between observed and reported consumption. Participants accurately estimated their consumption when engaging in light to moderate drinking (eight or fewer drinks in a single session), with no significant difference between the mean reported consumption and the mean observed consumption. In contrast, participants underestimated their own consumption by increasing amounts when engaging in heavy drinking of more than eight drinks. It is suggested that recent recall methods in self-report surveys are potentially reasonably accurate measures of actual drinking levels for light to moderate drinkers, but that underestimating of alcohol consumption increases with heavy consumption. Some of the possible reasons for underestimation of heavy drinking are discussed, with both cognitive and socio-cultural factors considered.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-2008
DOI: 10.1111/J.1360-0443.2008.02136.X
Abstract: A large number of studies have found links between alcohol outlet densities and assault rates in local areas. This study tests a variety of specifications of this link, focusing in particular on the possibility of a non-linear relationship. Cross-sectional data on police-recorded assaults during high alcohol hours, liquor outlets and socio-demographic characteristics were obtained for 223 postcodes in Melbourne, Australia. These data were used to construct a series of models testing the nature of the relationship between alcohol outlet density and assault, while controlling for socio-demographic factors and spatial auto-correlation. Four types of relationship were examined: a normal linear relationship between outlet density and assault, a non-linear relationship with potential threshold or saturation densities, a relationship mediated by the socio-economic status of the neighbourhood and a relationship which takes into account the effect of outlets in surrounding neighbourhoods. The model positing non-linear relationships between outlet density and assaults was found to fit the data most effectively. An increasing accelerating effect for the density of hotel (pub) licences was found, suggesting a plausible upper limit for these licences in Melbourne postcodes. The study finds positive relationships between outlet density and assault rates and provides evidence that this relationship is non-linear and thus has critical values at which licensing policy-makers can impose density limits.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-11-2019
DOI: 10.1186/S12916-019-1453-Z
Abstract: Although long-term alcohol and tobacco use have widely been recognised as important risk factors for cancer, the impacts of alcohol and tobacco health policies on cancer mortality have not been examined in previous studies. This study aims to estimate the association of key alcohol and tobacco policy or events in Australia with changes in overall and five specific types of cancer mortality between the 1950s and 2013. Annual population-based time-series data between 1911 and 2013 on per capita alcohol and tobacco consumption and head and neck (lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus), lung, breast, colorectum and anus, liver and total cancer mortality data from the 1950s to 2013 were collected from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Cancer Council Victoria, the WHO Cancer Mortality Database and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The policies with significant relations to changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption were identified in an initial model. Intervention dummies with estimated lags were then developed based on these key alcohol and tobacco policies and events and inserted into time-series models to estimate the relation of the particular policy changes with cancer mortality. Liquor licence liberalisation in the 1960s was significantly associated with increases in the level of population drinking and thereafter of male cancer mortality. The introduction of random breath testing programs in Australia after 1976 was associated with a reduction in population drinking and thereafter in cancer mortality for both men and women. Meanwhile, the release of UK and US public health reports on tobacco in 1962 and 1964 and the ban on cigarette ads on TV and radio in 1976 were found to have been associated with a reduction in Australian tobacco consumption and thereafter a reduction in mortality from all cancer types except liver cancer. Policy changes on alcohol and tobacco during the 1960s–1980s were associated with greater changes for men than for women, particularly for head and neck, lung and colorectum cancer sites. This study provides evidence that some changes to public health policies in Australia in the twentieth century were related to the changes in the population consumption of alcohol and tobacco, and in subsequent mortality from various cancers over the following 20 years.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2022.109432
Abstract: This study aims to understand the dose-response relationship of the volume and patterns of alcohol consumption with alcohol-related antisocial behaviours (ASB) in the general population and assess whether these relationships are consistent across various sociodemographic subgroups. We used data from 30,275 respondents aged (14-69) from two waves (2013 and 2016) of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS). Average daily alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking (HED) frequencies were treated as the main independent variables and self-reported ASB perpetration as the dependent variable. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models predicting ASB with interaction terms between alcohol consumption and various sociodemographic variables were estimated. Compared with low-risk drinking (0.01-20 g of alcohol/day), respondents drinking at risky (20.01-40 g of alcohol/day) and high risk (>40 g of alcohol per day) levels had an increased prevalence of ASB perpetration with adjusted odds ratios of 3.63 (95% CI 2.98-4.42) and 8.07 (6.72-9.71). Increasing frequency of HED was also linked to increased self-report of ASB perpetration in bivariable and multivariable models. In our interaction models, we found higher probabilities of ASB perpetration among younger and unmarried respondents for a given level of drinking. Both average daily alcohol consumption and frequency of HED predict the probability of perpetrating alcohol-related ASB. Unsurprisingly, the risk of alcohol-specific ASB increased more quickly with consumption levels for younger and single respondents, suggesting interventions to reduce consumption among younger and unmarried persons will significantly impact ASB.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2008
DOI: 10.1111/J.1753-6405.2008.00227.X
Abstract: To examine recent trends in the proportion of young people who drink at risky levels and the rate of alcohol-related harms experienced by young people in Victoria, Australia. The study uses published data from a series of surveys that ask questions relating to alcohol consumption to ascertain whether the proportion of young people drinking at risky levels has increased over the time period in which data are available. Alcohol-caused hospital admissions and emergency department presentations for young people are also examined over recent years to assess trends in alcohol-related harms. The survey data shows mixed results, with no clear trend in the rate of risky drinking among young people. The harms data suggests that rates of alcohol-related harm, particularly acute intoxication, have increased dramatically over recent years. The relationship between survey-derived estimates of alcohol consumption and rates of alcohol-related harms is not as clear-cut as expected, and raise concerns about the sensitivity of population surveys in detecting changes in harmful drinking patterns. The current increasing trends in alcohol-related harms for young people in Victoria suggest the need for immediate public health interventions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-11-2021
DOI: 10.5694/MJA2.51336
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-06-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13338
Abstract: Trust is closely linked with health, but previous research on its association with alcohol use has yielded mixed findings. The aim of this study is to examine: (i) how two different dimensions of trust (general/institutional) are associated with alcohol use among adolescents (ii) how these dimensions interact with alcohol use and (iii) whether the associations are moderated by sex, parenting, health, school satisfaction or economic disadvantage. A nationwide s le of 5549 adolescents (aged 15-16 years) in Sweden answered a questionnaire in school. General and institutional trust were measured with five items each. Logistic regressions were used to examine associations between drinking and the trust dimensions, and the cross-combinations of these. Moderation by sex, parenting, health, school satisfaction and economic disadvantage was tested. General and institutional trust were both significantly associated with drinking. High scores on both dimensions simultaneously were associated with the lowest probability of drinking, and low scores on both with the highest. Low institutional trust had a stronger association than low general trust. The combination of high institutional/low general trust was more protective than low institutional/high general trust. The association between general trust and drinking was moderated by school satisfaction, and the relationship between institutional trust and drinking was moderated by parental support and control. High trust is associated with a lower probability of past-year drinking among 15-16-year-olds. Parents and schools can be useful in endeavours to prevent low-trusting in iduals in this age group from drinking.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-12-2016
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12368
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Date: 09-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-10-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.16061
Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine age, period and birth cohort trends in the prevalence of any alcohol‐related risky behaviour and to compare these trends between men and women. We used an age–period–cohort analysis of repeated cross‐sectional survey data from the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey from 2001 to 2016. Participants were 121 281 people aged 14–80 years who reported consuming alcohol in the past 12 months. Any risky behaviour undertaken while under the influence of alcohol in the past 12 months (e.g. operating a motor vehicle) was measured: male or female. Controlling for age and cohort, cubic spline models showed that any alcohol‐related risky behaviour declined with time among participants who consumed alcohol [2016 versus 2007 rate ratio (RR) = 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.76–0.84]. Risky behaviour peaked in the 1954 birth cohort (1954 versus 1971 RR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.30–1.55) and then steadily declined with more recent birth cohorts (2002 versus 1971 RR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.27–0.39). Risky behaviour peaked at age 21 years, followed by steady decline and stabilization at approximately age 70 years. Males were overall twice as likely as females to report alcohol‐related risky behaviour (RR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.84–2.39), but this effect was smaller in cohorts born after 1980 [1980 prevalence rate ratios (PRR) = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.81–2.43 2002 PRR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.03–1.68]. Alcohol‐related risky behaviour in Australia has declined generally since 2001, with rates for recent cohorts having the sharpest decline. Risky behaviour remains most prevalent in young adults, and the male–female gap in risky behaviour is closing for more recent birth cohorts. These trends are consistent with alcohol consumption trends observed in Australia and world‐wide.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-11-2013
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.12378
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-07-2015
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1111/ACER.12609
Abstract: The associations between population-level alcohol consumption and fatal injuries have been examined in a number of previous studies, but few have considered the external impacts of major policy interventions. This study aims to quantify the associations between per capita alcohol consumption and traffic and nontraffic injury mortality rates in Australia before and after major traffic safety initiatives (the introduction of compulsory seat belt legislation [CSBL] and random breath testing [RBT] in 1970s). Using data from 1924 to 2006, gender- and age-specific traffic and nontraffic mortality rates (15 years and above) were analyzed in relation to per capita alcohol consumption using time series analysis. The external effects of policy interventions were measured by inserting a dummy variable in the time series models. Statistically significant associations between per capita alcohol consumption and both types of fatal injuries were found for both males and females. The results suggest that an increase in per capita alcohol consumption of 1 l was accompanied by an increase in traffic mortality of 3.4 among males and 0.5 among females per 100,000 inhabitants and an increase in nontraffic mortality of 3.0 among males and 0.9 among females. The associations between alcohol consumption and fatal injury rates varied across age groups. The introduction of CSBL and RBT was associated with significant reductions in traffic crash mortality in Australia, particularly for males and young people. The magnitude and distribution of the preventive effects from the reduction in population drinking on fatal injuries vary across different gender and age groups, with the strongest preventive impacts on fatal injuries among people aged 15 to 29 and 70 years and above. The mechanisms behind these effects are unclear from this study, but are likely to be due to the strong association between per capita consumption and heavy drinking.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGPO.2021.103508
Abstract: Adolescent alcohol consumption has been declining in many high-income countries since the turn of this century. Research investigating the plausible explanations for these declines has been mostly based on in idual-level studies, which are largely inconclusive. Changes in leisure time internet use and computer gaming (referred to in this article as 'computer activities') have been hypothesised to play a role in declining adolescent alcohol consumption at a country-level. The aim of this study was to examine the association between country-level changes over time in computer activities and adolescent drinking in 33 European countries. This is a multi-level repeated cross-national study examining the role of changes over time in country-level and in idual-level computer activities on regular drinking. We utilised four waves of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs (ESPAD) from 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. At an in idual-level the primary exposure of interest was daily engagement in computer activities and aggregated means were used to measure country-level daily computer activities in each included country. Data were analysed using three-level hierarchical linear probability methods. In the fully adjusted model, for between in idual effects, we found significant positive association between daily computer activities and regular drinking (β = 0.043, p-value <0.001 and 95% CI = 0.033-0.054). However, at a country-level, we did not find any association between within-country changes in daily computer activities and regular drinking (β = 0.031, p-value = 0.652 and 95% CI = -0.103-0.164. Findings from this study suggest that broad cultural shifts towards increased computer-based activities among adolescents has played a little or no role in declining adolescent drinking. Future research should be directed towards examining other high-level cultural changes which may have influenced cross-national reductions in adolescent drinking.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-11-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13200
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-05-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13682
Abstract: Alcohol is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. One significant barrier to the implementation of evidence‐based alcohol policy is alcohol industry opposition. Making submissions to national policy processes is one way in which the industry exert influence. The aim of this study was to analyse alcohol industry submissions into Australia's National Alcohol Strategy to determine key assertions made by the alcohol industry and the ways in which they use evidence and refute the effectiveness of public health policies to make their claims. Submissions made by alcohol industry actors ( n = 12) were analysed using content analysis to determine key industry assertions. A pre‐existing framework on alcohol industry use of evidence was then applied to analyse the evidentiary practices used to make these assertions. Five common industry assertions were identified: ‘Drinking alcohol in moderation has health benefits’ ‘Alcohol isn't the cause of violence’ ‘Targeted initiatives, not population level alcohol policies, are needed’ ‘Strong alcohol advertising regulations are not necessary’ and ‘Minimum unit price and pricing and taxation policies more broadly are not needed’. The industry systematically manipulated, misused and ignored evidence throughout their submissions. The alcohol industry is misusing evidence in their submissions to government consultations to make their assertions about alcohol policy. It is therefore essential that industry submissions are scrutinised and not accepted on face value. Additionally, it is suggested that the alcohol industry requires a distinct model of governance similarly to that which regulates the tobacco industry to prevent their attempts to undermine evidence‐based public health policy.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2020
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-10-2008
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-09-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15681
Abstract: The configuration of alcohol and other drug treatment service systems has been influenced by the uptake of market mechanisms for treatment funding and purchasing. This study measured the impact of market mechanisms for funding and purchasing alcohol and drug treatment services on client outcomes. An observational cross‐sectional study, employing multi‐level analysis: episodes of care data, nested within person‐level data, nested within treatment site and nested within organization. One hundred and seventy‐eight alcohol and other drug treatment service sites in Australia. Client outcome variables were length of stay and successful treatment completion. Predictor variables were competitive tendering, number of funding contracts, recurrent funding, the ratio of episodes to staff, type of professions, years of clinical experience, staff turnover and type of provider (government non‐government). Analyses controlled for drug type, type of treatment received and client characteristics. There were no significant associations between the procurement and contracting variables and length of stay [incidence rate ratios (IRRs) ranged between 1.01 and 1.07, all P 0.05 Bayes factors (BF) 0.03], and inconclusive results for treatment completion [odds ratios (ORs) ranged between 1.04 and 1.15, all P 0.05, BF = 0.51–0.63]. Having an alcohol and other drug (AOD) work‐force relative to an ‘other’ work‐force (IRR = 0.79, P = 0.021) and lower case‐loads (IRR = 0.99, P = 0.047) may be associated with longer stay in treatment. Receiving services from a government compared to non‐government provider may also be associated with less treatment completion (OR = 0.34, P = 0.023, BF = 2.14). There appears to be no association between client outcomes and procurement and funding contract arrangements for alcohol and drug treatment services.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12117
Abstract: In spite of the major focus on risky, single-occasion drinking by young people in Australia, little is known about the specific circumstances of risky drinking occasions. This study examines drinking behaviours and drinking contexts for the most recent risky, single-occasion drinking episode in a representative s le of young risky drinkers in Victoria, Australia. A representative s le of 802 young risky drinkers was recruited across metropolitan Melbourne and surveyed about their drinking and related behaviours. Specific questions focused on participants' most recent high-risk (>10 Australian standard drinks for males, >7 Australian standard drinks for females) drinking occasion in terms of self-reported amount drunk, alcohol expenditure (including buying rounds) and drinking partners for up to 10 different drinking settings. Participants reported drinking a mean of 13 Australian standard drinks on their last episode of risky, single-occasion drinking for half of the participants, this occurred less than 20 days prior to being surveyed. The majority (62%) of risky single occasion drinking sessions commenced at private homes in the company of close friends (81%). Around 40% of the s le reported going to one (42%) or two (37%) drinking locations, and only 5% reported going to more than three drinking locations. Contrary to public portrayals, a significant amount of risky drinking by young people occurs in private settings. These contexts are rarely mentioned except in relation to underage drinking. Further work is needed to understand how these drinking behaviours and contexts link to harm.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-10-2020
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13201
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-01-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12113
Abstract: Many in iduals contact and are assisted by community and emergency services because of someone else's drinking. Previous studies have focused on family members accessing services, such as Alcoholics Anonymous due to significant others' drinking however, little is known about service use in the broad community. This paper aims to estimate the prevalence of contacting the police and seeking help from health services because of others' drinking and to compare the profiles of in iduals seeking services with those who did not contact a service. A total of 2649 adult Australians were surveyed about their experience of harm from others' drinking, including use of emergency and community services. In the 12 months prior to the survey, 13% of respondents had contacted the police and 5% had sought help from a health-related service. Using logistic regression, being older and having a secondary school education were associated with a decreased likelihood of contacting police because of others' drinking, whereas residing in a non-metropolitan location was positively associated with using health-related services. Having a partner was negatively associated with use of health-related services. The extent of self-reported harm from others' drinking was the only factor associated with use of both police and health-related services. Results suggest differences in the profile of respondents who call the police and those who seek health-related services due to others' drinking. This supports the need for tailored services to support and address the needs of people experiencing harm from others' drinking.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-04-2016
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.13373
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ACER.14432
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-02-2015
DOI: 10.3109/10903127.2014.995843
Abstract: We examined temporal variations in overall Emergency Medical Services (EMS) demand, as well as medical and trauma cases separately. We analyzed cases according to time of day and day of week to determine whether population level demand demonstrates temporal patterns that will increase baseline knowledge for EMS planning. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Ambulance Victoria data warehouse covering the period 2008-2011. We included all cases of EMS attendance which resulted in 1,203,803 cases for review. Data elements comprised age, gender, date and time of call to the EMS emergency number along with the clinical condition of the patient. We employed Poisson regression to analyze case numbers and trigonometric regression to quantify distribution patterns. EMS demand exhibited a bimodal distribution with the highest peak at 10:00 and a second smaller peak at 19:00. The highest number of cases occurred on Fridays, and the lowest on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, the distribution of cases throughout the day differed by day of week. Distribution patterns on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays differed significantly from the rest of the week (p < 0.001). When categorized into medical or trauma cases, medical cases were more frequent during working hours and involved patients of higher mean age (57 years vs. 49 years for trauma, p < 0.001). Trauma cases peaked on Friday and Saturday nights around midnight. Day of week EMS demand distribution patterns reveal differences that can be masked in aggregate data. Day of week EMS demand distribution patterns showed not only which days have differences in demand but the times of day at which the demand changes. Patterns differed by case type as well. These differences in distribution are important for EMS demand planning. Increased understanding of EMS demand patterns is imperative in a climate of ever-increasing demand and fiscal constraints. Further research is needed into the effect of age and case type on EMS demand.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-03-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-09-2016
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12341
Abstract: Reducing access to alcohol is an important and cost-effective strategy for decreasing alcohol consumption and associated harm. Yet this is a less common approach to alcohol control in Australia. The aim of this research was to ascertain which alcohol outlet density spatial measures were related to long-term health outcomes, and the extent to which this differs for those living in more or less disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Existing Australian state-level spatial alcohol policies were reviewed. No appropriate spatial policies were identified therefore, the literature was used to identify potential alcohol-related spatial measures. Spatial measures of alcohol outlet density were generated in a geographical information system and linked with health survey data drawn from 3141 adults living in metropolitan Melbourne. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between alcohol outlet density measures, self-rated health and area-level disadvantage. Twelve spatial measures of alcohol outlet density were generated. Alcohol outlet density and self-rated health associations varied by area-level disadvantage. For those living in more disadvantaged areas, not having off-licenses available within 800 m, or on-licenses available within 400 m were protective of self-rated health. Local alcohol outlet density may have a more detrimental effect on self-rated health for those living in more disadvantaged neighbourhoods, compared with those living in more advantaged areas. There is a need for spatial alcohol policies to help reduce alcohol-related harm. This research proposes a set of spatial measures to generate a more consistent understanding of alcohol availability in Australia. [Badland H, Mavoa S, Livingston M, David S, Giles-Corti B. Testing spatial measures of alcohol outlet density with self-rated health in the Australian context: Implications for policy and practice. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016 :298-306].
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2020
Publisher: Hogrefe Publishing Group
Date: 08-2023
DOI: 10.1024/0939-5911/A000822
Abstract: Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund und Ziele: Dieser Artikel fasst die Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerungen der dritten Ausgabe des Buches „Alkohol: Kein gewöhnliches Konsumgut“ zusammen. Mit der jüngsten Überarbeitung dieses Buches werden die wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse über gesundheitspolitische Maßnahmen bei Alkoholkonsum aus der Sicht der Bevölkerungsgesundheit (Public Health) kritisch bewertet. Aufbau: Zusammenfassung des Buchinhalts nach fünf Hauptthemen. Ergebnisse: Eine Vielzahl epidemiologischer Studien zeigt, dass Alkoholkonsum in Ländern mit hohem, mittlerem und niedrigem Einkommen einen erheblichen Beitrag zur weltweiten Belastung durch Krankheit, Behinderung und Tod leistet. Aktuelle Trends von Alkoholprodukten und -vermarktung lassen erkennen, dass sich ein großer Teil der globalen Industrie zu einer kleinen Anzahl von transnationalen Konzernen fusioniert hat und diese Konzerne ihre Aktivitäten vor allem nach Asien, Afrika und Lateinamerika ausweiten. Der Hauptteil dieses Buches ist einem Überblick über strukturelle Maßnahmen und zumeist überin iduelle Strategien gewidmet, die alkoholbedingte Schäden verhindern oder minimieren sollen. Die wirksamsten Strategien zum Schutz der Bevölkerungsgesundheit sind – kurz gefasst – eine Besteuerung, die die Finanzierbarkeit des Konsums verringert, und Beschränkungen der physischen Verfügbarkeit von Alkohol. Ein vollständiges Verbot der Vermarktung von Alkohol ist ebenfalls eine wirksame Strategie zur Verringerung des Konsums. Darüber hinaus sind Maßnahmen zur Bekämpfung des Alkoholkonsums im Straßenverkehr, Kurzinterventionen bei Risikokonsument_innen und die Behandlung von Personen mit Alkoholabhängigkeit wirksam, um Schäden in Hochrisikosituationen und in Gruppen mit einem riskanten Trinkverhalten zu verhindern bzw. zu minimieren. Schlussfolgerungen: Alkoholpolitische Maßnahmen sind das Ergebnis konkurrierender Interessen, Werte und Ideologien unterschiedlicher Akteure. Die Zusammenarbeit mit der Alkoholindustrie zeitigt aufgrund des Interessenskonflikts zwischen Profit und Gesundheit meistens ineffektive politische Maßnahmen. Mit dem zunehmenden Wissen darüber, welche Strategien dem Gemeinwohl am besten dienen, sind die vielfältigen Umsetzungsmöglichkeiten einer evidenzbasierten Alkoholpolitik klarer als je zuvor.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-1997
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Date: 07-2016
DOI: 10.15288/JSAD.2016.77.612
Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine where Australians in different demographic groups and drinker categories consume their alcohol. Results were taken from the Australian arm of the International Alcohol Control study, a telephone survey of 2,020 Australian adults with an overs le of risky drinkers. The 1,789 respondents who reported consuming alcohol in the past 6 months were asked detailed questions about the location of their alcohol consumption and how much alcohol they consumed at each place. Sixty-three percent of all alcohol consumption reported by respondents was consumed in the drinker's own home, with much less consumed at pubs, bars, and nightclubs (12%). This is driven primarily by the number of people who drink in the home and the frequency of these events, with the amount consumed per occasion at home no more than in other people's homes or pubs, and significantly less than at special events. The average consumption on a usual occasion at each of these locations was more than five Australian standard drinks (above the Australian low-risk guideline for episodic drinking). Short-term risky drinkers had the highest proportion of consumption in pubs (19%), but they still consumed 41% of their units in their own home. The majority of alcohol consumed in Australia is consumed in the drinker's own home. Efforts to reduce long-term harms from drinking need to address off-premise drinking and, in particular, drinking in the home.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-12-2013
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.12041
Abstract: To assess the relationship between ambulance attendances, emergency department (ED) presentations and hospital admissions for acute alcohol intoxication and the timing of public holidays, sporting and social events. Time-series analysis was used to explore trends in intoxication in the context of major events. Population of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 2000 and 2009. All patients attended by ambulance, presenting to hospital EDs, or admitted to hospital who were classified as acutely alcohol intoxicated. Analysis of daily numbers of presentations for acute alcohol intoxication associated with major events were undertaken, including lead and lag effects. Analyses controlled for day of week and month of year to address temporal and seasonal variations. Alcohol intoxication presentations were significantly elevated the day before all public holidays, with intoxication cases on the day of public holidays only higher on New Year's Day (ambulance 6.57, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 3.4-9.74 ED 3.34, 95% CI: 1.28-5.4) and ANZAC Day (ambulance 3.71, 95% CI: 0.68-6.75). The Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final (ED 2.37, 95% CI: 0.55-4.19), Commonwealth Games (ED 2.45, 95% CI: 0.6-4.3) and Melbourne Cup Day (ambulance 6.14, 95% CI: 2.42-9.85) represented the sporting events with significant elevations in acute intoxication requiring medical attention. The last working day before Christmas was the only social event where a significant increase in acute intoxication occurred (ambulance 8.98, 95% CI: 6.8-11.15). Acute alcohol intoxication cases requiring ambulance, emergency department and hospital in-patient treatment increase substantially on the day preceding public holidays and other major social events.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-05-2017
DOI: 10.1111/AJAG.12413
Abstract: To describe the clinical presentation and temporal variation in ambulance service cases involving patients aged 65 years or older (older adults) from residential aged care facilities and those who are community dwelling (CD). This study used four years of electronic case records from Ambulance Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Trigonometric regression was used to analyse demand patterns. Residential aged care facility cases included proportionally more falls and infection-related problems and fewer circulatory-related incidents than CD cases. Community dwelling demand patterns differed between weekdays and weekends and peaked late morning. Residential aged care facility cases peaked late morning, with a secondary peak early evening, but with no significant difference between days. Older adult ambulance demand has distinct temporal patterns that differ by place of residence and are associated with different clinical presentations. These results provide a basis for informing ambulance planning and the identification of alternate health services.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-12-2013
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12106
Abstract: In 2009 Wilkinson and colleagues reported a downward trend in support for alcohol policy restrictions in Australia between 1995 and 2004. The aim of the current study is to examine more recent data on policy support in Australia, specifically for policies covering alcohol availability up to 2010, and to examine specific demographic shifts in support. Data was taken from the National Drug Strategy Household Surveys from 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010 (n = 80,846), primarily responses to attitude items on policy restriction and demographic questions. The effects of age, sex, drinking patterns and income over time on three items addressing restriction of alcohol availability were assessed using a factorial analysis of variance. Although availability items are among the less popular policy restrictions put forward in the National Drug Strategy Household Surveys, 2004 actually represented a turning point in the decrease in popularity, with an increase in support since then. Though some groups show consistently higher rates of support than others for policy restrictions, the rate of change in support was fairly uniform across demographic and drinking groups. Despite the lack of an obvious catalyst, there has been an increase in support for alcohol policy restriction as it relates to general availability and accessibility since 2004. Furthermore, this increase does not appear to be a reflection of a change in a specific group of people, but appears to be occurring across the Australian population.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2013.04.027
Abstract: Studies of episodic drinking typically use a measure based on the frequency of drinking five or more standard drinks (a definition which itself varies based on the standard units being used). While this threshold clearly defines drinking behaviour with a range of risks and negative consequences, there has been limited research outside of US college-based studies to determine the appropriateness of this definition. This study examines fifteen different risky-drinking thresholds to assess which definitions of risky drinking best predict negative outcomes. This paper presents an analysis of a national survey s le of 19,757 drinkers. The appropriateness of each threshold is assessed using basic risk-curves, specificity and sensitivity analyses and the performance of each threshold definition in multivariate logistic regression models. Risky drinking was defined in fifteen ways (based on frequency and volume) and tested against a series of self-reported negative outcomes and risky behaviours. The study finds that the most appropriate risky drinking threshold for these data varies based on the mode of analysis and on the type of outcome being considered. Across all approaches used, risky drinking thresholds of seven or fewer drinks performed better than higher thresholds. While in idual level risks peak at higher levels of consumption, these findings support the continuing use of relatively low thresholds for defining risky-drinking, as risk across the total population is highest at these levels.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-07-2018
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12588
Abstract: Survey data remain a crucial means for monitoring alcohol consumption, but there has been limited work done to ensure that surveys adequately capture changes in per-capita consumption in Australia. In this study, we explore how trends in consumption from two major Australian surveys compare with an official measure of per-capita consumption between 2001 and 2014 and examine age-specific trends in drinking. Data were from five waves of the cross-sectional National Health Survey (total n = 113 279) and 12 waves of the longitudinal Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Study (average n = 12 347). Overall and age-specific estimates of annual alcohol consumption were derived and compared with official per-capita consumption and previous analyses of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey. In terms of overall consumption, both surveys broadly reflected trends in per-capita consumption, especially the decline that has been observed since 2007/2008. Age-specific trends were broadly similar, with the recent decline in consumption clearly concentrated among teenagers and young adults. The main Australian monitoring surveys remain useful monitoring tools for alcohol consumption in Australia. There is consistent evidence that the recent declines in Australian per-capita consumption have been driven by sharp falls in drinking among young people, a trend that requires further study. [Livingston M, Callinan S, Raninen J, Pennay A, Dietze PM. Alcohol consumption trends in Australia: Comparing surveys and sales-based measures. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017 :000-000].
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-10-2021
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/PY18075
Abstract: Risky alcohol use places those with existing chronic conditions at increased risk of medical complications. Yet, there is little research assessing the alcohol consumption among this group. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of risky drinking among people with a range of chronic diseases. As part of the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), 22684 Australians aged ≥18 years answered questions about their experience of chronic diseases and their drinking patterns. Nearly 18% (CI: 17.2–19.3) of people with chronic disease reported drinking at a long-term risky level, roughly the same rate as those without chronic disease (19.3%, (CI: 18.6–20.2)). Nearly one-quarter, 24% (CI: 23.0–25.3), of people with chronic diseases drank at levels of increased short-term risk, significantly less than the rest of the s le. Respondents with mental illness were more likely to drink at risky levels than the rest of the s le, while the reverse was true of those with diabetes. Overall, those with chronic diseases have similar drinking patterns to the rest of the population, despite increased risks associated with this consumption. Regular screening and subsequent brief interventions for those with chronic disease, particularly mental illness and cancer, are recommended.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-08-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1360-0443.2011.03445.X
Abstract: This study aims to document the adverse effects of drinkers in Australia on people other than the drinker. Cross-sectional survey. In a national survey of Australia, respondents described the harmful effects they experienced from drinkers in their households, family and friendship networks, as well as work-place and community settings. A randomly selected s le of 2,649 adult Australians. Problems experienced because of others' drinking were ascertained via computer-assisted telephone interviews. Respondent and drinker socio-demographic and drinking pattern data were recorded. A total of 70% of respondents were affected by strangers' drinking and experienced nuisance, fear or abuse, and 30% reported that the drinking of someone close to them had negative effects, although only 11% were affected by such a person 'a lot'. Women were more affected by someone they knew in the household or family, while men were more affected by strangers, friends and co-workers. Young adults were consistently the most negatively affected across the majority of types of harm. Substantial proportions of Australians are affected by other people's drinking, including that of their families, friends, co-workers and strangers. These harms range in magnitude from noise and fear to physical abuse, sexual coercion and social isolation.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.JSAT.2021.108467
Abstract: Both public (government-run), and not-for-profit (nongovernment) service providers provide alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment services. Research has rarely studied the structural features of these providers, such as workforce characteristics, procurement arrangements, and funding security. The study reported here sought to document and analyze the differences between these two AOD treatment provider types in Australia. The study administered an online survey instrument targeted at managers of AOD treatment sites. The survey comprised three sections: (1) the service (e.g., treatment types) (2) workforce (e.g., total number of staff) and (3) funding and procurement arrangements (e.g., contract length). The study completed a total of 207 site surveys. The studied compared government and nongovernment services on structural features that may create a more or less sustainable or vulnerable service (funding arrangements, payment mechanisms, and contract length). Government providers were more likely to provide medically oriented treatment types such as withdrawal management and pharmacotherapy, whereas nongovernment organization (NGO) providers were more likely to offer rehabilitation. Consistent with this, government services were more likely to employ medical professionals and nurses, indicative of a more medically oriented workforce, while NGO services were more likely to employ AOD workers, youth workers, peer workers, and counselors. Our data illustrate that NGO services were more likely to be subject to competitive tendering and to have shorter contract lengths, compared with government services, and overall to be more structurally vulnerable. Despite the reliance on NGOs to provide the majority of specialist care (71% of all treatment episodes in Australia), these services are more vulnerable than their government counterparts. To ensure that a comprehensive suite of treatment services is available, procurement arrangements that support stability and security in nongovernment service providers and government service providers are essential.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13308
Abstract: In July 2016, the Queensland Government introduced the Tackling Alcohol‐Fuelled Violence (TAFV) policy to address alcohol‐related harm in entertainment precincts [safe night precincts (SNP)]. Additional measures were introduced in February and July 2017. We aim to examine the impact of the policy on Queensland Ambulance Service call‐outs in Fortitude Valley, Surfers Paradise, all 15 SNP suburbs combined and statewide. Auto‐regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models and seasonal ARIMA (SARIMA) models were developed to test the impact of TAFV policy stages on monthly number of ambulance call‐outs during high alcohol hours (HAH Friday and Saturday nights, 20:00–05:59) over an 8‐year period (July 2011–June 2019). The average number of monthly call‐outs in HAH reduced by 26.2% in Fortitude Valley, 21.1% in Surfers Paradise and 4.3% in all 15 SNP suburbs combined. In Fortitude Valley, there was a significant decline in the monthly number of call‐outs between 00:00 and 02:59 and across all HAH combined when examining the cumulative effect of the policy stages and significant declines between 03:00 and 05:59 after each stage and cumulatively. Across the 15 SNP suburbs combined, there was a significant decline in call‐outs between 03:00 and 05:59 after the third policy stage (July 2017). There were no significant declines in Surfers Paradise or statewide. Overall, the introduction of the TAFV policy stages in Queensland had a limited effect on ambulance call‐outs during HAH. However, there were some notable declines in HAH ambulance call‐outs in some of the state's key nightlife suburbs.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
Abstract: To assess the accuracy of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) at capturing trends in alcohol consumption at the population level, using apparent per capita alcohol consumption as a benchmark. Data was from five waves of the NDSHS (2001-2013), with estimates of per capita alcohol consumption derived from the detailed graduated frequency alcohol questions. Trends are compared with per capita measures, and trends in both series compared. Further analyses explore whether recent trends in consumption are consistent across age groups. The NDSHS survey estimates still track apparent consumption well, which increases between 2001 and 2007 and then declines to 2013. Since 2007, survey estimates show a 10.5% decline in per capita alcohol consumption, compared with 8.9% in ABS data. Two-thirds of the decline came from reductions in drinking among respondents under 30. NDSHS data provide reasonably accurate estimates of trends in Australian population alcohol consumption. Survey data are critical to understanding the composition of overarching trends, with these analyses demonstrating substantial variation by age. Survey data are a crucial tool in monitoring Australian alcohol consumption, despite their inherent limitations.
Publisher: Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.18564/JASSS.2943
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-06-2015
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12295
Abstract: We investigate the relationship between outlet density (of different types) and violence (as measured by police activity) across the North Island of New Zealand, specifically looking at whether the relationships vary spatially. We use New Zealand data at the census area unit (approximately suburb) level, on police-attended violent incidents and outlet density (by type of outlet), controlling for population density and local social deprivation. We employed geographically weighted regression to obtain both global average and locally specific estimates of the relationships between alcohol outlet density and violence. We find that bar and night club density, and licensed club density (e.g. sports clubs) have statistically significant and positive relationships with violence, with an additional bar or night club is associated with nearly 5.3 additional violent events per year, and an additional licensed club associated with 0.8 additional violent events per year. These relationships do not show significant spatial variation. In contrast, the effects of off-licence density and restaurant/café density do exhibit significant spatial variation. However, the non-varying effects of bar and night club density are larger than the locally specific effects of other outlet types. The relationships between outlet density and violence vary significantly across space for off-licences and restaurants/cafés. These results suggest that in order to minimise alcohol-related harms, such as violence, locally specific policy interventions are likely to be necessary. [Cameron MP, Cochrane W, Gordon C, Livingston M. Alcohol outlet density and violence: A geographically weighted regression approach. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016 :280-288].
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 11-08-2014
Abstract: To analyse trends in alcohol consumption among young people in Sweden between 2004 and 2012, to test whether the theory of collectivity of drinking cultures is valid for a population of young people and to investigate the impact of an increasing proportion of abstainers on the overall per capita trends. Data were drawn from an annual survey of a nationally representative s le of students in year 11 (17-18 years old). The data covered 9 years and the total s le comprised 36,141 students. Changes in the overall per capita consumption were tested using linear regression on log-transformed data, and changes in abstention rates were tested using logistic regression. The analyses were then continued by calculating average consumption in deciles. Alcohol consumption among year 11 students declined significantly among both boys and girls between 2004 and 2012. These changes were reflected at all levels of consumption, and the same results were found when abstainers were excluded from the analyses. The increasing proportion of abstainers had a minimal effect on the overall decline in consumption rather, this was driven by a decline in consumption among the heaviest drinkers. The theory of collectivity of drinking cultures seems valid for understanding changes in alcohol consumption among Swedish year 11 students. No support was found for a polarization of alcohol consumption in this nationally representative s le.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2019.107821
Abstract: Recent analyses of data from the US found that young people were increasingly engaging in cannabis use before alcohol and cigarettes. These shifts are important for public health, but it is not clear whether such trends extend beyond the US. The aim of this study is to examine whether and how the age and sequencing of initiation into alcohol, cannabis and cigarette use has changed in Australia since the early 2000s. Data came from six waves of the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey, spanning 2001-2016. We used data from 18 to 21 year-olds (n = 6849) and examined trends in the age at first use for each of the three substances plus any changes in the order of initiation. The mean age of initiation increased steadily for all three substances (e.g. from 14.9 in 2001 to 16.4 in 2016 for alcohol), while the prevalence of any use declined. There were some changes in ordering of use. For ex le, in 2001, 62 % of respondents who used both cigarettes and cannabis had first used cigarettes at an earlier age than cannabis, compared with 41 % in 2016. Young people who used both alcohol and cannabis remained more likely to try alcohol before cannabis across the study period. Our results partly replicated US findings, with differences potentially reflecting the substantially different environment around these substances in the US compared to Australia. The age of initiation for alcohol, cigarette and cannabis use in Australia has increased sharply over the past 15 years.
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Date: 09-2010
DOI: 10.15288/JSAD.2010.71.778
Abstract: Although there is a well-established quantitative literature examining the impact of alcohol consumption on the drinker, there has been much less examination of how someone's drinking affects other people. This study attempts to assess the degree to which relationships with heavy drinkers affect health and well-being. The study is based on a random telephone survey of 2,649 Australians (2,422 providing sufficient data for analysis) that asked respondents to identify people in their lives who were heavy drinkers or who sometimes drank a lot. In addition, information on respondents' well-being and health was collected using the Personal Wellbeing Index and the EuroQol Group 5-Dimension Self-Report Questionnaire score (EQ-5D) index, along with data on a range of other sociodemographic factors. Multivariate regression models were developed to determine whether living with heavy drinkers or knowing heavy drinkers outside the household were related to health and well-being once socioeconomic and demographic factors and the respondent's own drinking behavior were statistically controlled. The study finds negative effects on both health and well-being related to the number of heavy drinkers identified outside the respondent's household, whereas heavy drinkers within the household were negatively related to health but not well-being. The study suggests that other people's drinking can have substantial effects on health and well-being, providing impetus for policies that reduce heavy drinking in the population.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-07-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13703
Abstract: Youth drinking rates have declined over the past 15 years while self‐reported psychological distress has increased, despite a well‐recognised positive relationship between the two. The current study aimed to identify changes in the relationship between psychological distress and alcohol use in adolescents from 2007 to 2019. This study used survey responses from 6543 Australians aged 14–19 years who completed the National Drug Strategy Household Survey in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 or 2019. Logistic and multivariable linear regressions with interactions (psychological distress × survey wave) predicted any alcohol consumption, short‐term risk and average quantity of standard drinks consumed per day. Psychological distress was a positive predictor of alcohol use and this association remained stable across survey waves as alcohol consumption decreased. The relationship between distress and alcohol consumption remained relatively steady, even as youth drinking declined and distress increased. The proportion of drinkers experiencing distress did not increase as consumption rates dropped, suggesting that the decline in youth drinking is occurring independently of the increase in self‐reported and diagnosed mental health issues.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-06-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.16275
Abstract: There have been few systematic attempts to examine how alcohol‐related mortality has changed in Australia, and no studies that have explored cohort effects in alcohol‐related mortality. This study uses more than 50 years of data to measure age, period and cohort trends in alcohol‐related liver disease (ALD) mortality. This was a retrospective age–period–cohort analysis of total Australian ALD mortality data from 1968 to 2020 in Australia. There was a total of 35 822 deaths—27 208 men (76%) and 8614 women (24%). Deaths from ALD were grouped into 5‐year age groups and periods (e.g. deaths for 20–24‐year‐olds between 1968 and 1972 were combined). ALD mortality peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s for both men and women. In age–period–cohort models, mortality was highest for cohorts born 1915–30. For ex le, men born between 1923 and 1927 had a relative risk of 1.58 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.52, 1.64] compared with men born between 1948 and 1952. For women, there was an increase in risk for cohorts born in the 1960s [e.g. the 1963–67 cohort had a relative risk (RR) of 1.16 (95% CI = 1.07, 1.25) compared with women born in 1948–52]. For men, there was a broad decline in mortality over time [e.g. in 2020, the RR was 0.87 (95% CI = 0.82, 0.92) compared with the reference year of 2000]. For women, mortality declined until 2000 and has been stable since. Alcohol‐related liver disease mortality has declined across the Australian population since the 1970s and 1980s partly due to cohort‐specific shifts as the highest‐risk birth cohorts age. For women, this decline had stalled by the year 2000, and cohorts of women born during the 1960s were at higher risk than earlier cohorts, suggesting the need for thoughtful interventions as this population enters its highest‐risk years for ALD mortality.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-03-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13269
Abstract: Adolescent drinking has been declining in Australia over the past two decades, but this trend may be part of a broader shift towards healthier lifestyles for adolescents. We examined trends in the prevalence of multiple risky health‐ and school‐related behaviours and outcomes to test whether this was the case. Data on multiple behaviours and outcomes were collated from Australian government agencies and other relevant sources for 10–19‐year‐olds from the year 2000 onward. Trends were examined descriptively. Rates of substance use, youth offending and injuries due to underage driving declined over the study period. Some health‐related behaviours (physical activity and diet) worsened between 2001 and 2017 however, obesity rates remained stable. Risky sexual behaviours increased in terms of early initiation of lifetime sexual intercourse and decreased condom use. However, sexual health outcomes improved with a reduction in teenage pregnancies and there was a recent decline in sexually transmitted infection rates from 2011 onward. Suicide rates and rates of major depressive disorders increased. School attendance and engagement in full‐time work or study remained stable. The decline in adolescent drinking does not appear to correspond with increased engagement in healthier behaviours however, it may be related to a more risk‐averse way of living. Future work could be directed towards identifying which social, economic, policy and environmental factors have impacted positive changes in risky behaviours. Public health efforts can then be directed towards behaviours or outcomes, which have not yet improved.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2013
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 15-09-2014
DOI: 10.1136/INJURYPREV-2014-041303
Abstract: This study aims to apply time series analysis techniques to examine the effects of random breath testing (RBT) on three age-specific traffic fatalities in four Australian states while considering the effects of lowering the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA). Long-term time series of age-specific traffic crash deaths in four Australian states were used to analyse the impact of RBT implementation while considering the population growth, increase in motor vehicle registrations and the effects of lowering the MLDA. The results of intervention analysis indicate that RBT has substantially reduced traffic fatalities in all four states since it was introduced, particularly among the 17-year-olds to 20-year-olds and 21-year-olds to 30-year-olds. New South Wales received the biggest total net effect from RBT implementation on traffic deaths. By contrast, RBT produced only a modest reduction in traffic fatalities among 30-year-olds to 39-year-olds. Lowering the MLDA was associated with significant increases in traffic fatalities among 17-year-olds to 39-year-olds in Queensland and Western Australia. Controlling for the declining trend in traffic fatalities, the effects of changes in the MLDA law, the implementation of RBT has generated a huge effect, preventing an estimated 5279 traffic crash deaths in four Australian states. This provides further evidence that the implementation of RBT and increases in the MLDA are effective policies for reducing traffic fatalities.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-07-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15611
Abstract: In the early 2000s, alcohol use among young people began to decline in many western countries, especially among adolescents (ages between 12–17 years old). These declines have continued steadily over the past two decades, against the backdrop of much smaller declines among the general population. Hypotheses examining in idual factors fail adequately to provide the necessary ‘big picture’ thinking needed to understand declines in adolescent drinking. We use the normalisation thesis to argue that there is strong international evidence for both processes of denormalisation of drinking and normalisation of non‐drinking occurring for adolescents in many western countries. Research on declining adolescent drinking provides evidence of both denormalisation of alcohol consumption and normalisation of non‐drinking. This has implications for enabling policy environments more amenable to regulation and increasing the acceptability of non‐drinking in social contexts. Normalisation theory (and its various interpretations) provides a useful multi‐dimensional tool for understanding declines in adolescent drinking.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-04-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15057
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2019
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGPO.2019.04.012
Abstract: In 1988, the Australian government introduced a single nominal rate of tax on all beer products calculated on alcohol content. However, in 2000/01, varying nominal rates of tax were introduced for beer products according to three alcohol content levels (low-/mid-/high-strength) and container type (on-/off-premises). Little is known about the effect of the different tax policies on alcohol consumption and government revenue. We undertake time series analysis over 1989-2016 to examine the effect of beer tax policies in two sub-periods (before/after 2000/01) on category-level beer consumption per capita and government revenue. We also test if the policy changes in 2000/01 had immediate or long-term effects on total (all beer category) consumption over 1989-2016. Data includes monthly domestic beer sales volumes by category (in litres of alcohol), monthly government revenue from beer tax (AUD$), and inflation-adjusted tax rates (AUD$ per litre of alcohol). Before 2000/01, the single nominal tax rate had a significant positive effect on revenue, but no significant effect on consumption. After 2000/01, the relatively higher nominal tax rates for two beer categories (mid- and high-strength off-premises) had a significant negative effect on their consumption, and a significant negative effect on revenue in one category (mid-strength off-premises). However, across the full period examined (1989-2016), the level and slope of total beer consumption was not significantly affected by the tax policy changes in 2000/01. Raising alcohol taxes has the potential to reduce consumption and increase government revenue, but has been underutilised for these public health and public finance objectives in Australia.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 31-03-2020
DOI: 10.2196/14190
Abstract: 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). 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. 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. 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. In iduals and study groups will be modeled as random and fixed factors, respectively. 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. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registration (ANZCTR): ACTRN12617001509358p www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12617001509358p.aspx DERR1-10.2196/14190
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-06-2015
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12286
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine changes in advertising expenditures across eight media channels for the four main alcohol beverage types and alcohol retailers in Australia. Yearly advertising expenditures between January 1997 and December 2011 obtained from a leading media-monitoring company. Media channels assessed were: free-to-air television, newspapers, magazines, radio, outdoors (billboards), cinema, direct mail (from 2005) and online (from 2008). Data were categorised into alcohol retailers (e.g. supermarkets, off-licences) or four alcoholic beverage types (beer, wine, spirits, premixed spirits/cider). Regression analyses examined associations between year and expenditure. Total alcohol advertising expenditure peaked in 2007, then declined to 2011 (P = 0.02). Television advertising expenditure declined between 2000 and 2011 (P < 0.001), while outdoor advertising expenditure increased between 1997 and 2007. Alcohol retailers' advertising expenditure increased over time (P < 0.001), and from the mid-2000s exceeded expenditure for any single beverage category. For both beer and spirits, television advertising expenditure declined over time (beer: P < 0.001 spirits: P < 0.001) while outdoor advertising expenditure increased (beer: P < 0.001 spirits: P = 0.02). However, the number of advertised beer (P < 0.001), spirits (P < 0.001) and wine (P = 0.01) products increased over time. Retailers are playing an increasing role in advertising alcohol. As our study excluded non-traditional advertising media (e.g. sponsorships, in-store) we cannot determine whether declines in television advertising have been offset by increases in advertising in newer media channels. However, our findings that media channels used for alcohol advertising have changed over time highlights the need for adequate controls on alcohol advertising in all media channels. [White V, Faulkner A, Coomber K, Azar D, Room R, Livingston M, Chikritzhs T, Wakefield M. How has alcohol advertising in traditional and online media in Australia changed? Trends in advertising expenditure 1997-2011. Drug Alcohol Rev 2015]2015 :521-530.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-11-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2023
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 23-09-2019
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 04-2022
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2021-058614
Abstract: The Banned Drinker Register (BDR) was reintroduced in the Northern Territory (NT) in September 2017. The BDR is a supply reduction measure and involves placing people who consume alcohol at harmful levels on a register prohibiting the purchase, possession and consumption of alcohol. The current study aims to evaluate the impacts of the reintroduction of the BDR, in the context of other major alcohol policy initiatives introduced across the NT such as Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors and a minimum unit price for alcohol of US$1.30 per standard drink. The Learning from Alcohol (policy) Reforms in the Northern Territory project will use a mixed-methods approach and contain four major components: epidemiological analysis of trends over time (outcomes include health, justice and social welfare data) in idual-level data linkage including those on the BDR (outcomes include health and justice data) qualitative interviews with key stakeholders in the NT (n≥50) and qualitative interviews among people who are, or were previously, on the BDR, as well as the families and communities connected to those on the BDR (n=150). The impacts of the BDR on epidemiological data will be examined using time series analysis. Linked data will use generalised mixed models to analyse the relationship between outcomes and exposures, utilising appropriate distributions. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis. Ethics approvals have been obtained from NT Department of Health and Menzies School of Health Research Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC), Central Australia HREC and Deakin University HREC. In addition to peer-reviewed publications, we will report our findings to key organisational, policy, government and community stakeholders via conferences, briefings and lay summaries.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.INJURY.2015.10.073
Abstract: Injury due to falls is a major public health problem, especially for older people. We aimed to determine the accuracy of the ambulance call taker triage algorithm relative to paramedic assessment, and characterise variation in ambulance service demand for falls cases involving older adults over time and by residence type. We obtained all ambulance case records for January 2008 to December 2011 for adults aged 65 or over in Melbourne, Australia. Data elements comprised age, gender, date and time of emergency call, dispatch category, location of incident and the patient's clinical condition as ascertained by paramedics. We compared cases coded as falls by the call taker triage algorithm with those identified by paramedics. We also examined temporal variation (hour of day and day of week) in ambulance service demand for cases involving older adults, and compared community-dwelling cases and those from Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs). We used negative binomial regression to compare counts and trigonometric regression to compare temporal variation patterns. Over the four-year study period 77,891 falls cases involved older adults (6.5% of overall ambulance demand). Eighty-seven per cent of paramedic-assessed falls cases were correctly identified by the triage system. The RACF population was older (median age 87 years, IQR 82-91 vs. 82 years, IQR 76-87), had higher hospital transport rates (89.5% vs. 75.8%) and a higher incidence of falls at any age than the community-dwelling population. The temporal pattern for fall cases for all residence types peaked between 6:00 and 12:00, but fall cases from RACFs showed an additional peak in the evening between 17:00 and 20:00. Falls by older people are the second-biggest contributor to ambulance demand in Melbourne, consuming significant operational resources. Using call taker triage data instead of paramedic case records to calculate falls cases may underestimate the true incidence of falls by up to 13%. Temporal patterns can inform ambulance service policy and practice, falls referral and prevention programmes to optimise service delivery which will lessen the number of future falls cases.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-10-2019
Abstract: This paper examines: (a) change over time (2001-2013) in recently reducing or ceasing drinking in the Australian population and (b) the reasons given for reducing or ceasing drinking in the most recent survey (2013) stratified by sex and age group. Rates of reducing and ceasing drinking increased between 2001 and 2013 in Australia. Young people were more likely to modify drinking due to lifestyle and enjoyment reasons older groups were more likely to report health reasons. These trends contribute to the broader context of declining alcohol consumption in Australia. Data are from five waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (N = 119,397). Logistic regression models with interaction terms were used to identify a shift in sex or age over time in predicting reduction or cessation of drinking and to predict motivations for reducing or ceasing drinking by sex and age. Reports of recently reducing the quantity or frequency of drinking increased from 2001 to 2007 and remained stable between 2007 and 2013. There was a steady increase in the number of Australians reporting recently ceasing drinking from 2001 to 2013, with a significant effect for age (younger groups more likely than older groups to cease drinking in the past two waves). Reasons for reducing or ceasing drinking varied by age, with older people more likely to report health reasons and younger people more likely to report lifestyle reasons or enjoyment. Increases over time in reports of reduction or cessation of drinking due to health, lifestyle, social and enjoyment reasons suggest that the social position of alcohol in Australia may be shifting, particularly among young people.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-2008
Abstract: Aconsiderable amount of international research has adopted a criminal careers framework to improve our understanding of offending patterns across the life course. Recent innovations in statistical modelling techniques such as Semi-Parametric Group-based Method (SPGM) have provided researchers with tools to model offending trajectories. While this framework and these techniques may improve our understanding of life course offending patterns, few Australian studies have adopted such an approach. SPGM was employed in the current study to model the offending patterns of the 1983–84 Queensland offender cohort (n = 4,470) to address three research questions: (1) How many distinct offending trajectories could be identified and what was the nature of these trajectories? (2) How were sex, Indigenous status, socioeconomic disadvantage, and remoteness related to offending trajectory membership? and (3) Are juvenile offending trajectories predictors of adult offending? Findings indicated that there were three distinct groups of juvenile offenders: Early Peaking-Moderate Offenders, Late Onset-Moderate Offenders, and Chronic Offenders. Males and Indigenous offenders were overrepresented in the chronic offending trajectory. Support for the utility of the model was found, as Chronic Offenders were more likely to have offended as adults. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed and the need for further trajectory research within an Australian context is emphasised.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-11-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15720
Abstract: Adolescent drinking in Australia (and many other countries) has declined substantially since the early 2000s. This study aimed to test whether these declines have been maintained into adulthood and whether they are consistent across sub‐groups defined by sex and socio‐economic status. Quasi‐cohorts were constructed from seven repeated waves of cross‐sectional household survey data (2001–2019). Australia. A total of 20 733 respondents age between 14 and 24 (male: 9492 female: 11 241). Participants were grouped into five cohorts based on their birth year (from 1979–1983 to 1999–2003). Three measures of drinking were assessed: any past‐year consumption (yes/no), past‐year regular risky drinking (12 or more drinking episodes of g of pure alcohol, yes/no) and total volume of alcohol consumed in the past year (in Australian standard drinks, 10 g of alcohol). Socio‐economic status was measured based on neighbourhood of residence. Drinking declines were consistent across socio‐economic groups on all measures and trends were broadly similar for women and men. More recent birth cohorts had significantly lower levels of drinking across all three measures (odds ratios between 0.31 and 0.70 for drinking and risky drinking, coefficients between −0.28 and −0.80 for drinking volume). There were significant interactions between birth cohort and age for past‐year drinking and past‐year regular risky drinking, with cohort differences diminishing as age increased. Lighter drinking adolescent cohorts appear to partly ‘catch up’ to previous cohorts by early adulthood, but maintain lower levels of drinking and risky drinking up to the age of 24. These ongoing reductions in drinking are spread evenly across socio‐economic groups.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date: 25-02-2010
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 21-04-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-03-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15849
Abstract: Alcohol consumption changes markedly over the life course, with important implications for health and social development. Assessment of these patterns often relies on cross‐sectional data, which cannot fully capture how in iduals' drinking changes as they age. This study used data from 18 waves of a general population panel survey to measure drinking trajectories over the life course in Australia. Longitudinal survey data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey between 2001 and 2018. A total of 20 593 in iduals ages 15 or above in two s les assessing quantity‐frequency ( n = 20 569, 52.0% female) and risky single occasion drinking (RSOD), respectively, ( n = 17 340, 52.5% female), interviewed as part of HILDA. Usual quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion frequency of drinking occasions per week average daily consumption, calculated by combining reported usual quantity and frequency and average reported frequency of RSOD per week. Multilevel, mixed effects models run with fractional polynomial terms found similar male and female alcohol consumption trajectories for quantity‐frequency and RSOD measures. Usual quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion (5.4 drinks for men, 3.8 for women) and RSOD frequency (0.56 occasions/week for men, 0.38 for women) peaked in young adulthood, whereas frequency of drinking occasions (2.5 occasions/week for men, 1.7 for women) peaked in middle age. Middle‐age drinkers had the highest average daily consumption of alcohol (1.4 drinks/day for 54‐year‐old men, 0.6 drinks for 57‐year‐old women) and engaged in RSOD slightly less than young adults. Alcohol consumption in Australia appears to vary substantially over the life course, with usual quantity per drinking occasion and frequency of risky single occasion drinking peaking during early adulthood and average daily consumption and frequency of consumption peaking in middle age.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-02-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15848
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-07-2020
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13122
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-01-2019
Abstract: There were higher estimates of alcohol consumption for respondents completing the survey in November (late spring) and lower estimates in August and September (late winter/early spring). Seasonal variations in alcohol consumption have the potential to impact respondents’ accurate recall of alcohol consumption in the last 12 months.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 26-04-2019
Abstract: Recent studies have pointed to erging trends between alcohol consumption and harm rates. One explanation for these trends is the normalization hypothesis, which suggests that declines in alcohol consumption will result in more risky behaviour by the remaining drinkers as consumption becomes a more deviant behaviour. We examine how the relationship between alcohol consumption and risky behaviour has changed in Australia over a fourteen-year period. Risky behaviour and alcohol consumption were obtained from six waves (2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016) of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS). 115,115 respondents aged over 14 were included in this study. Poisson regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between risky behaviour and two measures of alcohol consumption (average volume per day and risky drinking occasions per month) over six NDSHS waves. Interaction terms between year and the drinking variables were included in each model to identify shifts in this relationship between consumption and harm. Respondents with greater alcohol consumption were more likely to report risky behaviour (IRR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.13-1.16). Risky behaviour generally declined over time however older participants reported more risky behaviour over time. Generally, the relationship between alcohol consumption and risky behaviour has remained stable, with some very minor upward shifts for young drinkers (aged 14-29 highest IRR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.04). We found little support for the normalization hypothesis-risky behaviour tends to shift consistently along with drinking levels. Results suggest that recent reductions in alcohol consumption should lead to reductions in rates of harm.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-12-2020
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13007
Abstract: Research has linked exposure to the drinking of one's partner or spouse and changes in alcohol-related behaviours. However, there is a dearth of studies which consider only cohabiting relationships. More couples are preferring to cohabit prior to and in place of marriage. As a result, studies focused on cohabiting couples may provide a more representative consideration of modern long-term relationships. The present study uses a representative, longitudinal s le with annual follow-up and aims to determine if cohabiting partner's drinking habits are influenced by their partner's consumption, as well as consider the role of intimacy as a key component of these influences compared to a relationship's label or legal status. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey identified 1483 newly cohabiting, Australian heterosexual couples between 2001 and 2016. In idual alcohol consumption was analysed using a cross-lagged, three-wave actor-partner structural equation model. A respondent's own drinking was a stable and significant predictor of future consumption, and a greater predictor of later drinking than their partner's. Female consumption generally exerted significant influence on their male partner's later consumption, while male drinking was non-significant for all but the first year following cohabitation. Overall, women generally had greater influence on their partner's drinking than men. This study furthers our understanding of each partner's role in influencing consumption within intimate relationships. Cohabiting couples appear to have some similarities with married couples regarding partner influence and may better represent the typical contemporary long-term relationship.
Publisher: The Sax Institute
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.17061/PHRP2641644
Abstract: Legislative limits on trading hours for licensed premises have a long history in Australia as a key policy approach to managing alcohol-related problems. In recent years, following substantial extensions to permitted hours of sale, there has been renewed attention to policies aimed at reducing late-night trading hours. Restrictions on on-premise alcohol sales have been implemented in Australia after 3.30 am in Newcastle, and after 3 am in Kings Cross and the Sydney central business district in New South Wales. In July 2016, similar restrictions were introduced state-wide after 2 am, or 3 am in 'safe night precincts', in Queensland. Similar policy changes have occurred internationally (e.g. in the UK and the Nordic countries) and there is a growing body of research examining the impacts of trading hour policies on alcohol-related harm. Although there has been a series of reviews of the research in this area, the most recent is now 5 years old and limited to studies published before March 2008. Objective and importance of study: To examine recent (2005-2015) research about the impact of changing the hours of sale of alcohol on alcohol-related harms. The ongoing public discussion about trading hours policy in Australia can benefit from an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the research. Systematic review of the literature that considered the impact of policies that extended or restricted trading hours. MEDLINE, Core Collection, PsychINFO and EMBASE databases were searched from January 2005 to December 2015. Articles were summarised descriptively, focusing on studies conducted in Australia and published since the previous reviews. The search identified 21 studies, including seven from Australia. There were 14 studies published since previous reviews. A series of robust, well-designed Australian studies demonstrate that reducing the hours during which on-premise alcohol outlets can sell alcohol late at night can substantially reduce rates of violence. The Australian studies are supported by a growing body of international research. The evidence of effectiveness is strong enough to consider restrictions on late trading hours for bars and hotels as a key approach to reducing late-night violence in Australia.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 16-03-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.03.15.22272307
Abstract: Survey questions on usual quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption are regularly used in screening tools to identify drinkers requiring intervention. The aim of this study is to examine age-based differences in quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and how this relates to the prediction of harmful or dependent drinking Cross sectional survey Australia. Data was taken from 17,399 respondents who reported any alcohol consumption in the last year and were aged 18 and over from the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, a broadly representative cross-sectional survey on substance use. Respondents were asked about their frequency of consumption, usual quantity per occasion and the other items of the AUDIT. In older drinkers, quantity per occasion (β=0.53 (0.43, 0.64 95%CI in 43-47 year olds as an ex le) is a stronger predictor of dependence than frequency per occasion (β=0.24 (0.17, 0.31). In younger drinkers the reverse was true with frequency a stronger predictor (β=0.54 (0.39, 0.69) in 23-27 year olds) than quantity (β=0.26 (0.18, 0.34) in 23-27 year olds). Frequency of consumption was not a significant predictor of dependence in respondents aged 73 and over (β=-0.03 (−0.08, 0.02)). Similar patterns were found when predicting harmful drinking. Despite this, since frequency of consumption increased steadily with age, the question on frequency was responsible for at least 65% of AUDIT scores in drinkers aged 53 and over. The items with a weaker association with dependent or harmful drinking in younger and older drinkers are the same items with the strongest influence on overall AUDIT scores. Further investigation into age-specific scoring of screening tools is recommended.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.ADDBEH.2013.10.001
Abstract: To assess whether the density of alcohol sales outlets in specific geographic communities is associated with adolescent alcohol consumption. A cross-sectional representative s le of secondary school students from Victoria, Australia (N=10,143), aged between 12 and 17 years, self-reported on alcohol use in the last 30 days in 2009. The density of alcohol outlets per local community area was merged with this information. After controlling for risk factors, multilevel modelling (MLM) revealed a statistical interaction between age and density on alcohol consumption. While older adolescents had higher alcohol consumption, increases in the density of alcohol outlets were only significantly associated with increased risk of alcohol consumption for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 14. Increased alcohol availability was associated with an increased risk of alcohol consumption specifically for early adolescents (12 and 14 years). Potential mechanisms as to how density is associated with direct and indirect alcohol availability, such as through parents or older siblings, need to be explored in future research.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-12-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15757
Abstract: There is significant debate about whether or not changes in per‐capita alcohol consumption occur collectively across the entire distribution of drinking. This study used data from a decade of declining drinking in Australia to test the collectivity of drinking trends. Repeated cross‐sectional surveys (2010, 2013, 2016, 2019), analysed with quantile regression techniques assessing trends in drinking for 20 quantile groups. Australia. A general population s le (total n = 85 891 males = 39 182, females = 46 709) aged 14 years and over. Past‐year volume of alcohol consumed was measured using standard graduated frequency survey questions. Models were stratified by sex and age group. Throughout the whole population, alcohol consumption had declined in all percentile groups, with the largest proportional declines evident for light and moderate drinkers [e.g. drinkers in the 25th percentile declined by 32.7% 95% confidence interval (CI) = ‐41.6, ‐22.3% per wave]. Broadly collective declines were also found for younger men and women with significant declines in every percentile group, but older groups showed some evidence of polarization. For ex le, women aged 45–64 years significantly increased their consumption (2.9% per wave, 95% CI = 0.3–5.5%), while consumption for those in the 25th percentile fell significantly (‐16.7%, 95% CI = –27.6, ‐4.2%). The declines in Australian drinking since 2010 have included important deviations from the collectivity predicted by Skog's influential theory of collectivity of drinking, with markedly different patterns evident among different demographic groups.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.JADOHEALTH.2014.08.005
Abstract: Although previous studies have suggested that greater community densities of alcohol sales outlets are associated with greater alcohol use and problems, the mechanisms are unclear. The present study examined whether density was associated with increased purchasing of alcohol by adolescents younger than the legal purchase age of 18 in Australia. The number of alcohol outlets per 10,000 population was identified within geographic regions in Victoria, Australia. A state-representative student survey (N = 10,143) identified adolescent reports of purchasing alcohol, and multilevel modeling was then used to predict the effects for different densities of outlet types (packaged, club, on-premise, general, and overall). Each extra sales outlet per 10,000 population was associated with a significant increase in the risk of underage adolescent purchasing. The strongest effect was for club density (odds ratio = 1.22) and packaged (takeaway) outlet density (odds ratio = 1.12). Males, older children, smokers, and those with substance-using friends were more likely to purchase alcohol. One mechanism by which alcohol sales outlet density may influence population rates of alcohol use and related problems is through increasing the illegal underage purchasing of alcohol.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-07-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13353
Abstract: 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. 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 s led 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). 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. 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.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-04-2016
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2013
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12026
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-01-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13599
Abstract: Most studies of alcohol policy have focussed on the role of industry. However, little is known about the evidence base used in alcohol policymaking or policymakers' actions in the field. Here, we mapped the different evidence types used in a case study to construct a classification framework of the evidence types used in alcohol policymaking. Using a case study from the state‐level in Australia, we used content analysis to delineate the evidence types cited across six phases of a policymaking process. We then grouped these types into a higher‐level classification framework. We used descriptive statistics to study how the different evidence types were used in the policymaking process. Thirty‐one evidence types were identified in the case study, across four classes of knowledge: person knowledge, shared knowledge, studied knowledge and practice knowledge. The participating public preferenced studied knowledge. Policymakers preferenced practice knowledge over all other types of knowledge. The classification framework expands on models of evidence and knowledge used across public health, by mapping new evidence types and proposing an inductive method of classification. The policymakers' preferences found here are in line with theories regarding the alcohol industry's influence on policymaking. The classification framework piloted here can provide a useful tool to examine the evidence base used in decision‐making. Further study of evidence types used in policymaking processes can help inform research translation and advocacy efforts to produce healthier alcohol policies.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 05-01-2022
Abstract: Current alcohol public health policy in Australia is not uniform but is generally focused on restricting access and early prevention of problematic alcohol use. Semi-urban and rural populations are at greater risk of disease and other poor health outcomes due to a variety of factors. Little is known about problematic drinking patterns over time in semi-urban and rural populations. This study aims to assess patterns of problematic drinking defined as both long-term risky and heavy episodic drinking over time by age, sex, and mental health status among urban, semi-urban and rural populations). Four waves (2004 to 2016) of the Australian NDSHS (National Drug Strategy Household Survey) were analyzed to assess problematic drinking of participants over 18 years of age. We used regression models and predictive margins to identify trends in problematic drinking over time based on age, sex, and mental health status. Our results show young adults across all regions, males, and mentally well in iduals in urban areas have reductions in the risk of problematic drinking over time. Middle-aged adults across all regions, females, and those with varying mental health presentations in rural areas have some increases in risk of problematic drinking over time. The general conclusion is that targeted alcohol-related public health policy may need to change and focus on females, middle-aged in iduals, and those living in rural areas. Programs to support problematic drinking in people with mental health disorders may also need to be a priority.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-01-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14898
Abstract: To model the effects of a range of alcohol pricing policies on alcohol consumption in subpopulation groups (e.g. alcohol consumption pattern, and age and income groups) in Australia. We used estimated price elasticities to model the effects of proposed pricing policies on consumption for 11 beverage categories among subpopulation groups. Australia. A total of 1789 adults (16+ years) who reported they purchased and consumed alcohol in the 2013 Australian International Alcohol Control Study, an adult population survey. Mean and percentage changes in alcohol consumption were estimated for each scenario across subgroups. The policy scenarios evaluated included: (1) increasing the excise rate 10% for all off-premise beverages (2) replacing the wine equalization tax with a volumetric excise rate equal to the current spirits tax rate (3) applying a uniform excise tax rate to all beverages equal to the current sprits tax rate and a 10 or 20% increase in it and(4) introducing a minimum unit price (MUP) on all beverages categories at $1.00, 1.30 or 1.50. The effects of different tax and MUP policies varied greatly across different subgroups. The effects of the MUP policy on alcohol consumption increased rapidly in the range from $1.00 to $1.50. Applying a uniform tax rate across all beverages equal to current spirits tax rate, or a 10 or 20% increase beyond that, could generate large reductions in overall alcohol consumption in Australia. Compared with the uniform tax rate with or without further tax increase, introducing a MUP at $1.30 or $1.50 could reduce consumption particularly among harmful drinkers and lower-income drinkers, with comparatively smaller impacts on moderate and higher-income drinkers. Both uniform excise tax and minimum unit price policies are predicted to reduce alcohol consumption in Australia. Minimum unit price policies are predicted to have a greater impact on drinking among harmful drinkers than moderate drinkers.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-09-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.16036
Abstract: Alcohol consumption among teenagers in many high-income countries has steadily declined since the early 2000s. There has also been a steady increase in the average age at first drink, a reliable marker of later alcohol problems. This study measured whether young people who initiated drinking early were at increased risk of alcohol problems in young adulthood in recent cohorts where early initiation was comparatively rare. Analysis of six waves of a repeated cross-sectional household survey (2001-16). Australia. A total of 9576 young adults (aged 20-25 years) who had initiated drinking before the age of 20 years. Respondents were classified into three groups based on their self-reported age at first drink (< 16, 16-17, 18-19 years). Outcome variables were self-reported experiences of memory loss while drinking, risky and delinquent behaviour while drinking and monthly or more frequent drinking occasions of 11 or more 10-g standard drinks. Later initiators reported lower levels of all outcomes [e.g. odds ratios (ORs) for memory loss were 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.50, 0.63] for those who first drank at 16 or 17 years compared with those who first drank at age 15 or younger). Significant interactions between age at first drink and survey year showed that early initiation was more strongly associated with harms (e.g. for memory loss, OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.94, 0.99 for 18-19 versus 15 or younger) in young adulthood for recent cohorts where early drinking was less common. The decline in youth drinking may have contributed to a concentration of risk of alcohol problems among those young people who consume alcohol in early adolescence. Early initiation of drinking may be an increasingly important marker of broader risk taking as alcohol becomes less normative for teenagers.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2010
DOI: 10.1111/J.1753-6405.2010.00568.X
Abstract: To examine recent trends in alcohol-related harm and risky drinking in Victoria, Australia. The study compiled eight measures of alcohol-related harm from published and unpublished sources, covering data relating to health, crime, alcohol treatment and traffic crashes for the financial years 1999/2000 to 2007/08. In addition, published estimates of short and long-term risky drinking from three-sets of surveys between 2001 and 2007 were examined. Six of the eight harm indicators substantially increased, while only alcohol-related mortality and single-vehicle night-time crashes remained relatively stable. In particular, rates of emergency presentations for intoxication and alcohol-related ambulance attendances increased dramatically. Contrastingly, survey-derived estimates of the rate of risky-drinking among Victorians were stable over the time-period examined. Evidence across the data examined suggests significant increases in alcohol-related harm taking place during a period of relatively stable alcohol consumption levels. This disparity may be accounted for by changing drinking patterns among small, high-risk, subgroups of the population. The sharply increasing rates of alcohol-related harm among Victorians suggest that changes to alcohol policies focusing on improving public health are necessary.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 20-07-2017
DOI: 10.2196/MHEALTH.9324
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-06-2013
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.12237
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1465-3362.2010.00251.X
Abstract: A number of studies have previously identified relationships between the density of alcohol outlets and rates of violence, with different types of outlets related to violence in different locations. The previous work in Australia has been limited to studies based on police data, which are subject to numerous biases. This study extends the previous work by utilising hospital admissions as a less biased outcome measure, incorporating a 14 year longitudinal design and by developing comparative models for violence and rates of alcohol use disorders. The study examines trends in postcode-level hospital admission data for assault and for alcohol use disorders over a 14 year period (n = 186) and their relationship with the density of three kinds of alcohol outlets. Fixed-effects models are developed to control for the differences between postcodes and for the overall trends in outlet density and morbidity rates. The results of this study suggest that the density of alcohol outlets where the main activity is alcohol consumption (i.e. pubs) is positively related to rates of assault-related hospital admissions, while the density of off-premise alcohol outlets is related to the rate of alcohol use disorders. These findings have significant implications for alcohol policies in Victoria, in particular pointing to the significant contribution of packaged alcohol outlets to both acute and chronic alcohol-related harm.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2009
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2008.12.014
Abstract: This study aims to assess the relationships between age, sex, drinking behaviour and self-reported alcohol-related problem behaviour. Cross-sectional population survey. Interviews were undertaken in 2004, with a representative s le of Australian residents aged 12 and over (N=29,445). Alcohol use was measured using graduated frequency questions and, using these questions, estimates of total annual intake and frequency of heavy drinking occasions were derived. Alcohol-related problems were measured using a 10-item scale, relating to behaviour in the 12 months prior to the survey. Alcohol-related problem behaviours clustered into two groups: hazardous behaviour and delinquent behaviour. Rates of problem behaviours and drinking followed similar patterns for males and females, with peaks in early adulthood and a subsequent decline with age. Males drank at higher levels than females and behaved more problematically. Once alcohol consumption and drinking pattern were controlled for, male and female rates of problem behaviours were not markedly different. However, there were substantial differences by age, with young people behaving significantly more problematically than older people with the drinking variables controlled for. The results of this study provide strong evidence that young drinkers behave more problematically than older drinkers with drinking behaviour controlled for. The study also provides further evidence that women and men do not report substantially different rates of alcohol-related problems for similar amounts or patterns of drinking. The study has implications for public health messages that focus on the risk of harm from drinking, clearly demonstrating that young drinkers are more likely to report problems for a given amount of drinking.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2008
DOI: 10.1111/J.1530-0277.2008.00669.X
Abstract: The majority of studies that have examined the local-level relationship between alcohol outlet density and violence have utilized cross-sectional data. These studies have consistently demonstrated that there is a spatial link between outlets and violence, but because of their design they have not been able to determine whether changes in outlet density result in changes in rates of violence. The few studies that have examined this question over time have found that the violence rates are related to changes in outlet density. This study provides further evidence of this link and examines the characteristics of regions in which changes in outlet density are most strongly associated with changes in violence rates. The study examined 9 years of data measuring alcohol outlet density (using liquor licensing records) and alcohol-related violence (using police recorded night-time assaults) from 186 postcodes in the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia. The relationships between 3 types of alcohol outlet density and alcohol-related violence were assessed using fixed-effects models. The postcodes were then grouped into 5 clusters based on their socio-demographic profile and separate fixed-effects models were fitted to assess whether the relationships between outlets and violence differed based on the type of region being examined. The initial models found overall positive relationships between all 3 types of alcohol outlets and violence. When separate models were developed for postcode clusters, they demonstrated that the link between outlet density and violence was significant in all neighborhood types, but the specific relationships varied substantially. Changes in the number of alcohol outlets in a community are linked to changes in the amount of violence the community experiences. This relationship varies across the clusters of suburbs examined, with packaged liquor outlets consistently associated with violence in suburban areas and general (hotel) and on-premise (nightclubs, restaurants, and bars) licenses associated with violence in inner-city and inner-suburban areas.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 11-2017
Abstract: eal-time ecological momentary interventions have shown promising effects in domains other than alcohol use however, only few studies regarding ecological momentary interventions for alcohol use have been conducted thus far. The increasing popularity of smartphones offers new avenues for intervention and innovation in data collection. e aimed to test the efficacy of an ecological momentary intervention, comprising mobile Web-based ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) and text messaging (short message service, SMS) brief interventions, delivered during drinking events using participants’ mobile phones. e conducted a three-armed randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of a mobile Web-based ecological momentary assessment with texting feedback on self-reported alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms in young adults. Participants were enrolled from an existing observational cohort study of young adults screened for risky drinking behavior. The intervention group (ecological momentary intervention group) completed repeated ecological momentary assessments during 6 drinking events and received immediate texting-based feedback in response to each ecological momentary assessment. The second group (ecological momentary assessment group) completed ecological momentary assessments without the brief intervention, and the third did not receive any contact during the trial period. Recent peak risky single-occasion drinking was assessed at the baseline and follow-up using telephone interviews. We used a random effects mixed modeling approach using maximum likelihood estimation to provide estimates of differences in mean drinking levels between groups between baseline and 12-week follow-up. total of 269 participants were randomized into the 3 groups. The ecological momentary intervention group exhibited a small and nonsignificant increase between baseline and follow-up in (geometric) the mean number of standard drinks consumed at the most recent heavy drinking occasion (mean 12.5 vs 12.7). Both ecological momentary assessment and control groups exhibited a nonsignificant decrease (ecological momentary assessment: mean 13.8 vs 11.8 control: mean 12.3 vs 11.6) these changes did not differ significantly between groups (Wald χ22 1.6 P=.437) and the magnitude of the effects of the intervention were markedly small. No other significant differences between groups on measures of alcohol consumption or related harms were observed. The intervention acceptability was high despite the technical problems in delivery. ith a small number of participants, this study showed few effects of an SMS-based brief intervention on peak risky single-occasion drinking. Nevertheless, the study highlights areas for further investigation into the effects of EMI on young adults with heavy alcohol consumption. ustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616001323415 www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=369534 (Archived by WebCite at 074mqwcs)
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13188
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13182
Abstract: In an attempt to reduce alcohol‐related harm in night‐time entertainment precincts, the Queensland state government (Australia) introduced the Tackling Alcohol‐Fuelled Violence strategy in July 2016, including restrictions on late‐night service of alcohol and—later—compulsory ID scanners at venues. In this article, we examined the impact of these changes on emergency department (ED) presentations and hospital admissions for alcohol‐related harm. We used data on ED presentations (July 2009–June 2019) and hospital admissions (July 2009–December 2018). Interrupted time series models using seasonal auto‐regressive integrated moving average methods were developed to test the impact of the policy change on presentations for alcohol intoxication, any injury or maxillofacial fractures, and admissions for rates of assault‐related injuries or maxillofacial fractures. Analyses were conducted using state‐wide Queensland data with a sub‐analysis focussing on major Brisbane hospitals. The introduction of 3 am last drinks and mandatory ID scanners had no significant impact on most outcome measures, either across the state or within Brisbane. State‐wide, there was a significant decline in ED injury presentations following the introduction of mandatory ID scanners. The introduction of the Tackling Alcohol‐Fuelled Violence strategy in Queensland Safe Night Precincts was potentially associated with a small reduction in injury presentations to EDs. The lack of other impacts may relate to the relative lack of specificity in health system data, which challenges in the implementation of the Tackling Alcohol‐Fuelled Violence policies or other local factors.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2016.04.026
Abstract: Understanding how price policies will affect alcohol consumption requires estimates of the impact of price on consumption among different types of drinkers and across different consumption settings. This study aims to estimate how changes in price could affect alcohol demand across different beverages, different settings (on-premise, e.g., bars, restaurants and off-premise, e.g., liquor stores, supermarkets), and different levels of drinking and income. Tobit analysis is employed to estimate own- and cross-price elasticities of alcohol demand among 11 subcategories of beverage based on beverage type and on- or off-premise supply, using cross-sectional data from the Australian arm of the International Alcohol Control Survey 2013. Further elasticity estimates were derived for sub-groups of drinkers based on their drinking and income levels. The results suggest that demand for nearly every subcategory of alcohol significantly responds to its own price change, except for on-premise spirits and ready-to-drink spirits. The estimated demand for off-premise beverages is more strongly affected by own price changes than the same beverages in on-premise settings. Demand for off-premise regular beer and off-premise cask wine is more price responsive than demand for other beverages. Harmful drinkers and lower income groups appear more price responsive than moderate drinkers and higher income groups. Our findings suggest that alcohol price policies, such as increasing alcohol taxes or introducing a minimum unit price, can reduce alcohol demand. Price appears to be particularly effective for reducing consumption and as well as alcohol-related harm among harmful drinkers and lower income drinkers.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-06-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13501
Abstract: Understanding how the mean consumption per drinker and rates of non-drinking interplay to form overall per capita alcohol consumption is imperative for our understanding of population drinking. The aim of the present study is to examine the association between rates of non-drinkers and per drinker mean alcohol consumption in the Swedish adult population and for different percentiles of drinkers. Data came from a monthly telephone survey of drinking habits in the Swedish adult population between 2002 and 2013. Alcohol consumption and non-drinking during the last 30 days were measured by beverage-specific quantity-frequency questions. Regression models estimated the association between the rate of non-drinkers and per drinker volume on annual data. Auto-regressive integrated moving average time-series models estimated the association on monthly data. A significant (P < 0.01) negative association (-0.849) was found between the rate of non-drinkers and per drinker mean volume on annual data. A unit increase in non-drinking was associated with a decline of 0.85 cl of pure alcohol among drinkers. This finding was mirrored across all percentiles of consumption. The semi-log models found that a 1% unit increase in the rate of non-drinkers was followed by a 2% reduction in per drinker mean consumption. Auto-regressive integrated moving average time-series models verified these results. There is a significant association between the proportion of non-drinkers and the amount of drinking among drinkers. The theory of collectivity of drinking cultures should also include the non-drinking part of the population.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-02-2009
DOI: 10.1111/J.1465-3362.2009.00027.X
Abstract: Drawing on 16 items in the 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS), the paper explores the degree to which Australian public opinion towards different alcohol policies cohere or erge, and the social location of support for and resistance to more restrictive alcohol controls. Variations in support for particular policies by demographic groups, across states and territories and among those with difference drinking patterns are explored. The extent and direction in which attitudes have changed over time was determined. Sixteen items from the 2004 NDSHS were subjected to factor analysis. Both a single factor and a four-factor solution were derived and became the dependent variables for state/territory comparisons and multiple regression analyses determining the predictive power of respondents demographics and drinking behaviour. Trends over time in alcohol policy attitudes used the 1993, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004 NDSHS. More severe penalties against drink driving and stricter laws against serving customers who were drunk had the strongest support while policies that controlled accessibility to alcohol such as reducing trading hours received the least support. For all policies support was greater among females, older respondents and those drinking less. The in idual's drinking pattern was as strong, and in some cases a stronger predictor of support than gender and age. While support for the majority of the alcohol policies decreased over the 11-year period since 1993, attitudes may be influenced and changed over a shorter period of time.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 11-08-2015
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 31-01-2022
Abstract: To examine and compare trends in drinking prevalence in nationally representative s les of Swedish 9th and 11th grade students between 2000 and 2018. A further aim is to compare drinking behaviours in the two age groups during years with similar drinking prevalence. Data were drawn from annual surveys of a nationally representative s le of students in year 9 (15–16 years old) and year 11 (17–18 years old). The data covered 19 years for year 9 and 16 years for year 11. Two reference years where the prevalence of drinking was similar were extracted for further comparison, 2018 for year 11 (n = 4878) and 2005 for year 9 (n = 5423). The reference years were compared with regard to the volume of drinking, heavy episodic drinking, having had an accident and quarrelling while drunk. The prevalence of drinking declined in both age groups during the study period. The rate of decline was somewhat higher among year 9 students. In 2018, the prevalence of drinking was the same for year 11 students as it was for year 9 students in 2005. The volume of drinking was lower among year 11 students in 2018 than year 9 students in 2005. No differences were observed for heavy episodic drinking. The decline in drinking has caused a displacement of consumption so that today’s 17–18-year-olds have a similar drinking behaviour to what 15–16-year-olds had in 2005.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-07-2017
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.13873
Abstract: To determine (i) whether Australian adolescents' exposure to television alcohol advertisements changed between 1999 and 2011 and (ii) examine the association between television alcohol advertising and adolescent drinking behaviours. Cross-sectional surveys conducted every 3 years between 1999 and 2011. Analyses examined associations between advertising exposures and reported drinking. Five Australian major cities. Students aged 12-17 years participating in a triennial nationally representative school-based survey residing in the television advertising markets associated with the major cities (s le size range per survey: 12 644-16 004). Outcome measures were: drinking in the past month, past week and past-week risky drinking (5+ drinks on a day). The key predictor variable was past-month adolescent-directed alcohol advertising Targeted Rating Points (TRPs, a measure of television advertising exposure). Control measures included student-level characteristics, government alcohol-control advertising TRPs, road safety (drink-driving) TRPs and time of survey. Average monthly adolescent alcohol TRPs increased between 1999 (mean = 2371) to 2005 (mean = 2679) (P < 0.01) then decreased between 2005 and 2011: (mean = 880) (P < 0.01). Multi-level logistic regression analyses that adjusted for survey timing, student level factors and alcohol-control advertising variables showed a significant association between past-month alcohol TRPs and past-month drinking [odds ratio (OR) = 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.15), past-week drinking (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.06-1.14) and past-week risky drinking (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.09-1.22). Past-week risky drinking was associated inversely with road safety TRPs (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.49-0.98). While Australian adolescents' exposure to alcohol advertising on television reduced between 1999 and 2011, higher levels of past-month television alcohol advertising were associated with an increased likelihood of adolescents' drinking. The reduction in television alcohol advertising in Australia in the late 2000s may have played a part in reducing adolescents' drinking prevalence.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 23-01-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13181
Abstract: In July 2016, the Queensland government introduced the Tackling Alcohol‐Fuelled Violence policy, with some amendments over the subsequent 12 months. Key measures included restricting alcohol sales to 3 am in safe night precincts (SNPs), limiting the annual number of extended trading permits (i.e. trading until 5 am) and introducing mandatory networked identification scanners. We examined the policy impact on the number of serious assaults across all combined SNPs and in five major SNPs: Fortitude Valley, Cairns, Surfers Paradise, Toowoomba and Townsville. Using police data (July 2009–June 2019), we examined the impact of the policy on serious assaults during high‐alcohol hours (high‐alcohol hours 8 pm–6 am, Friday and Saturday), employing time series methods. Across all SNPs there was no significant change in the number of serious assaults during overall high‐alcohol hours, but a significant 49% decrease in the monthly number of serious assaults between 3 am and 6 am on Friday/Saturday. A significant decrease in the monthly count of serious assaults during high‐alcohol hours and specifically 3 am–6 am on Friday/Saturday was evident in Fortitude Valley SNP (52%), and during high‐alcohol hours in Toowoomba SNP (43%). Although results were mixed, there was evidence of some promising reductions in alcohol‐related violence in SNPs. It is likely that factors such as extended trading permits (venues not closing at 3 am), continued drinking in some venues and 24‐h trading in casinos have reduced the potential impacts seen elsewhere.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-06-2015
DOI: 10.3109/07420528.2015.1041600
Abstract: Diagnosed cardiovascular disease has well-reported temporal patterns, with demand distribution peaks in the late morning and greater case numbers on Mondays and in winter. We aimed to report temporal patterns of presumptive cardiovascular disease cases as determined after emergency medical services (EMS) assessment and to characterize the demand distribution by day of the week. We conducted a secondary analysis of all Ambulance Victoria cases in metropolitan Melbourne (Victoria, Australia) between January 2008 and December 2011. Analyzed data included time of call, incident mechanism, location type, final assessment (paramedic "diagnosis") and patient age. We employed Poisson's regression to analyze case numbers and trigonometric regression to quantify distribution patterns. The 182 983 cases of presumptive cardiovascular disease observed during the study period constituted 15.2% of total demand. The median age of persons attended was 72 (IQR 57-82) and there was an almost even split between genders (51% female). Peak numbers of most cardiovascular case types occurred between 09:00 and 11:00 the only exception was acute pulmonary edema, which had peak case numbers at 06:00. Trigonometric regression showed distinct time of day distribution patterns, which did not alter by season. Although weekend day demand was lower than on Mondays, due to a different distribution pattern, these differences were not constant over the 24-hour period. There were up to 27% fewer cases at 09:00 and up to 2.8% more cases at 01:00 on weekends compared to Mondays. We have shown that examination of presumptive cardiovascular disease using not only case counts but also demand distribution patterns allows for a greater understanding of ambulance demand. Monday might be the most frequent day for cardiovascular cases but different patterns of demand occur on weekends. Increased knowledge of when different types of cases are most likely to occur will help inform EMS planning, including paramedic capacity and resources.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-08-2020
Abstract: 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). 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. 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. 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.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 19-09-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1753-6405.2011.00776.X
Abstract: To explore the socioeconomic gradient of alcohol availability in Victoria, Australia. Using data for the smallest geographic units available, per-capita and area-based measures of alcohol outlet density were calculated for four types of alcohol outlet (broadly: restaurants, hotels, packaged liquor outlets and licensed clubs). These densities were aggregated across deciles of socioeconomic disadvantage, to compare the average density of alcohol outlets across ten levels of socioeconomic status. In addition, negative binomial regression models were developed, assessing the relationship between density and socioeconomic status while controlling for relevant covariates. In urban areas, both takeaway liquor outlets and licensed clubs were significantly more likely to be located in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage, while hotel and restaurant licences were more prevalent in advantaged areas. In rural and regional Victoria, all types of outlet types were more prevalent in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. The findings suggest that disparities in exposure to alcohol outlets in Victoria may play a role in explaining socioeconomic disparities in health outcomes, with Victorians living in disadvantaged areas generally faced with higher levels of alcohol availability.
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Date: 2015
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 25-10-2021
Abstract: Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to the disease burden among adolescents. The adolescent alcohol abstainer is still often depicted as problematic in the research literature and in prominent theoretical frameworks. However, over the past two decades, there has been a marked trend of declining youth drinking in Sweden. The declining trend has led to a shift in the majority behaviour of youth, from drinking to non-drinking. It is plausible that this trend has also shifted the position of non-drinkers. This paper examines the position of non-drinkers in a nationally representative s le of Swedish adolescents. A survey was carried out in 2017 in 500 randomly selected schools. A total of 5549 respondents (15–16-year-olds) agreed to participate and answered the questionnaire. A minority (42.8%) had consumed alcohol during their lifetime. The results show that non-drinkers had better health and school performance when compared to drinkers. The results also showed that there were no differences in the social position between non-drinkers and drinkers. These findings are new and indicate a changed position of non-drinkers among Swedish adolescents. With non-drinking being the majority behaviour among Swedish adolescents this seems to have shifted the position of non-drinkers. There is a need for research on the long-term importance of not drinking during adolescence.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-2010
DOI: 10.1111/J.1360-0443.2010.02945.X
Abstract: This article summarizes the contents of Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity (2nd edn). The first part of the book describes why alcohol is not an ordinary commodity, and reviews epidemiological data that establish alcohol as a major contributor to the global burden of disease, disability and death in high-, middle- and low-income countries. This section also documents how international beer and spirits production has been consolidated recently by a small number of global corporations that are expanding their operations in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. In the second part of the book, the scientific evidence for strategies and interventions that can prevent or minimize alcohol-related harm is reviewed critically in seven key areas: pricing and taxation, regulating the physical availability of alcohol, modifying the drinking context, drink-driving countermeasures, restrictions on marketing, education and persuasion strategies, and treatment and early intervention services. Finally, the book addresses the policy-making process at the local, national and international levels and provides ratings of the effectiveness of strategies and interventions from a public health perspective. Overall, the strongest, most cost-effective strategies include taxation that increases prices, restrictions on the physical availability of alcohol, drink-driving countermeasures, brief interventions with at risk drinkers and treatment of drinkers with alcohol dependence.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-02-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14164
Abstract: To determine (i) whether the strength of Australian alcohol control policy in three domains (youth access, trading hours and drink driving) changed during the 2000s and (ii) estimate associations between these policies and adolescent drinking after adjusting for television alcohol advertising exposures, alcohol outlet density, alcohol price changes, exposure to negative articles about alcohol in daily newspapers and adult drinking prevalence. Repeated cross-sectional surveys conducted triennially from 2002 to 2011. Multi-level modelling examined the association between alcohol control policies and drinking prevalence after adjusting for covariates. Four Australian capital cities between 2002 and 2011. Students aged 12-17 years participating in a triennial national representative school-based survey (s le size range/survey: 9805-13 119). Outcome measures were: past month drinking and risky drinking (5+ drinks on a day) in the past 7 days. Policy strength in each of three domains (youth access, trading hours, drink-driving) were the key predictor variables. Covariates included: past 3-month television alcohol and alcohol-control advertising, alcohol outlet density, alcohol price change, negatively framed newspaper alcohol articles, adult drinking prevalence and student demographic characteristics. During the study period, the strength of youth access policies increased by 10%, trading hours policies by 14% and drink-driving policies by 58%. Past-month and risky drinking prevalence decreased (e.g. past-month: 2002: 47.4% to 2011: 26.3%). Multivariable analyses that included all policy variables and adjusted for year, student and other covariates showed past-month drinking to be associated inversely with stronger trading hours policies [odds ratio (OR) = 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.69, 0.94], but not youth access (OR = 0.92 95% CI = 0.81, 1.04) or drink-driving (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.93, 1.09). Risky drinking was associated inversely with stronger youth access policies (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.69, 0.98), but not trading hours (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.66, 1.09) or drink-driving (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.90, 1.14) policies. Population-directed policies designed to reduce alcohol availability and promotion may reduce adolescents' alcohol use.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-05-2016
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12402
Abstract: To delineate what type and how much alcohol is purchased from different types of off-licence premises and how this varies across demographic sub-groups, as a basis for public debate and decisions on pricing and planning policies to reduce alcohol-related harm in Australia. The data on alcohol purchasing from off-licence premises are taken from the Australian Alcohol Consumption and Purchasing survey-a nationally representative landline and mobile telephone survey in 2013 on the experiences with alcohol consumption and purchasing of 2020 Australians aged 16+. The present analysis uses data from 1730 respondents who purchased alcohol from off-licence premises in the previous 6 months. The majority (54%) of alcohol purchased from off-licence premises was sold from liquor barns (large warehouse-style alcohol stores), with bottle shops (31%) the second most common outlet. Cask wine was the cheapest alcohol available at off-licence premises in Australia. Respondents in higher alcohol purchasing quintiles and with those with lower income purchased a higher percentage of cheaper alcohol in their total volume of purchasing than lower purchasing quintiles and those with middle and higher income, and younger respondents purchased more expensive alcohol than older age groups. A minimum unit price or increasing alcohol taxes may effectively reduce alcohol purchasing for lower income heavy alcohol purchasers and older age groups from off-licence premise sources, and may be less effective on younger age groups. [Jiang H, Callinan S, Livingston M, Room R. Off-premise alcohol purchasing in Australia: Variations by age group, income level and annual amount purchased. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017 :210-219].
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-03-2013
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-08-2014
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.12654
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-07-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14279
Abstract: Recent studies have argued that there has been substantial gender convergence in alcohol consumption. However, many of these rely on comparisons of different cohorts and do not adjust for age differences in male and female drinking patterns. We aimed to examine (1) whether the gender gap in risky drinking in Australia narrowed between 2001 and 2013, (2) if the evidence for gender convergence (or ergence) was consistent across age groups and (3) how a cohort-focused analysis of gender convergence compared with an age-focused approach. Repeated cross-sectional data from five waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013). Interaction terms in logistic and linear regression models were used to test for significantly different trends between men and women. Australia. Australians aged 14 years and older (n = 125 215) who provided data on alcohol consumption in the National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Prevalence of long-term risky drinking (average of 20 g or more per day) and prevalence of risky single occasion drinking (12 or more sessions of 50 g or more). Gender differences were large for all age groups except adolescents (14-17-year-olds), with men typically reporting levels of drinking at least twice as high as women across the study period. Overall, there was statistically significant gender convergence in alcohol use measures showing a slight decrease in men's drinking and a slight increase in women's drinking. However, when age-specific analyses were conducted gender convergence was only observed for 50-69-year-olds. In Australia, gender convergence in risky drinking since 2001 has been evident only in people aged 50-69 years.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-07-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13726
Abstract: Workplace absenteeism is a burden in Australia. The estimated productivity losses due to alcohol were around $4.0 billion in 2017, with absenteeism driving 90% of these costs. We aim to determine the dose–response relationship between average daily alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking (HED) frequency and workplace absenteeism amongst Australian workers. We used the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey of Australian employed workers aged ≥20 years to 69 years old. Respondents' average daily alcohol consumption was categorised into four: abstainers, light to moderate (1–20 g of alcohol/day), risky ( –40 g of alcohol/day) and high‐risk ( g of alcohol/day). HED was classified into four frequency measures (never, less than monthly, monthly, weekly). The outcome variables came from dichotomised measures of: (i) absence due to alcohol consumption and (ii) broader sickness absence–absence due to illness or injury in the previous 3 months. Risky (adjusted odds ratio 4.74 [95% CI 2.93–7.64]) and high‐risk drinking (adjusted odds ratio 6.61 [95% CI 4.10–10.68]) were linked to increased odds of alcohol‐related absence. Higher HED frequency was significantly associated with alcohol‐related and broader sickness absenteeism. No significant associations exist between regular alcohol consumption and broader sickness absence in fully adjusted models. Findings suggest that only HED is linked to broader sickness absence. However, there is a strong dose–response association between alcohol consumption and alcohol‐related absences for both consumption measures amongst Australian workers. Population‐level policies that reduce alcohol consumption to moderate level and less frequent HED might address workplace absenteeism.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2008.06.002
Abstract: To examine key in idual- and community-level correlates of regular very high-risk drinking (more than 20 drinks at least 12 times a year for males and more than 11 drinks at least 12 times a year for females) among young (16-24) drinkers in Victoria. CATI survey of 10,879 young Victorian drinkers. Multi-level modelling of correlates of proportion drinking at very high-risk levels at both in idual (e.g. age, gender) and community levels (e.g. alcohol outlet density, remoteness). One-fifth of the s le reported regular (at least monthly) very high-risk drinking. Significant in idual-level correlates of very high-risk drinking included age, gender, cultural background, recreational spending money, life stage, living situation, family conflict and age at first drink. Significant community-level correlates included remoteness (living in a rural area) and packaged liquor outlet density. The study highlights a range of important factors relating to regular drinking of dangerous amounts of alcohol by youth. Interventions aimed at preventing early initiation or managing recreational spending should be explored. Further, regulatory management of packaged liquor outlets and or remote rural communities in Victoria with high levels of dangerous drinking should be a priority.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-07-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13727
Abstract: After a period of stagnation, alcohol policy in Australia has received increased attention in the past decade, with Sydney's lockout laws and Queensland's restrictions on trading hours garnering media attention. This study will investigate any changing trends in support towards alcohol policy and identify any demographic‐specific shifts. Respondents from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (conducted every 3 years from 2004 to 2019) were asked to gauge their level of support for 16 alcohol policy items proposed to reduce the problems associated with excessive alcohol use. Mean levels of support for various policy options, as well as demographic predictors of support, were assessed. After an increase from 2004 to 2013, support for more evidence‐based policies on alcohol (e.g., restricting the availability of alcohol) has decreased since 2013. Support for policy items that focus less on the restriction of the availability of alcohol and more on education remained relatively stable in comparison. While demographic groups continue to vary in their extent of support, shifts appear to be occurring fairly uniformly across sex, age, states and drinking groups. Support for public health‐oriented alcohol policies has been decreasing since 2013. The introduction of high‐profile policies and less of a media focus on alcohol may be contributing to decreases in support.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2010
DOI: 10.1111/J.1753-6405.2010.00567.X
Abstract: To determine whether source of alcohol supply is related to adolescent underage drinkers' reports of risky drinking and alcohol-related problem behaviours. In 2003/04, a cross-sectional survey of 2,644 16-17 year-olds were recruited from Victorian households and surveyed by phone as part of the Victorian Youth Alcohol and Drug Survey. The results were analysed to determine whether alcohol supply source was associated with weekly or more frequent risky single occasion drinking (RSOD) and reports of alcohol-related problem behaviours. Around 20% (524/2,644) of the s le reported weekly RSOD and 34% (904/2,644) of the s le reported engaging in at least one alcohol-related problem behaviour. These outcomes were associated with reported usual source of alcohol supply, with reports of alcohol sources in addition to parents alone more than twice as likely to be accompanied by reports of RSOD (OR=2.53, 95%CI=1.85-3.46) and/or problem behaviours (OR=2.16, 95%CI=1.64-2.84), compared to when adolescents reported parents as their sole source of alcohol. Reports of alcohol supply only from sources other than parents were similarly more than twice as likely to be accompanied by reports of RSOD (OR=2.27, 95% CI=1.74-2.95) and/or problem behaviours (OR=2.27, 95%CI=1.82-2.82) compared to compared to parental supply alone. The rate at which older adolescents report RSOD and alcohol-related problem behaviour is increased when they obtain alcohol from sources other than their parents. Parents need to be equipped with strategies for managing the supply of alcohol to adolescents.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12073
Abstract: To examine where young adults purchase their alcohol on Saturday nights and how this relates to binge drinking. This study used an online survey of a non-probability-based quota s le of 2013 Australians aged 18-30 years who had consumed alcohol in the past year. Participants who purchased alcohol from off-licence outlets the Saturday night before answering the survey were compared with participants who purchased only from on-licence outlets with regard to how much they drank (binge drinking was defined as five or more drinks), how much they spent on alcohol, where they drank, their risk of an alcohol use disorder and other demographic factors. Of participants who drank the previous Saturday night (n=1106), 46% bought alcohol only from off-licence outlets (e.g. bottle shops), 19% bought from both off-licence and on-licence outlets (e.g. clubs, bars), and 23% bought only from on-licence outlets. Participants who bought alcohol from off-licence outlets were equally likely to binge-drink as participants who bought only from on-licence outlets (B=-0.02, P=0.912), but they drank more cheaply and usually drank at home. Participants who bought alcohol from both off-licence and on-licence outlets were more likely to binge-drink (B=1.39, P<0.001), drank both at home and in public places, were at higher risk of an alcohol use disorder and were more likely to have used stimulants the previous Saturday night. Off-licence outlets were a major source of alcohol in this s le of young Australian adults, many of whom binge-drank in private homes.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2010
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1071/AH13163
Abstract: Objectives This paper aims to examine whether an adaptation of the International Classification of Disease (ICD) coding system can be applied retrospectively to final paramedic assessment data in an ambulance dataset with a view to developing more fine-grained, clinically relevant case definitions than are available through point-of-call data. Methods Over 1.2 million case records were extracted from the Ambulance Victoria data warehouse. Data fields included dispatch code, cause (CN) and final primary assessment (FPA). Each FPA was converted to an ICD-10-AM code using word matching or best fit. ICD-10-AM codes were then converted into Major Diagnostic Categories (MDC). CN was aligned with the ICD-10-AM codes for external cause of morbidity and mortality. Results The most accurate results were obtained when ICD-10-AM codes were assigned using information from both FPA and CN. Comparison of cases coded as unconscious at point-of-call with the associated paramedic assessment highlighted the extra clinical detail obtained when paramedic assessment data are used. Conclusions Ambulance paramedic assessment data can be aligned with ICD-10-AM and MDC with relative ease, allowing retrospective coding of large datasets. Coding of ambulance data using ICD-10-AM allows for comparison of not only ambulance service users but also with other population groups. What is known about the topic? There is no reliable and standard coding and categorising system for paramedic assessment data contained in ambulance service databases. What does this paper add? This study demonstrates that ambulance paramedic assessment data can be aligned with ICD-10-AM and MDC with relative ease, allowing retrospective coding of large datasets. Representation of ambulance case types using ICD-10-AM-coded information obtained after paramedic assessment is more fine grained and clinically relevant than point-of-call data, which uses caller information before ambulance attendance. What are the implications for practitioners? This paper describes a model of coding using an internationally recognised standard coding and categorising system to support analysis of paramedic assessment. Ambulance data coded using ICD-10-AM allows for reliable reporting and comparison within the prehospital setting and across the healthcare industry.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-11-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14075
Abstract: Established in 2006, the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR) is Australia's only research centre with a primary focus on alcohol policy. CAPR has four main areas of research: alcohol policy impacts alcohol policy formation and regulatory processes involved in implementing alcohol policies patterns and trends in drinking and alcohol problems in the population and the influence of drinking norms, cultural practices and social contexts, particularly in interaction with alcohol policies. In this paper, we give ex les of key publications in each area. During the past decade, the number of staff employed at CAPR has increased steadily and now hovers at approximately 10. CAPR has supported the development of independent researchers who collaborate on a number of international projects, such as the Alcohol's Harm to Others study which is now replicated in approximately 30 countries. CAPR receives core funding from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, and staff have been highly successful in securing additional competitive research funding. In 2016, CAPR moved to a new institutional setting at La Trobe University and celebrated 10 years of operation.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2011
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-10-2021
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15284
Abstract: Alcohol‐related harm in emergency departments: linking to subsequent hospitalizations to quantify under‐reporting of presentations. To quantify the proportion of emergency department (ED) presentations that could be identified as alcohol‐related when linking to a patient's subsequent hospitalization, compared with using ED data alone, and to assess that comparison according to the change in alcohol harm rates over time and potential variations within subpopulations. A retrospective study using linked hospital administrative data to identify ED patients who had subsequent alcohol‐related hospitalizations. Western Australia. A total of 533 816 Western Australian young people (246 866 females and 286 950 males), aged 12–24 years. Whether or not presentations of young people to ED could be identified as alcohol‐related, and for those that were not, how many had a subsequent alcohol‐related hospitalization. Rates and proportions of alcohol‐related harm for both methods of ascertainment were estimated by sex and Aboriginality across different age groups. Alcohol‐related hospitalizations that followed an initial presentation at ED allowed the identification of an additional 19 994 alcohol‐related presentations (95% increase). Linking to additional hospitalization information also resulted in significant variation in alcohol‐related harm trends. In particular, trends in alcohol‐related ED presentations for 21–24‐year‐old males were stable to slightly increasing using only ED data, but decreased after linking with hospitalization data ( P 0.05). Similarly, trends among Aboriginal persons aged 21–24 shifted from increasing using only ED data to being stable in comparison to presentations using subsequent hospitalizations ( P 0.05). Among young people in Western Australia, twice as many emergency department presentations could be identified as being alcohol‐related using diagnosis information from subsequent hospitalizations compared with emergency department data alone. When supplemented with hospitalization data, trends in alcohol‐related harm presentations become significantly different within some subpopulations compared with using emergency department presentation data alone.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-11-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.16003
Abstract: This article summarizes the findings and conclusions of the third edition of Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity. The latest revision of this book is part of a series of monographs designed to provide a critical review of the scientific evidence related to alcohol control policy from a public health perspective. A narrative summary of the contents of the book according to five major issues. An extensive amount of epidemiological evidence shows that alcohol is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, disability and death in high-, middle- and low-income countries. Trends in alcohol products and marketing are described, indicating that a large part of the global industry has been consolidated into a small number of transnational corporations that are expanding their operations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The main part of the book is devoted to a review of strategies and interventions designed to prevent or minimize alcohol-related harm. Overall, the most effective strategies to protect public health are taxation that decreases affordability and restrictions on the physical availability of alcohol. A total ban on alcohol marketing is also an effective strategy to reduce consumption. In addition, drink-driving counter-measures, brief interventions with at-risk drinkers and treatment of drinkers with alcohol dependence are effective in preventing harm in high-risk contexts and groups of hazardous drinkers. Alcohol policy is often the product of competing interests, values and ideologies, with the evidence suggesting that the conflicting interests between profit and health mean that working in partnership with the alcohol industry is likely to lead to ineffective policy. Opportunities for implementation of evidence-based alcohol policies that better serve the public good are clearer than ever before as a result of accumulating knowledge on which strategies work best.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-09-2014
Abstract: The portrayal of alcohol in the news media, including newspapers, plays an important role in influencing societal norms and setting public agendas. We present the first large-scale examination of news coverage of alcohol-related issues in Australian newspapers. Content analysis was performed on a s le of alcohol-related newspaper articles (n = 4217) published across Australia from 2000 to 2011. Articles were coded for type, theme, prominence, topic slant, opinion slant and sources/spokesperson. Across the period, the most common themes were promotion (21%), drink-driving (16%) and restrictions olicy (16%). Themes of restrictions olicy and responsible beverage services became more common over time. Promotion and business-related articles significantly declined over time. Overall, the topic slant of the majority of news related articles disapproved of alcohol use. Disapproval increased over time while approval of alcohol use decreased. While the slant of opinion pieces was predominantly approving of alcohol, this decreased over time. Presence of an alcohol industry representative in articles declined over time. The presentation of alcohol use in Australian newspapers became more disapproving over time, which may suggest that harmful alcohol use has become less acceptable among the broader Australian community.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
Abstract: This study examined the distribution of alcohol consumption in Australia, identifying the heaviest drinking 10% of the population and examining their sociodemographic characteristics and their alcohol consumption and purchasing practices. Data came from the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey and the 2013 International Alcohol Control Study. The heaviest drinking 10% of the population identified based on estimates of annual alcohol consumption. Logistic regression was then used to assess the factors that distinguished these heaviest drinkers from the rest of the drinking population. The heaviest drinking 10% of the population consumed 54.4% of all alcohol consumed. These heavy drinkers were more likely to be men and to live in regional and remote areas. They were more likely to drink cask wine and full-strength beer and to purchase cheaper alcohol than other drinkers. Australian alcohol consumption is heavily skewed. Alcohol consumption practices appear to differentiate the heaviest drinkers from others more clearly than sociodemographic factors. Implications for public health: Public health interventions that reduce drinking among the heaviest 10% of drinkers in Australia have the potential to markedly reduce per-capita consumption and reduce alcohol-related harm. Interventions focused on cheap alcohol may be effective with these drinkers.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.HEALTHPLACE.2015.11.004
Abstract: Higher density of alcohol outlets has been linked to increased levels of adolescent alcohol-related behaviour. Research to date has been cross-sectional. A longitudinal design using two waves of annual survey data from the Australian arm of the International Youth Development Study was used. The s le comprised 2835 in iduals with average age at wave 2 of 14 years (SD=1.67 range=11-17 years). GSEM was used to examine how absolute levels of alcohol outlet density was associated with student-reported alcohol use one year later, while controlling for prior alcohol use, risk factors at wave one and changes in density over the 2 years. Adolescents' perception of alcohol availability and friends' alcohol use were tested as potential mediators of the association between alcohol outlet density and adolescent alcohol use. Elasticity modelling identified a 10% increase in overall density at wave one was associated with an approximately 17% increase in odds of adolescent alcohol consumption at wave two. Living in areas with a higher density of outlets was associated with a statistically significant increase in the likelihood of adolescents developing early age alcohol consumption.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-08-2021
DOI: 10.3390/NU13082777
Abstract: Globally, almost four and a half million people died from injury in 2019. Alcohol’s contribution to injury-related premature loss of life, disability and ill-health is pervasive, touching in iduals, families and societies throughout the world. We conducted a review of research evidence for alcohol’s causal role in injury by focusing on previously published systematic reviews, meta-analyses and where indicated, key studies. The review summarises evidence for pharmacological and physiological effects that support postulated causal pathways, highlights findings and knowledge gaps relevant to specific forms of injury (i.e., violence, suicide and self-harm, road injury, falls, burns, workplace injuries) and lays out options for evidence-based prevention.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 06-2019
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2019-029918
Abstract: Alcohol use and misuse are associated with substantial health and social issues in Australia and internationally. Pricing policy is considered as one of the most effective means to reduce risky drinking and related harms. This protocol paper describes a study that will model and estimate the effects, effectiveness and cost–benefit of alcohol pricing policy initiatives in reducing risky drinking, health and social harms, and health inequalities among subpopulations in Australia. The study is a modelling and epidemiological study using data from various resources, such as survey, previous literatures and response agencies. A number of statistical procedures will be undertaken to evaluate the impact of different alcohol pricing policy initiatives on various outcomes, including alcohol consumption in population subgroups, and health and social problems, and to measure health inequalities and cost-effectiveness of those proposed pricing policies, such as a 10% tax increase on all alcohol beverages or introduction of a minimum unit price. The ethics approval of this study was obtained from the College Human Ethics Sub-Committee of the La Trobe University on 9 November 2017 (Ref: S17-206). While examining the heterogeneous effects of price policy across population subgroups, this study will provide the first comprehensive estimates of the likely impacts of alcohol price changes on health inequalities. The study will also provide sophisticated economic analyses of the impact of price policy changes, which is critical information for policy makers and will assist policy makers in directing resources to a more efficient alcohol strategy. Results will be made available to communities and societies, health departments and other researchers.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.ADDBEH.2014.07.025
Abstract: This study investigated whether the number of alcohol outlets per 10,000 population in a given area (density) influenced parental supply of alcohol to adolescents differences in Australian born and acculturating parents were also examined. A state-representative student survey in Victoria identified that the majority of adolescents (55%) reported that they had used alcohol in the past 12months 34 % of those who had consumed alcohol reported that it had been supplied by their parents. Multilevel modelling identified that there were no overall effects of density, however there were different effects based on parent country of birth and type of license. Specifically, each unit increase in the density of takeaway liquor stores increased the likelihood by 2.03 that children with both Australian-born parents would be supplied alcohol. Adolescents with both migrant parents on the other hand, had a 1.36 increased risk of being supplied alcohol as the density of outlets requiring at-venue consumption increased. The findings of this study suggest that in Australia, alcohol outlet density is associated with parental supply of alcohol to children, with this effect moderated by the cultural background of the parent and type of outlet density. Future research should investigate the association between the density of alcohol outlets and public approval of parents supplying alcohol to adolescents.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13272
Abstract: This closing commentary to the special section presents an overview of the Queensland Alcohol‐related violence and Night‐Time Economy Monitoring evaluation findings in comparison to those from other jurisdictions where similar interventions have been implemented (such as Sydney and Newcastle), and especially with previous studies that have used similar evaluation methodologies, such as the Dealing with Alcohol and the Night‐Time Economy study. Overall, the articles documented promising reductions in alcohol‐related harm, building on the existing evidence base for multi‐pronged interventions in entertainment districts. Importantly, this is the first comprehensive investigation to also look at impacts on nightlife‐related business and findings demonstrated, that there were improvements for many businesses. There are substantial policy implications for Queensland and other jurisdictions (nationally and globally) wanting to reduce late night alcohol‐related harm in entertainment districts.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2019
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2008
DOI: 10.1016/J.CHIABU.2007.04.011
Abstract: The links between child maltreatment and juvenile offending are well established. However, the majority of maltreated children do not offend. The research presented in this paper examines the impact that timing and chronicity of child maltreatment have on juvenile offending. Administrative data were obtained on all children who were born in Queensland, Australia in 1983 or 1984 and had contact with child protective services for at least one child protection matter (N=5,849). For these children information was obtained on all child protection and juvenile justice contacts until the age of 17. These data were analyzed using the Semi-Parametric Group-Based trajectory analyses [Nagin, D., & Land, L. (1993). Age, criminal careers, and population heterogeneity: Specification and estimation of a nonparametric mixed Poisson model. Criminology, 31, 327-362]. Six distinctive maltreatment trajectory groups were identified, distinguished by the frequency of victimization, the age of onset and the duration of the maltreatment. Child maltreatment peaked around the transition from preschool to primary school and the transition from primary school to secondary school. Furthermore, children whose maltreatment trajectory started or extended into adolescence were more likely to offend as juveniles than children whose maltreatment occurred prior to, but not during, adolescence. Trajectory analysis provides a useful analytical tool for understanding heterogeneous nature of child maltreatment and the impact of maltreatment on subsequent juvenile offending.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-05-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13270
Abstract: This commentary introduces the special section on the outcomes of the Queensland Alcohol‐related violence and Night‐time Economy Monitoring project and outlines the political and policy context of the interventions put in place under the Queensland government's Tackling Alcohol‐Fuelled Violence strategy. The development of the strategy was informed by alcohol policy initiatives trialled in other major Australian cities over the past two decades. The articles in this special section examine the impact of the Tackling Alcohol‐Fuelled Violence policy stages on alcohol‐related harms and local economies across selected entertainment precincts (Safe Night Precincts). A rich array of data were utilised, including administrative health and justice data, data reflective of nightlife trading (i.e. foot traffic data, ID scanner data and live music performances) and street surveys. Findings have implications for research, policy and practice and demonstrate the need for comprehensive evaluations that can accommodate the complexities of modern alcohol policy in Australia.
Publisher: PAGEPress Publications
Date: 11-2010
DOI: 10.4081/GH.2010.194
Abstract: Studies have consistently found positive associations between the density of alcohol outlets and levels of violence in areas. Few studies have examined whether this relationship holds for domestic violence. This study assesses whether alcohol outlet density is related to domestic violence and whether this relationship is due to alcohol availability or to co-occurring economic disadvantage and social disorganisation. Cross-sectional data on family incidents, liquor outlets and socio-demographic characteristics were obtained for 217 postcodes in Melbourne, Australia. These data were used to construct models assessing the association between alcohol outlet density and domestic violence, both with and without controlling for socio-demographic factors. Models were tested for spatial autocorrelation, and spatial- error models were developed to control for its influence. Outlet density was significantly associated with rates of domestic violence, even controlling for socio-demographic factors. The density of hotels (pubs) was positively associated with domestic violence rates and the density of restaurants and bars was negatively associated with domestic violence. Socio-economic disadvantage was also associated with domestic violence rates. The density of packaged liquor outlets was not associated with rates of domestic violence. The results present a mixed picture, and further study is required to develop a clearer understanding of the links between alcohol availability and domestic violence.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 11-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2020
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13038
Abstract: Alcohol consumption among young Australians has declined markedly since the early 2000s. As yet, there has been no data on how this decline has been spread across different beverages and instead high-level survey data with significant potential for recall and other bias has been used. Trends in beverage choice among young people following an increase in the 'alcopops' tax have also not received much attention. Data on 'yesterday' drinking occasions were obtained from five waves (2004, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016) of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey. A total of 23 536 respondents aged 14-29 years were included in this study. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted to explore trends in alcohol consumption and changes in beverage preferences. Youth drinking declined by 45% across the study period, with declines of 66% in premix, 48% in spirits, 46% in beer and 33% in wine. Consumption of premix was significantly lower in 2013 and 2016 compared to 2007 amongst the overall s le, males, females, respondents aged 14-21 and 22-29 years, light and heavy drinkers. Significant reductions were also observed in the consumption of premix immediately following the tax (2010) for the younger age group, males and light drinkers. Youth consumption of alcohol has declined during the study period with significant variation across beverage types. We found some evidence of a separate impact for the alcopops tax, although for some groups, declines in premix consumption occurred well after the implementation of the tax.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1002/HPJA.222
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-10-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15271
Publisher: AMPCo
Date: 08-2011
DOI: 10.5694/J.1326-5377.2011.TB03261.X
Abstract: To analyse the links between other people's drinking and mental health and to explore the effects on mental health of heavy and problematic drinkers both within and outside spousal relationships. A secondary analysis of data obtained as part of the Alcohol's Harm to Others survey from 2622 randomly s led Australian adults interviewed by telephone between October and December 2008. Self-reported anxiety or depression and satisfaction with mental wellbeing the presence of heavy and problematic drinkers in respondents' lives. Identification of at least one heavy drinker in the respondents' social network of friends, family and co-workers was significantly negatively associated with self-reported mental wellbeing and anxiety or depression. If the heavy drinker was identified by the respondent as someone whose drinking had had a negative impact on their life in the past year, the adverse effect on mental wellbeing and anxiety was much greater. Our findings support a causal pathway between alcohol use and mental health problems by way of someone else's drinking. The association with adverse mental health is substantial regardless of the type of relationship an in idual has with the heavy drinker whose drinking has had an adverse effect on them.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 04-10-2023
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.16358
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-07-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13709
Abstract: In this article we seek to understand the changing social position of alcohol use for young people in Australia by identifying how alcohol has become framed as posing a significant risk to their bodies and futures. Forty interviews were conducted with young people aged 18–21 years from Melbourne, Australia, who had previously identified as light drinkers or abstainers. Drawing on insights from contemporary sociologies of risk, we explored how risk was discussed as a governing concept that shaped young people's views of alcohol, and how it encouraged or necessitated risk‐avoidance in daily life. Participants drew on a range of risk discourses in framing their abstention or moderate drinking along the lines of health, wellness, wisdom and productivity. They reiterated social constructions of heavy or regular alcohol use as irresponsible, threatening and potentially addictive. The focus on personal responsibility was striking in most accounts. Participants seemed to have routinised ways of practicing risk avoidance and coordinated drinking practices with other practices in their everyday life, with alcohol therefore ‘competing for time’. Our findings endorse the idea that discourses of risk and in idual responsibility shape the contemporary socio‐cultural value of alcohol for young people. Risk avoidance has become routine and is manifested through the practice of restraint and control. This appears particular to high‐income countries like Australia, where concerns about young people's futures and economic security are increasing, and where neoliberal politics are the foundations of governmental ideology.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-03-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15025
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-03-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14178
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-07-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13706
Abstract: 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. 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. 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. 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 s les.
Publisher: American Medical Association (AMA)
Date: 13-07-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 14-02-2011
DOI: 10.1111/J.1360-0443.2010.03333.X
Abstract: A small number of studies have identified a positive relationship between alcohol outlet density and domestic violence. These studies have all been based on cross-sectional data and have been limited to the assessment of ecological correlations between outlet density and domestic violence rates. This study provides the first longitudinal examination of this relationship. Cross-sectional time-series using aggregated data from small areas. The relationships between alcohol outlet density and domestic violence were assessed over time using a fixed-effects model. Controls for the spatial autocorrelation of the data were included in the model. The study uses data for 186 postcodes from within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia for the years 1996 to 2005. Alcohol outlet density measures for three different types of outlets (hotel ub, packaged liquor, on-premise) were derived from liquor licensing records and domestic violence rates were calculated from police-recorded crime data, based on the victim's postcode. Alcohol outlet density was associated significantly with rates of domestic violence, over time. All three licence categories were positively associated with domestic violence rates, with small effects for general (pub) and on-premise licences and a large effect for packaged liquor licences. In Melbourne, the density of liquor licences is positively associated with rates of domestic violence over time. The effects were particularly large for packaged liquor outlets, suggesting a need for licensing policies that pay more attention to o off-premise alcohol availability.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-04-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13662
Abstract: Excessive alcohol use is associated with non‐communicable diseases and social problems, such as work absence, financial problems and family violence. Expenditure and expenditure shares on alcohol are valuable measures to monitor financial activities on this risk behaviour. The aim of this paper is to report trends in alcohol expenditure in Australia over the last two decades. Data are from six waves of Australian Household Expenditure Surveys from 1984 to 2015–2016. We explored trends of alcohol expenditure among Australians and in different socio‐demographic groups in the last 30 years. We further examined changes of expenditure on different on‐ and off‐premises beverages over time. Absolute alcohol expenditure has remained the same between the 1980s and 2016, after accounting for inflation. However, a declining trend in relative alcohol expenditure as a proportion of total household expenditure was found across nearly all demographic groups (e.g., sex, age, employment, household income), except for women aged 45–54, who showed an increasing trend of alcohol expenditure after 1998–1999. The current study shows declines in relative alcohol expenditure, which may reflect declines in alcohol's relative importance within the elements of the person's lifestyle they need to pay for and/or increased awareness of alcohol's health and social harms. Further longitudinal analysis should explore additional predictors of household expenditure on alcohol. Results suggest that current bi‐annual indexation increases in alcohol tax should account for increases in income to ensure the effectiveness of pricing. Moreover, attention is needed to address drinking among middle‐aged females.
Publisher: Massachusetts Medical Society
Date: 26-03-2020
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-01-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13428
Abstract: 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. Cross‐sectional data from six waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (2001–2019). We estimated the prevalence of long‐term risky drinking ( Australian standard drinks per day) and risky‐single occasion drinking ( 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. 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. 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.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-07-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14370
Abstract: The threshold of 4+/5+ drinks per occasion has been used for decades in alcohol research to distinguish between non-risky versus risky episodic drinking. However, no study has assessed the validity of this threshold using event-level data. This study aimed to determine the optimal thresholds for the detection of five acute alcohol-related consequences (hangover, blackout, risky sex, fights and injury) using data from two event-level studies. An event-level study to assess the ability to use the number of drinks consumed to discriminate between nights with and without consequences using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve. Optimal thresholds were determined using the Youden Index based on sensitivity and specificity. Separate thresholds were estimated for gender and age groups (16-17 versus 18-25). Lausanne and Zurich, Switzerland. Three hundred and sixty-nine participants aged 16-25 years. On 3554 weekend nights, participants reported total number of alcoholic drinks consumed the previous night and acute consequences (hangover, blackout, risky sex, fights and injury) FINDINGS: Hangover was the most frequently reported consequence and injury the least for both genders. Throughout age groups and studies, optimal thresholds for any consequence, and for hangover only, were equal to 4+/5+ (40+/50+ g alcohol) while those for blackouts, risky sex, fights and injuries were up to three drinks higher. Adolescents tended to experience consequences more often and at slightly lower drinking levels than did adults. For all consequences but injuries, the optimal thresholds were one to two drinks lower for women than for men. Event-level data collection techniques appear particularly suitable to estimate thresholds at which acute alcohol-related consequences occur. Binge drinking thresholds of 4+/5+ (women/men) drinks, equivalent to 40+/50+ g pure alcohol, predict the occurrence of consequences accurately in general but are too low to predict severe acute alcohol-related consequences.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-12-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13426
Abstract: The present study explores Australian public support for more lenient treatment of persons found in possession of small amounts of illegal drugs for personal use. Data for the study are drawn from the 2013, 2016 and 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Surveys. Bivariate associations were tested using χ 2 tests corrected for survey design. Multivariate analyses of public support for legalisation and imprisonment involved logistic regression. Multivariate analyses of public preferences for various responses to those found in possession of illicit drugs involved the use of multinomial regression. Support for legalising personal use of three drugs (cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine) has risen significantly since 2013 but remained stable (and low) for two (heroin and meth hetamine). Support for no action, a caution or a warning has grown for those found in possession of cannabis, ecstasy and heroin for personal use but not for those found in possession of meth hetamine. There is, however, more support for responding to this group with treatment, education or a small fine than there is for imprisonment. There is strong support for legalising use of cannabis. There is little support for legalising use of ecstasy and cocaine but growing public support for a less punitive approach to those who use these drugs. There is little public support for a change in the current approach to heroin and meth hetamine.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-2008
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 04-03-2021
Abstract: Previous studies have shown a close association between drinking motives and drinking behaviour among adolescents. However, there is a lack of evidence from the Nordic countries since few studies covering this topic have been carried out in this context. The present study among Swedish adolescents aims to examine (1) the prevalence of different drinking motives, (2) how drinking motives are associated with drinking frequency and heavy drinking frequency, and (3) whether the associations are moderated by sex. A nationally representative s le ( n = 5,549) of Swedish adolescents (aged 15–16 years) answered a questionnaire in school. Of these, 2,076 were drinkers and were included in our study. Eighteen items from the Modified Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised (Modified DMQ-R) were used. Bivariate relationships between motives and drinking were examined with correlations. Linear regression models were used to assess the links between motives and drinking. Moderating effects of sex were examined with interactions. Most common were social motives, followed by enhancement, coping-anxiety, coping-depression, and conformity motives. Coping-depression motives were slightly more common among girls. Conformity motives were associated with a lower frequency of drinking and heavy drinking while enhancement, social and coping-depression motives were associated with a higher frequency of both outcomes. No associations were found for coping-anxiety motives. No moderation effect of sex was found. Approach motives (social/enhancement) are the most prevalent drinking motives among Swedish adolescents. These also have the strongest association for both frequency of drinking and frequency of heavy drinking. This shows that Swedish adolescents drink to achieve something positive, rather than to avoid something negative, raising implications for prevention and intervention.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-06-2016
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.13396
Abstract: To decompose Australian trends in alcohol consumption into their age, period (survey year) and cohort (birth year/generation) components. In particular, we aimed to test whether recent declines in overall consumption have been influenced by reductions in drinking among recently born cohorts. Seven cross-sectional waves of the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey (1995-2013). Age, period and cohort effects were estimated using a linear and logistic cross-classified random-effects models (CCREMs). Australia A total of 124 440 Australians (69 193 females and 55 257 males), aged 14-79 years. Whether or not respondents consumed alcohol in the 12 months prior to the survey and, for those who did, the estimated volume of pure alcohol consumed, derived using standard quantity-frequency survey questions. Controlling for age and period effects, there was significant variation in drinking participation and drinking volume by birth cohort. In particular, male cohorts born between the 1965 and 1974 and female cohorts born between 1955 and 1974 reported higher rates of drinking participation (P < 0.05), while the most recent cohorts (born in the 1990s) had lower rates of participation (P < 0.01). Among drinkers, the most recently born cohort also had sharply lower average consumption volumes than older cohorts for both men and women (P < 0.01). Recent birth cohorts (born between 1995 and 1999) in Australia report significantly lower rates of both drinking participation and drinking volume than previous cohorts, controlling for their age distribution and overall changes in population drinking. These findings suggest that the recent decline in alcohol consumption in Australia has been driven by declines in drinking among these recently born cohorts. These trends are consistent with international shifts in youth drinking.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 30-06-2014
Abstract: To examine trends in alcohol-attributable morbidity (AAMorb) (2000/01-2009/10) and mortality (AAMort) (2000-07) by age, sex and region. Time-series analyses of population data for Victoria, Australia. We used joinpoint regression to quantify trends by estimating quarterly percent change (QPC) for rates of morbidity and mortality. We present the average QPC (AQPC) as a weighted average of QPCs. A test of parallelism was used to examine pairwise differences. AAMorb increased significantly over time for Victoria (AQPC = 1.0%, 95% confidence interval 0.8-1.2). While females (1.6, 1.1-2.0), age groups 25-44 (1.0, 0.9-1.1) and 45-64 (1.2, 0.2-2.2), and metropolitan population (1.2, 0.5-1.9) were broad subgroups more at risk, multivariate analysis detected specific increases for metropolitan females aged 15-44 (1.8, 1.0-2.6) and 45+ (1.6, 0.2-3.0). Relatively greater increases in morbidity among metropolitan subgroups were widespread. AAMort remained stable for Victoria and for most subgroups, although significant declines in mortality were specifically experienced by metropolitan 15-24 (-2.0, -2.9 to -1.0) and 25-44 (-1.0, -1.7 to -0.3) age groups, and by regional males aged 45+ (-0.8, -1.3 to -0.3). Metropolitan males aged 45+ were a special high-risk population. Our study has identified overlooked subgroups as being at increasing risk for alcohol-attributable chronic harm necessitating their inclusion in future policies for harm reduction.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-01-2009
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-07-2021
DOI: 10.1111/ANS.17071
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in global disruptions to the delivery of healthcare. The national responses of Australia and New Zealand has resulted in unprecedented changes to the care of colorectal cancer patients, amongst others. This paper aims to determine the impact of COVID-19 on colorectal cancer diagnosis and management in Australia and New Zealand. This is a multicentre retrospective cohort study using the prospectively maintained Binational Colorectal Cancer Audit (BCCA) registry. Data is contributed by over 200 surgeons in Australia and New Zealand. Patients receiving colorectal cancer surgery during the pandemic were compared to averages from the same period over the preceding 3 years. There were fewer operations in 2020 than the historical average. During April to June, patients were younger, more likely to have operations in public hospitals and more likely to have urgent or emergency operations. By October to December, proportionally less patients had Stage I disease, proportionally more had Stage II or III disease and there was no difference in Stage IV disease. Patients were less likely to have rectal cancer, were increasingly likely to have urgent or emergency surgery and more likely to have a stoma created. This study shows that the response to COVID-19 has had measurably negative effects on the diagnosis and management of colorectal cancer in two countries that have had significantly fewer COVID-19 cases than many other countries. The long-term effects on survival and recurrence are yet to be known, but could be significant.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-02-2018
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12682
Abstract: The proportion of adolescents who do not drink alcohol has increased during the last decade in many European countries, the USA and Australia. Few studies have addressed why this positive trend has occurred. The aim of the present study is to examine associations between parenting factors, peers' alcohol use and non-drinking among 15- to 16-year-old adolescents over time, from 2003 to 2015, and to evaluate potential gender differences. Data from the Swedish subs le of European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs were used. Data were available for 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 in nation-based s les with responses from 11 531 adolescents in total. The proportion of non-drinkers increased from 23.2% in 2003 to 48.7% in 2015. For each year, indicators of especially restrictive attitudes toward offspring drinking were robustly associated with an increased probability of non-drinking. However, neither indicators of parental monitoring nor parental attitudes toward offspring drinking were associated with the increase in the proportion of non-drinkers that occurred from 2003 to 2015. Two indicators of parental monitoring were more strongly associated with non-drinking among girls than among boys, while paternal restrictive attitudes toward offspring drinking were more strongly associated with non-drinking among boys than girls. Parenting characteristics are important for adolescents who do not use alcohol, which has implications for prevention strategies. However, the increased trend of non-drinkers could not be attributed to parental factors.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 16-11-2012
DOI: 10.1108/17570971211281675
Abstract: The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of introducing clinical case management into a youth alcohol and other drug treatment setting. Case management as usual (CMAU), the current brokerage model operating as a control group was compared to clinical case management (CCM). In idual client outcomes were compared with the site as the grouping variable. Although alcohol and drug outcomes were similar, arguably slightly favouring the intervention group, results suggest that young people receiving clinical case management showed potentially greater improvement across a range of other health outcomes including mental health, treatment utilisation and social outcomes than the CMAU brokerage model. The study examined the feasibility of training clinicians in a youth alcohol and drug treatment agency in a clinical case management model and examined whether this more intensive case management approach could improve substance use and mental health outcomes for young people. Although widely used, much less is known about the efficacy of case management within substance use treatment settings, where case management tends to be loosely defined and encompasses a broad range of activities. The originality of this study is that little is known about the effectiveness of case management in youth services, where it tends to be the primary service offered.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-05-2017
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.13829
Abstract: Risky single-occasion drinking (RSOD) by young people is a serious public health issue, yet little is known about the specific circumstances of risky drinking occasions. This study examined the independent effects of event- and in idual-specific variables on RSOD. Longitudinal cohort study measuring self-reported RSOD and event- and in idual-specific variables across two drinking occasions approximately 1 year apart. Metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. A s le of 710 young risky drinkers aged between 18 and 25 years and defined as engaging in risky drinking practices (males: consumed alcohol in excess of 10 Australian Standard Drinks (ASD: 10 g ethanol) in a single occasion in the previous year females: consumed alcohol in excess of seven ASD for females in a single occasion in the previous year). Random digit-dial telephone landline survey of the most recent heavy drinking occasion and socio-demographic variables. The primary outcome was the log of the total drinks consumed in the most recent heavy drinking occasion. Event-specific (e.g. number of drinking locations) and time-varying (e.g. weekly income) and time-invariant (e.g. sex) in idual-specific variables were examined as correlates of total drinks consumed. Changes in event-specific characteristics including the length of the drinking occasion (Likelihood Ratio χ Event-specific characteristics are important predictors of the number of drinks consumed during risky single occasion drinking (RSOD) and illustrate the importance of event contexts when considering interventions targeting RSOD. The total number of drinks consumed in a RSOD session appears to rise independently with the duration of the drinking event, the number of drinking locations and the number of different types of beverage consumed.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 19-02-2021
Abstract: Alcohol consumption (AC) may cause workplace absence, but the findings of in idual studies vary markedly. To date, no dose–response meta-analysis (DRMA) of the relationship between AC and sickness absence (SA) has been completed. This paper aims to estimate the dose–response relationship between AC and the risk of SA based on published observational studies. We used DRMA and modelling to investigate the effects of varying doses of AC (including heavy episodic drinking (HED)) onSA. The meta-analysis included 21 studies (12 cohort studies and 9 cross-sectional). It showed that HED, risky (20–40 g of alcohol/day) and high-risk (& g of alcohol/day) drinkers had an elevated risk of SA when compared with light-to-moderate drinkers for both sexes. Those who abstained from alcohol had a higher risk of SA than those who drink moderately. Our results indicate that risky, high-risk drinking and HED may increase the risk of absenteeism. The implementation of population-based strategies may be appropriate to address the burdens of alcohol-related SA. Additionally, economic evaluations of alcohol policies should incorporate their impacts on SA. However, the current literature has substantial limitations, relying on modestly designed studies from just a few settings and more studies are needed—especially those that measure abstention in more nuancedways.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 26-02-2020
DOI: 10.3390/NU12030603
Abstract: The objective of this study was to estimate, from an obesity prevention perspective, the cost-effectiveness of two potential policies that increase the price of alcohol in Australia: a volumetric tax applied to all alcohol (Intervention 1) and a minimum unit floor price (Intervention 2). Estimated changes in alcoholic drink consumption and corresponding changes in energy intake were calculated using the 2011–12 Australian Health Survey data, published price elasticities, and nutrition information. The incremental changes in body mass index (BMI), BMI-related disease outcomes, healthcare costs, and Health Adjusted Life Years (HALYs) were estimated using a validated model. Costs associated with each intervention were estimated for government and industry. Both interventions were estimated to lead to reductions in mean alcohol consumption (Intervention 1: 20.7% (95% Uncertainty Interval (UI): 20.2% to 21.1%) Intervention 2: 9.2% (95% UI: 8.9% to 9.6%)) reductions in mean population body weight (Intervention 1: 0.9 kg (95% UI: 0.84 to 0.96) Intervention 2: 0.45 kg (95% UI: 0.42 to 0.48)) HALYs gained (Intervention 1: 566,648 (95% UI: 497,431 to 647,262) Intervention 2: 317,653 (95% UI: 276,334 to 361,573)) and healthcare cost savings (Intervention 1: $5.8 billion (B) (95% UI: $5.1B to $6.6B) Intervention 2: $3.3B (95% UI: $2.9B to $3.7B)). Intervention costs were estimated as $24M for Intervention 1 and $30M for Intervention 2. Both interventions were dominant, resulting in health gains and cost savings. Increasing the price of alcohol is likely to be cost-effective from an obesity prevention perspective in the Australian context, provided consumers substitute alcoholic beverages with low or no kilojoule alternatives.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-2014
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12202
Abstract: There is substantial research showing that low socioeconomic position is a predictor of negative outcomes from alcohol consumption, while alcohol consumption itself does not exhibit a strong social gradient. This study aims to examine socioeconomic differences in self-reported alcohol-related risk-taking behaviour to explore whether differences in risk-taking while drinking may explain some of the socioeconomic disparities in alcohol-related harm. Cross-sectional data from current drinkers (n = 21 452) in the 2010 wave of the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey were used. Ten items on risk-taking behaviour while drinking were combined into two risk scores, and zero-inflated Poisson regression was used to assess the relationship between socioeconomic position and risk-taking while controlling for age, sex and alcohol consumption. Socioeconomically advantaged respondents reported substantially higher rates of alcohol-related hazardous behaviour than socioeconomically disadvantaged respondents. Controlling for age, sex, volume of drinking and frequency of heavy drinking, respondents living in the most advantaged quintile of neighbourhoods reported significantly higher rates of hazardous behaviour than those in the least advantaged quintile. A similar pattern was evident for household income. Socioeconomically advantaged Australians engage in alcohol-related risky behaviour at higher rates than more disadvantaged Australians even with alcohol consumption controlled. The significant socioeconomic disparities in negative consequences linked to alcohol consumption cannot in this instance be explained via differences in behaviour while drinking. Other factors not directly related to alcohol consumption may be responsible for health inequalities in outcomes with significant alcohol involvement.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2021
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13411
Abstract: Youth drinking has declined in many high‐income countries for two decades. This development is still largely unexplained. Developing evidence and extending our understanding as to the mechanisms behind these changes is imperative for advising governments and policy makers on how to support and maintain the trends. Given the international scope of the trends, comparative studies have been suggested for improving our understanding of the development. In this commentary, we explore the patterns observed across several waves of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs between 1999 and 2019, and how these match‐up with the World Values Survey. We found that the declines in youth drinking are limited to a smaller number of countries and that in Europe these are all found in two groups from the World Values Survey, protestant Europe and English‐speaking countries. If the declines in youth drinking are systematic and limited to a smaller number of countries, this challenges some of the hypothesised drivers of this development, but can also help guide future research.
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Date: 03-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-10-2016
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.13143
Abstract: While recent evidence suggests that higher alcohol outlet density is associated with greater alcohol use among adolescents, influence of the four main outlet types on youth drinking within urban and regional communities is unknown. This study provides the first investigation of this relationship. Repeated cross-sectional surveys with random s les of secondary students clustered by school. Mixed-effects logistic regression analyses examined the association between each outlet type and the drinking outcomes, with interaction terms used to test urban/regional differences. Australia, 2002-11. Respondents participating in a triennial survey (aged 12-17 years) 44 897 from urban settings, 23 311 from regional settings. The key outcome measures were past month alcohol use, risky drinking among all students and risky drinking among past week drinkers. For each survey year, students were assigned a postcode-level outlet density (number of licences per 1000 population) for each outlet type (general, on-premise, off-premise, clubs). Interaction terms revealed a significant association between off-premises outlet density and risky drinking among all adolescents in urban (odds ratio = 1.36, 95% confidence interval CI = 1.05-1.75, P < 0.05) but not regional areas. Similarly, club density was associated with the drinking outcomes in urban communities only. General and on-premises density was associated with alcohol use and risky drinking among all adolescents. Higher densities of general, on- and off-premises outlets in an adolescent's immediate neighbourhood are related to increased likelihood of alcohol consumption among all adolescents. The density of licensed clubs is associated more strongly with drinking for urban than for regional adolescents.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 25-05-2017
DOI: 10.2196/RESPROT.6760
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-10-2017
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-08-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13529
Abstract: Alcohol is a leading risk factor for death and disease in young people. We compare age‐specific characteristics of young people who experience their first (‘index’) alcohol‐related hospitalisation or emergency department (ED) presentation, and whether age at index predicts 12‐month rates of readmission. We used a retrospective linked‐data cohort of 10,300 people aged 12–20 years with an index alcohol‐related hospital and/or ED record in New South Wales, Australia from 2005 to 2013. Age group (early adolescent [12–14 years], late adolescent [15–17 years], young adult [18–20 years]) and diagnosis fields were used in logistic regression analyses and to calculate incidence rates with adjustment for year of index event, sex, socioeconomic disadvantage and residence remoteness. People who experienced their index event in early adolescence (adjusted relative risk ratio [ARRR] 0.45 [95% confidence interval 0.39, 0.52]) or late adolescence (ARRR 0.82 [0.74, 0.90]) were less likely to be male compared to young adults. Early adolescents (ARRR 0.60 [0.51, 0.70]) and late adolescents (ARRR 0.84 [0.76, 0.93]) were less likely to have a hospitalisation index event. Early adolescents (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.40 [1.15, 1.71]) and late adolescents (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.16 [1.01, 1.34]) were more likely than young adults to have a subsequent 12‐month non‐poisoning injury ED presentation. We identified preventable hospital events in young people who have previously experienced an alcohol‐related ED presentation or hospitalisation, with age‐specific characteristics and outcomes that can be used to inform future health policy and service planning.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-12-2022
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.ADDBEH.2016.12.002
Abstract: There has been a recent decrease in population level alcohol consumption in Australia, particularly in young people. Whether this is due to increasing abstinence or a shift in the way people think about alcohol is not known. The aim of this study is to investigate trends in self-identification of drinker types in Australia from 2001 to 2013 in light of shifting patterns of alcohol consumption in Australia. Five waves of the National Drug Strategy Household Survey from 2001 to 2013 (N=118,416) were used to assess trends in self-identification as a drinker type (non-, ex-, occasional, light, social, heavy and binge drinker). Consumption patterns and demographics of the self-identified groups were also examined. The pattern of self-identification has mostly remained steady over time. The two exceptions to this are a decrease in identification as a social drinker (28% to 22%) and a corresponding increase in identification as a non-drinker (from 19% to 27%). There are few changes over time in the demographic make-up of, or consumption patterns in, the social drinker category with the exception of those over 50, who continue to identify as social drinkers at the same rate. The recent increase in abstinence in Australia seems to be matched by a corresponding decrease in self-identified social drinkers, particularly among those under 50. This indicates that the decrease in consumption is not occurring in those most likely to experience harms.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2022
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-2007
DOI: 10.1080/09595230701499191
Abstract: Increasingly, it seems, legal and political debates regarding the granting of new liquor licences are turning to the issue of whether the number and density of alcohol outlets makes a difference in rates of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm. But what is the state of the evidence on this question? In this Harm Reduction Digest Livingston, Chikritzhs and Room review the research literature on the effects of density of alcohol sales outlets on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems suggest a new way of conceptualising the relationships and discuss the implications for reducing alcohol-related harm.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 21-11-2013
Abstract: Given the variety of relationships found between alcohol consumption and health using in idual data (both negative and positive), the likely impact of changes in population-level alcohol consumption on health at the population level is not clear. This paper uses historical data from 1911 to 2006 to assess the relationship between changes in per-capita alcohol consumption on total male mortality in Australia. A longitudinal aggregate study using Australian per-capita alcohol consumption and mortality data from 1911 to 2006. Analysis is undertaken using autoregressive integrated moving average time-series methods. Per-capita pure alcohol consumption has a significant association with male all-cause mortality, with an increase (decrease) of 1 l per-capita per year associated with a 1.5% increase (decrease) in male mortality (controlling for female mortality and smoking rates). The association between per-capita consumption and mortality was significant for all age groups, with a particularly strong effect among 15-29 year olds. These results place Australia in the group of countries for which a positive association between per-capita alcohol consumption and total mortality can be demonstrated. Thus, despite the beneficial effects of alcohol consumption on health found in many studies, increases in consumption at the population level in Australia are associated with declines in population health. Thus, per-capita alcohol consumption in Australia is a significant contributor to rates of male mortality, particularly among young adults, suggesting an interaction between per-capita consumption and risky episodic drinking. The policies aiming to reduce population-level alcohol consumption and episodic risky drinking have the potential to substantially improve population-health outcomes in Australia, particularly among young men.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-03-2013
DOI: 10.1111/JRH.12014
Abstract: Alcohol consumption is higher in regional and rural areas compared to metropolitan locations, but it is unclear which areas suffer different levels of harm. The current study investigated the rates of alcohol-related injury presentations at emergency departments (EDs) in Victoria, Australia, across metropolitan, regional, rural, and remote areas, and within coastal locations. Using ED injury presentations data for Victorian hospitals from June 1999 to June 2011, the trends in alcohol-related injury rates over time were investigated. Compared to metropolitan locations, alcohol-related injuries were higher in larger regional and rural areas and similar in small rural towns. The rates of alcohol-related injuries are also significantly increasing over time for regional and rural locations. Lastly, for males, rates of alcohol-related injuries increased in coastal areas during November to February compared to the remaining months. Regional and coastal areas experience increased alcohol-related injury rates. The causes of this have yet to be investigated and future research is required to determine why and what interventions may be most effective at reducing these harms.
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Date: 2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-09-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1465-3362.2011.00346.X
Abstract: There are a number of studies in recent years that have examined the relationship of alcohol outlets to the incidence of alcohol-related problems. Only a small number of these studies examine the types of alcohol-related problems which may be considered amenity problems, such as neighbourhood disturbance, litter and noise. This paper examines the association between the proximity of someone's home to alcohol outlets and their experience of public amenity problems. Data came from an Australian general population survey: the Alcohol's Harm to Others Survey (2008). Two thousand six hundred and forty-nine Australians aged 18 years and over were asked about their experiences of a number of amenity-type problems and the distance they lived to the nearest on- and off-premise alcohol outlet. Bivariate results showed that respondents living closer to on- and off-premise outlets reported more problems, with minor differences by distance to on- and off-premise outlet. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, controlling for possible confounding effects of the respondent and neighbourhood characteristics, living closer to on-premise outlets was independently associated with reporting being kept awake or disturbed at night and living closer to an off-premise outlet was independently associated with reporting property damage. A possible interpretation of the results is that respondents living close to on- and off-premise outlets experience more amenity problems than those living further away, but that these experiences are concentrated among demographic groups who live in these areas. Direction of influence cannot be inferred from these cross-sectional findings.
Publisher: AMPCo
Date: 08-2010
DOI: 10.5694/J.1326-5377.2010.TB03831.X
Abstract: To estimate the cost of the extra time worked by Australian workers due to their co-workers' alcohol drinking. A secondary analysis of data obtained from 1677 Australian workers aged 18 years or older collected as part of a broader national study into the third-party harms of alcohol. Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted between October and mid December 2008. Self-reported measures of the time spent covering for other people at work because of their alcohol drinking measures of other impacts from co-workers' alcohol drinking and self-reported income. Around a third of Australian workers have experienced negative effects from their co-workers' alcohol drinking, with 3.5% of workers reporting having to work extra hours to cover for others. The total annual cost to the Australian economy of this extra work is estimated to be $453 million. The results of this study suggest that Australian workers are significantly affected by other people's alcohol drinking, at considerable cost. This finding highlights the significant cost to the workplace of alcohol consumption, extending previous work which has focused only on alcohol-related absenteeism.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-11-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13406
Abstract: To estimate the prevalence of children with problem drinking parents in Sweden and the extent to which they have an elevated risk of poor health, social relationships and school situation in comparison with other children. Survey with a nationally representative s le of Swedish youth aged 15-16 years (n = 5576) was conducted in 2017. A short version of The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST-6) was used to identify children with problem drinking parents. Health status, social relations and school situation were measured by well-established measures. Overall prevalences for girls and boys were presented as well as relative risks (RR) of harm for children with problem drinking parents compared with other children. A total of 13.1% of the s le had at least one problem drinking parent during adolescence according to CAST-6-a higher proportion of girls (15.4%) than boys (10.8%). This group had an elevated risk of poor general health as well psychosomatic problems compared with other children (RR 1.2-1.9). They were also more likely to use medication for depression, sleeping difficulties and anxiety (RR 2.2-2.6). Their social relations were also worse especially with their father (RR 3.1) and they had more problems at school (RR 2.6). The risk of problems related to parental drinking goes beyond the most severe cases where parents have been in treatment for their alcohol problem. This is important knowledge since the majority of problem drinkers never seek treatment and the major part of parental problem drinking is found in population s les.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGPO.2021.103461
Abstract: The news media can reflect and influence public opinion, as well as affect in idual practice. In the context of significant changes in alcohol consumption among young people over the past twenty years, we examined Australian newspaper reporting of young people (under 18 years) and alcohol to assess whether there have been changes over time in the content and slant of articles that reflect or elucidate these trends. Factiva was used to search newspaper articles from major Australian newspapers over a twenty year period (2000-2019). After screening, two researchers coded 2415 newspaper articles across four key domains: article type, article theme, sources cited and topic slant (e.g. approving, disapproving tone). Change over time across the study period was assessed using joinpoint Poisson regression analyses. There was a significant increase in articles on young people and alcohol between 2000 and 2008, before a corresponding decrease to 2019. Policy or prevention strategies were the most common theme of articles (35.8%), followed by articles reporting on risks or harms associated with alcohol use for young people (18.1%). Researchers were the most common source reported (25.1%), followed by politicians (19.0%). Three quarters of articles (75.9%) had a socially disapproving topic slant, which increased significantly up until 2011, with a corresponding decrease thereafter. Attention to, and problematisation of, young people and alcohol increased in the first decade of this millennium which may have acted to sustain or accelerate declining drinking trends. However, this dissipated back to baseline levels in the second decade, which may indicate a lag time in recognition of young people's drinking becoming less of a public health 'problem'.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Date: 05-2009
DOI: 10.15288/JSAD.2009.70.383
Abstract: The effects of heavy alcohol consumption on people who share a household with a heavy drinker are not well understood, with studies generally focusing on the families of clinical or other selected s les. This study attempts to assess how the drinking of one household member affected those with whom they live. The study used data from a population survey of households in which all adult household members provided alcohol-consumption, life satisfaction, and quality-of-life measures. The analysis focused on the satisfaction levels and health-related quality of life of 3,110 couples living in partner relationships (either married or de facto) based on the alcohol consumption of both partners. The dependent variables for the study were the respondents' satisfaction with their lives the respondents' satisfaction with their partners and the respondents' general health, mental health, and social functioning (measured with Short Form-36 Health Survey). Respondents were classified according to their drinking levels, and the effect of their own and their partner's drinking on their health-related quality of life was examined. Other control variables included in the analyses were whether the household included children or other members, the household's disposable income, the respondent's employment status, and his or her age and gender. The analyses found that ex-drinkers and high-risk drinkers generally had lower life satisfaction and health-related quality of life but that the partner's drinking pattern had little effect on these measures. Although heavy drinking appears to reduce the drinker's own health-related quality of life and life satisfaction, it appears to have very little effect on the drinker's spouse. This finding may be the result of limitations in the data and measures used in the current study but is in line with the results of some previous qualitative research in this area.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 28-03-2019
Abstract: ecent 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). his 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. e 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. he 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. In iduals and study groups will be modeled as random and fixed factors, respectively. his 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. ustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registration (ANZCTR): ACTRN12617001509358p www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12617001509358p.aspx ERR1-10.2196/14190
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-01-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14942
Abstract: 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. 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. Australia. 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). 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. 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. 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.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-03-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13639
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 10-04-2014
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.12524
Abstract: Recent evidence suggests that there has been a sharp increase in non-drinking among Australian adolescents. This study aimed to explore the socio-demographic patterns of this increase to identify the potential causal factors. Two waves (2001 and 2010) of cross-sectional data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, a large-scale population survey. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify significant changes over time, with interaction terms used to test whether trends varied by respondent characteristics. Australia. Respondents aged 14-17 years (n = 1477 in 2001 and 1075 in 2010). The key outcome measure was 12-month abstention from alcohol. Socio-demographic variables including sex, age, income, socio-economic status, state and rurality were examined. Rates of abstention increased overall from 32.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 30.0-35.7%) to 50.2% (95% CI = 46.7-53.6%) (P < 0.01). Abstention increased significantly across all population subgroups examined. A broad change in drinking behaviour has occurred among Australian adolescents in the last decade, with rates of abstention among 14-17-year-olds increasing markedly. Increases in abstention have occurred consistently across a wide range of population subgroups defined by demographic, socio-economic and regional factors.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-2019
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14824
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 23-06-2015
Abstract: Debates surrounding potential price-based polices aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms tend to focus on the debate concerning who would be most affected-harmful or low-income drinkers. This study will investigate the characteristics of people who purchase low-cost alcohol using data from the Australian arm of the International Alcohol Control study. 1681 Australians aged 16 and over who had consumed alcohol and purchased it in off-licence premises were asked detailed questions about both practices. Low-cost alcohol was defined using cut-points of 80¢, $1.00 or $1.25 per Australian standard drink. With a $1.00 cut-off low income (OR = 2.1) and heavy drinkers (OR = 1.7) were more likely to purchase any low-cost alcohol. Harmful drinkers purchased more, and low-income drinkers less, alcohol priced at less than $1.00 per drink than high income and moderate drinkers respectively. The relationship between the proportion of units purchased at low cost and both drinker category and income is less clear, with hazardous, but not harmful, drinkers purchasing a lower proportion of units at low cost than moderate drinkers. The impact of minimum pricing on low income and harmful drinkers will depend on whether the proportion or total quantity of all alcohol purchased at low cost is considered. Based on absolute units of alcohol, minimum unit pricing could be differentially effective for heavier drinkers compared to other drinkers, particularly for young males.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-09-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15230
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-01-2020
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15352
Abstract: Restrictions to alcohol availability during the first and second waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia included closures of businesses where alcohol is sold for on‐premises consumption (pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes), but not where alcohol is sold for off‐premises consumption (take‐away and home delivery). This study aimed to compare beer consumption before and after restrictions to alcohol availability during the first and second waves of COVID‐19 in Australia. Interrupted time–series analysis. Australia. Estimated resident population aged 15+ years. Seasonally adjusted estimates of beer per capita consumption measured in litres of alcohol (LALs) per week, disaggregated by on‐ and off‐premises sales. First‐wave restrictions (week beginning 23 March 2020) were associated with a significant immediate reduction in on‐premises beer per capita consumption [−0.013 LALs, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.013 to –0.012, P = 0.001], but no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. Partial removal of first‐wave restrictions (week beginning 18 May 2020) was associated with a significant immediate increase in on‐premises beer per capita consumption (+0.003 LALs, 95% CI = 0.001 to 0.004, P = 0.006), but no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. Second‐wave restrictions (week beginning 06 July 2020) were associated with a significant immediate reduction in on‐premises beer per capita consumption (−0.004 LALs, 95% CI = −0.006 to –0.002, P = 0.001) but, again, no significant change in off‐premises beer per capita consumption. Restricting the availability of on‐premises alcohol during the first and second waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic in Australia was associated with significant reductions in on‐premises beer consumption, but no significant changes in off‐premises beer consumption.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-04-2017
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12545
Abstract: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of long-term risky drinking within the Australian population and the proportion of standard drinks that is consumed outside of the long-term risk (LTR) guidelines of two Australian standard drinks (ASD) per day. Recruited by phone, 2020 Australian adults with an overs ling of risky drinkers were asked detailed questions about how much alcohol they consumed at a range of locations in 2013. Descriptive statistical analyses of data weighted to be representative of the Australian adult population were undertaken, with a focus on the ASD consumed above the LTR guidelines. Although 28% of respondents drink at levels above the LTR drinking guidelines, 56% of all ASD consumed are above the two per day recommended to reduce LTR. Three-quarters of cask wine and liqueurs were consumed outside of the LTR guidelines, as were 58% of all ASD consumed in the home, similar to the proportion of ASD consumed above the guidelines in pubs (55%). While the minority of Australians drink to LTR levels, the majority of alcohol is consumed by long-term risky drinkers. More research and policy focus on the patterns of alcohol consumption that lead to long-term risk, particularly outside of licensed premises, is required. [Callinan S, Livingston M, Room R, Dietze PM. How much alcohol is consumed outside of the lifetime risk guidelines in Australia?. Drug Alcohol Rev 2018 :42-47].
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 12-06-2015
Abstract: To investigate how changes in alcohol price and affordability are related to aggregate level alcohol consumption in Australia to help to inform effective price and tax policy to influence consumption. Annual time series data between 1974 and 2012 on price and per-capita consumption for beer, wine and spirits and average weekly income were collected from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Using a Vector Autoregressive model and impulse response analysis, the dynamic responses of alcohol consumption to changes in alcohol prices and affordability were estimated. Alcohol consumption in Australia was negatively associated with alcohol price and positively associated with the affordability of alcohol. The results of the impulse response analysis suggest that a 10% increase in the alcohol price was associated with a 2% decrease in the population-level alcohol consumption in the following year, with further, diminishing, effects up to year 8, leading to an overall 6% reduction in total consumption. In contrast, when alcohol affordability increased, per-capita alcohol consumption increased over the following 6 years. Our findings suggest that increasing alcohol prices or taxes can help to reduce alcohol consumption at the population level in Australia. However, the impact of affordability in our findings highlights that pricing policies need to consider increases in income to ensure effectiveness. Alcohol price policy should only cautiously focus on in idual beverage types, because increasing the price of one beverage generally leads to an increase in consumption of substitutes.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 12-02-2018
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12664
Abstract: Adolescent alcohol consumption has been in decline across many high-income countries since the early to mid-2000s. This is a significant public health trend, with few documented ex les from history where such a global downward shift in alcohol consumption has occurred primarily among the adolescent segment of the population. In this commentary we describe the nature and breadth of the trend reflect on the environmental, social and policy factors that have been proffered and argue that to adequately understand and support the maintenance of these trends, three important methodological considerations are needed for future research. Firstly, longitudinal panel and qualitative studies are needed to complement and inform continuing cross-sectional research. Secondly, a collaborative cross-cultural approach is needed to contextualise the international scale of the trend and thirdly, future research must be situated within a historical and generational perspective to understand declines in adolescent drinking in the context of a broader shift in adolescent behaviours.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-02-2018
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12663
Abstract: Researchers in a number of countries have recently identified major changes in adolescent alcohol consumption since the early 2000s, with the prevalence of teenage drinking more than halving in some countries. The major aims of the current study are to examine if there are sub-groups among non-drinking Swedish ninth graders and to describe how the prevalence of these groups has changed during the period 1999 to 2015. Data from five waves of the Swedish European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs study was used. The data covered 16 years and the total s le comprised 14 976 students. Latent class analysis was used to identify sub-groups of non-drinkers (n = 4267) based on parental approval towards drinking, parental monitoring, leisure time activities, school performance and use of other substances. Five latent classes were found: computer gamers (8.3%), strict parents (36.5%), liberal parents (27.0%), controlling but liberal parents (16.6%) and sports (11.6%). In the non-drinking sub-group the strict parents group increased most between 1999 and 2015. The results imply that there is notable within-group ersity in non-drinking youth. Several mechanisms and explanations are thus likely to be behind the decline in drinking participation among Swedish adolescents.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-07-2019
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-08-2018
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14377
Abstract: In Australia, as in many countries, alcohol consumption increased dramatically during the second half of the 20th century, with increased availability of alcohol, relaxation of attitudes towards drinking and shifting roles and opportunities for women as facilitating factors. We sought to investigate drinking trends by gender and birth cohort in Australia during this period. Retrospective cohort study. Using the usual frequency and quantity of beverage-specific alcohol intake for 10-year periods from age 20, reported retrospectively from 40 789 participants aged 40-69 years (born 1920-49) at recruitment to the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study in 1990-94, we compared trends in alcohol consumption by sex in Australia between 1950 and 1990. Participants' average daily consumption for age decades were transformed to estimated intakes for 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1990. Alcohol consumption was higher for men than women during each decade. Alcohol consumption increased for both sexes in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and fell after 1980. The rise before 1980 was roughly equal in absolute terms for both sexes, but much greater relative to 1950 for women. Women born during 1930-39 and 1940-49 drank more alcohol during early-middle adulthood (ages 20-40) than women born during 1920-29. In the 1980s, the fall was greater in absolute terms for men, but roughly equal relative to 1950 for both sexes. In both sexes, the decline in drinking in the 1980s for birth-decade cohorts was roughly in parallel. Specific birth cohorts were influential in the rise in alcohol consumption by Australian women born in 1920-49 after World War II. Much of the convergence with men's drinking after 1980 reflects large reductions in drinking among men.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGPO.2016.02.016
Abstract: The late-night accessibility of entertainment precincts is a contributing factor to acute drinking-related harms. Using computer simulation we test the effects of improved public transport (PT) and venue lockouts on verbal aggression, consumption-related harms and transport-related harms among a population of young adults engaging in heavy drinking in Melbourne. Using an agent-based model we implemented: a two-hour PT extension/24-hour PT 1am/3am venue lockouts and combinations of both. Outcomes determined for outer-urban (OU) and inner-city (IC) residents were: the number of incidents of verbal aggression inside public and private venues the number of people ejected from public venues for being intoxicated and the percentage of people experiencing verbal aggression, consumption-related harms and transport-related harms. All-night PT reduced verbal aggression in the model by 21% but displaced some incidents among OU residents from private to public settings. Comparatively, 1am lockouts reduced verbal aggression in the model by 19% but led to IC residents spending more time in private rather than public venues where their consumption-related harms increased. Extending PT by 2h had similar outcomes to 24-hour PT except with fewer incidents of verbal aggression displaced. Although 3am lockouts were inferior to 1am lockouts, when modelled in combination with any extension of PT both policies were similar. A two-hour extension of PT is likely to be more effective in reducing verbal aggression and consumption-related harms than venue lockouts. Modelling a further extension of PT to 24h had minimal additional benefits but the potential to displace incidents of verbal aggression among OU residents from private to public venues.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 02-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15904
Abstract: Survey questions on usual quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption are regularly used in screening tools to identify drinkers requiring intervention. The aim of this study was to measure age-based differences in quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and how this relates to the prediction of harmful or dependent drinking. Cross-sectional survey. Australia. Data were taken from 17 399 respondents who reported any alcohol consumption in the last year and were aged 18 and over from the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, a broadly representative cross-sectional survey on substance use. Respondents were asked about their frequency of consumption, usual quantity per occasion and the other items of the AUDIT. In older drinkers, quantity per occasion [β = 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.43, 0.64 in 43-47-year-olds as an ex le] was a stronger predictor of dependence than frequency per occasion (β = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.17, 0.31). In younger drinkers the reverse was true, with frequency a stronger predictor (β = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.39, 0.69 in 23-27-year-olds) than quantity (β = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.18, 0.34 in 23-27-year-olds). Frequency of consumption was not a significant predictor of dependence in respondents aged 73 years and over (β = -0.03, 95% CI = -0.08, 0.02). Similar patterns were found when predicting harmful drinking. Despite this, as frequency of consumption increased steadily with age, the question on frequency was responsible for at least 65% of AUDIT scores in drinkers aged 53 years and over. In younger drinkers, frequent drinking is more strongly linked to dependence and harmful drinking subscale scores on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) than quantity per occasion, yet quantity per occasion has a stronger influence on the overall AUDIT score in this group. In older drinkers, frequency of consumption is not always a significant predictor of the AUDIT dependence subscale and is a weak predictor of the harmful drinking subscale.
No related grants have been discovered for Michael Livingston.