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- Mugavin, Janette, et al.
(author)
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Strategies associated with low-risk drinking : a population-based study
- 2018
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In: Australian and New Zealand journal of public health. - : Elsevier BV. - 1326-0200 .- 1753-6405. ; 42:3, s. 315-320
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To examine the relative frequency of use of seven strategies to moderate drinking (SMD) among low-risk and risky drinkers.Methods: Cross-sectional data from the 2013 National Drug Strategy Household Survey was used. The analytical sample included 11,462 Australians aged 18-64 who had consumed alcohol in the previous year. Logistic regression was used.Results: Analyses indicated a curvilinear relationship between use of SMD and alcohol consumption. Across the seven SMD, constant use of a strategy, compared with never using a strategy, was associated with low-risk drinking. Never using a strategy, compared with using one rarely, was also associated with low-risk drinking. When used occasionally, strategies that implied less alcohol consumed per hour (e.g. refuse unwanted drinks) increased the likelihood of low-risk drinking, whereas less direct strategies (e.g. counting drinks) increased the likelihood of risky drinking.Conclusions: Adult Australians who drink at low levels use a range of strategies to moderate their alcohol consumption. Overall, consistent use of one or more SMD was associated with low-risk drinking patterns.Implications: Public health responses to risky drinking may be enhanced by promoting the consistent use of SMD as a way to reduce overall alcohol consumption.
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| 2. |
- Wilkinson, Claire, et al.
(author)
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Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity : The Centre for Alcohol Policy Research (CAPR), Melbourne
- 2018
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In: Addiction. - : Wiley. - 0965-2140 .- 1360-0443. ; 113:3, s. 568-574
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)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 examples 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.
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| 3. |
- Callinan, Sarah, et al.
(author)
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How much alcohol is consumed outside of the lifetime risk guidelines in Australia?
- 2018
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In: Drug and Alcohol Review. - : Wiley. - 0959-5236 .- 1465-3362. ; 37:1, s. 42-47
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction and Aims. 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.Design and Methods. Recruited by phone, 2020 Australian adults with an oversampling 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.Results. 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%).Discussion and Conclusions. 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.
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| 4. |
- Lee, K S Kylie, et al.
(author)
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Developing a tablet computer-based application ('App') to measure self-reported alcohol consumption in Indigenous Australians
- 2018
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In: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-6947. ; 18:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The challenges of assessing alcohol consumption can be greater in Indigenous communities where there may be culturally distinct approaches to communication, sharing of drinking containers and episodic patterns of drinking. This paper discusses the processes used to develop a tablet computer-based application ('App') to collect a detailed assessment of drinking patterns in Indigenous Australians. The key features of the resulting App are described.METHODS: An iterative consultation process was used (instead of one-off focus groups), with Indigenous cultural experts and clinical experts. Regular (weekly or more) advice was sought over a 12-month period from Indigenous community leaders and from a range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health professionals and researchers.RESULTS: The underpinning principles, selected survey items, and key technical features of the App are described. Features include culturally appropriate questioning style and gender-specific voice and images; community-recognised events used as reference points to 'anchor' time periods; 'translation' to colloquial English and (for audio) to traditional language; interactive visual approaches to estimate quantity of drinking; images of specific brands of alcohol, rather than abstract description of alcohol type (e.g. 'spirits'); images of make-shift drinking containers; option to estimate consumption based on the individual's share of what the group drank.CONCLUSIONS: With any survey platform, helping participants to accurately reflect on and report their drinking presents a challenge. The availability of interactive, tablet-based technologies enables potential bridging of differences in culture and lifestyle and enhanced reporting.
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| 5. |
- Stanesby, Oliver, et al.
(author)
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Women's role in the rise in drinking in Australia 1950-80 : an age-period-cohort analysis of data from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study
- 2018
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In: Addiction. - : Wiley. - 0965-2140 .- 1360-0443. ; 113:12, s. 2194-2202
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and Aims 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. Design Setting, Participants and Measurements 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. Findings Conclusions 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.
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