PROBLEM DRINKING IN AMERICA & CANADA

The purpose of this research was to explore the topic of alcohol consumption and the risk of problem drinking with 2,025 United States residents and 1,009 Canadian residents. For this research, respondents completed a self-report questionnaire that included the validated Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption (AUDIT-C).

In clinical settings, AUDIT-C is often used to identify individuals with hazardous and harmful drinking habits (Bush et al., 1998; Rumpf et al. 2002; Bradley et al., 2003; Bradley et al., 2007). Responses to the questions result in a score between 0 and 12. Based on the findings presented in Dawson et al. (2005), who looked at the effectiveness of the AUDIT-C in screening for problem drinking in the US general population, our research used a score of ≥4 as the cut-off for being at higher risk of problem drinking.

PROBLEM DRINKING IN AMERICA

This research identified that almost 1 in 3 Americans (30%) are at higher risk of problem drinking - with Americans under the age of 45, males, those with an annual household income above $60,000, university graduates, and those who hold more liberal political beliefs showing above average rates of problem drinking.

Intensions Consulting - Problem Drinking AUDIT-C in America.png

In order to determine which of these factors best predict being at higher risk of problem drinking, a binary logistic regression analysis was conducted. The percentages shown in this model reflect converted Odds Ratios modified to calculate Risk Differences (Zhang & Yu, 1998). Cells with statistically significant results are coloured (p < 0.05).

Intensions Consulting - Problem Drinking Regression in America.png

The regression model shows that Americans under the age of 45, males, those with an annual household income above $60,000, those who hold more liberal political beliefs, and those who live alone, are significantly more likely to be at higher risk of problem drinking (+21%, 13%, +9%, +7%, and +5%, respectively). 

PROBLEM DRINKING IN CANADA

This research identified that over 1 in 4 Canadians (27%) are at higher risk of problem drinking – with Canadians under the age of 45 and males showing above average rates of problem drinking.

Intensions Consulting - Problem Drinking AUDIT-C in Canada.png

In order to determine which of these factors best predict being at higher risk of problem drinking, a binary logistic regression analysis was conducted. The percentages shown in this model reflect converted Odds Ratios modified to calculate Risk Differences (Zhang & Yu, 1998). Cells with statistically significant results are coloured (p < 0.05).

Intensions Consulting - Problem Drinking Regression in Canada.png

The regression model shows that Canadian males, those under the age of 45, and those with an annual household income above $60,000 are significantly more likely to be at higher risk of problem drinking (+11%, +10%, and +7%, respectively). 

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH

These are findings from an Intensions Consulting study conducted between January 20, 2020, and January 28, 2020. For this study a 20-minute online survey was administered with a sample of 2,025 United States residents, and 1,009 Canadian residents, aged 16 years and older. Each national sample was stratified by gender, age, and region, to ensure that the sample’s composition reflected the underlying distribution of the population as determined by Census data. For the United States, a traditional probability sample of comparable size would have produced results considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. For Canada, a traditional probability sample of comparable size would have produced results considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. 

For more information on this research, please contact: info@intensions.co

REFERENCES

- Bradley, K. A., Bush, K., Davis, T. D., Dobie, D. J., Burman, M. L., Maynard, C. M., & Kivlahan, D. R. (2003). Two Brief Alcohol Screening Tests from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): Validation in a Female VA Patient Population. Arch Intern Med, 163, 821–839. DOI: 10.1001/archinte.163.7.821

- Bradley, K. A., DeBenedetti, A. F., Volk, R. J., Williams, E. C., Frank, D., & Kivlahan, D. R. (2007). AUDIT-C as a Brief Screen for Alcohol Misuse in Primary Care. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 31(7), 1208-1217. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00403.x

- Bush, K. R., Kivlahan, D. R., McDonell, M. B., Fihn, S. D., & Bradley, K. A. (1998). The AUDIT Alcohol Consumption Questions (AUDIT-C): an Affective Brief Screening Test for Problem Drinking. Arch Intern Med, 158, 1789–1795. DOI: 10.1001/archinte.158.16.1789

- Dawson, D. A., Grant, B. F., Stinson, F. S., & Zhou, Y. (2003). Effectiveness of the derived Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C) in screening for alcohol use disorders and risk drinking in the US general population. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 29(5), 844-854. DOI: 10.1097/01.alc.0000164374.32229.a2

- Rumpf. H-J., Hapke, U., Meyer, C., & John, U. (2002). Screening for Alcohol Use Disorders and At-Risk Drinking in the General Population: Psychometric Performance of Three Questionnaires. Alcohol Alcohol, 37, 261–268. DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/37.3.261

- Zhang, J., & Yu, K. F. (1998). What's the Relative Risk? A Method of Correcting the Odds Ratio in Cohort Studies of Common Outcomes. JAMA, 280(19), 1690-1691. DOI: 10.1001/jama.280.19.1690

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