Patterns of alcohol use and associated physical and lifestyle characteristics according to new Australian guidelines

Objective: To describe the pattern of alcohol consumption and associated physical and lifestyle characteristics in a population-based sample of Australian men.
Method: A community-based age-stratifi ed random sample of 1420 men (median age 56 years, range 20 – 93) participating in the Geelong Osteoporosis Study, an epidemiological study set in south-eastern Australia. Daily alcohol intake was ascertained from a detailed food frequency questionnaire and categorized according to the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 2009 guidelines (non-drinkers, greater than zero but ≤ 2 drinks per day, > 2 drinks per day), with a standard drink equivalent to 10 g of ethanol. Anthropometry was measured and lifestyle factors self-reported. Body composition was determined using dual energy absorptiometry. Socio-economic status was categorized according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Results were age standardized to the Australian male population figures.
Results: The median daily ethanol consumption was 12 g (IQR 2 – 29) per day with a range of 0 – 117 g/day. The age-standardized proportion of non-drinkers was 8.7%, 51.5% consumed up to two drinks per day ( ≤ 20 g ethanol/day), and 39.9% exceeded 2 standard drinks per day ( > 20 g ethanol/day). Alcohol consumption was positively associated with cigarette smoking, weight, higher SES and inversely with age and physical activity.
Conclusions: Approximately, 40% of Australian men consume alcohol at levels in excess of current recommendations, which in combination with other risk factors may adversely impact upon health.

How do drug and alcohol use relate to parental bonding and risk perception in university students?

Alcohol and drug use are major health concerns on university and college campuses. It has previously been found that parental rearing patterns are related to the frequency of substance use. Further, perceptions that drug use is dangerous have been found to be related to less substance use. However, little research has directly examined the impact of parental rearing patterns on substance use by university students, and no research has examined the effects of both risk perception and parenting on substance use. Therefore, this research surveyed the frequency and extent of alcohol, cigarette and illicit drug use by students (N = 336) at a Canadian university residence, classes and health services and examined the relationship between the results with parental bonding and risk perception. It was found that “affectionless control” parenting patterns in the mother, but not the father, were related to greater drinking and drinking problems and to the use of illicit substances. Lower perceptions of risk were related to greater use of alcohol, cigarettes, cannabis and other illicit substances. Unexpectedly, there was little relationship between parental rearing and risk perceptions, suggesting that there are other avenues whereby parenting leads to greater alcohol use. Implications are discussed.

Linking masculinity to negative drinking consequences : the mediating roles of heavy episodic drinking and alcohol expectancies

This study extends previous research on masculinity and negative drinking consequences among young men by considering mediating effects of heavy episodic drinking (HED) and alcohol expectancies. We hypothesized that masculinity would have a direct relationship with negative consequences from drinking as well as indirect relationships mediated by HED and alcohol expectancies of courage, risk, and aggression.

'High' risk? A systematic review of the acute outcomes of mixing alcohol with energy drinks

Alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) is a relatively new consumption trend generating increasing concern regarding potential adverse effects. Despite the political and health imperative, there has been no systematic and independent synthesis of the literature to determine whether or not AmED offers additional harms relative to alcohol. The aim of this study was to review the evidence about whether co-consumption of energy drinks and alcohol, relative to alcohol alone, alters: (i) physiological, psychological, cognitive and psychomotor outcomes; (ii) hazardous drinking practices; and (iii) risk-taking behaviour.

Web-based alcohol screening and brief intervention for Māori and non-Māori: the New Zealand e-SBINZ trials

BACKGROUND: Hazardous alcohol consumption is a leading modifiable cause of mortality and morbidity among young people. Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is a key strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm in the community, and web-based approaches (e-SBI) have advantages over practitioner-delivered approaches, being cheaper, more acceptable, administrable remotely and infinitely scalable. An efficacy trial in a university population showed a 10-minute intervention could reduce drinking by 11% for 6 months or more among 17-24 year-old undergraduate hazardous drinkers. The e-SBINZ study is designed to examine the effectiveness of e-SBI across a range of universities and among Māori and non-Māori students in New Zealand. METHODS/DESIGN: The e-SBINZ study comprises two parallel, double blind, multi-site, individually randomised controlled trials. This paper outlines the background and design of the trial, which is recruiting 17-24 year-old students from seven of New Zealand's eight universities. Māori and non-Māori students are being sampled separately and are invited by e-mail to complete a web questionnaire including the AUDIT-C. Those who score >4 will be randomly allocated to no further contact until follow-up (control) or to assessment and personalised feedback (intervention) via computer. Follow-up assessment will occur 5 months later in second semester. Recruitment, consent, randomisation, intervention and follow-up are all online. Primary outcomes are (i) total alcohol consumption, (ii) frequency of drinking, (iii) amount consumed per typical drinking occasion, (iv) the proportions exceeding medical guidelines for acute and chronic harm, and (v) scores on an academic problems scale. DISCUSSION: The trial will provide information on the effectiveness of e-SBI in reducing hazardous alcohol consumption across diverse university student populations with separate effect estimates for Māori and non-Māori students. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12610000279022.

A public health intervention to change knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding alcohol consumption in pregnancy

Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of a public health intervention aimed at changing knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. Methods. A non-blinded parallel group randomised controlled trial of pregnant women over 18 years of age. Women were recruited in the second trimester and assigned to one of two treatment groups. Both groups completed an initial questionnaire assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices relating to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The intervention group then received a mocktail recipe booklet and participants were asked to share the information with their partner. The control group received standard antenatal care. A follow-up questionnaire was conducted four weeks post birth. Primary outcome measures were a knowledge score of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy and an attitude score toward drinking during pregnancy. Secondary outcome measures included whether or not the woman and her partner abstained from drinking. Ethical approval was granted by the Women’s and Children’s Health Network and the University of South Australia. Results. A total of 161 participants were recruited at baseline (intervention = 82, control = 79) and 96 participants completed the trial (intervention = 49, control = 47). The findings suggest that the mocktail booklet was effective at improving knowledge (p<0.001; effect size 0.80) and improving attitudes towards drinking during pregnancy (p=0.017; effect size 0.43) in the intervention group compared to the control group. Although women in the intervention group were 30% more likely to abstain from drinking than in the control group (RR=1.3, 95% CI 0.97 – 1.75), this result was not statistically significant (p=0.077). Conclusions. Knowledge regarding the effects of alcohol consumption as well as attitudes towards drinking significantly improved as a result of a mocktail recipe booklet. Improving knowledge and changing attitudes has the potential to change health behaviour. Therefore, this intervention may reduce the percentage of women who continue to drink alcohol while they are pregnant and improve outcomes for infants and children.

Does the poor quality of Australian health education documentation undermine the message? A review of documents informing pregnant women about alcohol

Background. The advice given to pregnant women about alcohol consumption during pregnancy is variable across countries and within countries.Aim. The aim of this study was to review the content and design of existing Australian health education documentation regarding alcohol consumption in pregnancy that is available to pregnant women. Methods. A documentary analysis was conducted. This involved the identification and collection of a range of health education documents, which were then systematically analysed. The thematic and symbolic elements of each document were compared and contrasted using a modified version of the DISCERN instrument. Findings. A total of 32 documents were retrieved via general and targeted internet searching. Documents varied considerably in their purpose, language levels, accessibility, and quality. The majority of documents scored as low to moderate quality. Implications. Although there are many and varied existing documents relating to alcohol consumption during pregnancy in Australia, these are not of high quality and could be substantially improved by including publication dates, using simple language, and providing sources of information. This may result in a more effective public health message and so help to reduce the number of pregnant women who continue to drink during pregnancy.