scholarly journals Alcohol Consumption Reduction Among a Web-Based Supportive Community Using the Hello Sunday Morning Blog Platform: Observational Study (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Jane Louise Kirkman ◽  
Briony Leo ◽  
Jamie Christopher Moore
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorders ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Sunday Morning ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Lower Alcohol ◽  
Supportive Community

BACKGROUND Alcohol misuse is a major social and public health issue in Australia, with an estimated cost to the community of Aus $30 billion per annum. Until recently, a major barrier in addressing this significant public health issue is the fact that the majority of individuals with alcohol use disorders and alcohol misuse are not receiving treatment. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to assess whether alcohol consumption changes are associated with participation in Hello Sunday Morning’s blog platform, an online forum discussing experiences in abstaining from alcohol. METHODS The study reports on Hello Sunday Morning participants who signed up for a 3-month period of abstinence from November 2009 to November 2016. The sample comprised 1917 participants (female: 1227/1917, 64.01%; male: 690/1917, 35.99%). Main outcome measures were Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores, mood, program engagement metrics, and slip-ups. RESULTS Individuals who reported hazardous (preprogram AUDIT mean 11.92, SD 2.25) and harmful consumption levels (preprogram AUDIT mean 17.52, SD 1.08) and who engaged in the Hello Sunday Morning program reported a significant decrease in alcohol consumption, moving to lower risk consumption levels (hazardous, mean 7.59, SD 5.70 and harmful, mean 10.38, SD 7.43), 4 months following program commencement (P<.001). Those who reported high-risk or dependent consumption levels experienced the biggest reduction (preprogram mean 25.38, SD 4.20), moving to risky consumption (mean 15.83, SD 11.11), 4 months following program commencement (P<.001). These reductions in risk were maintained by participants in each group, 7 months following program commencement. Furthermore, those who engaged in the program more (as defined by more sign-ins, blogs posted, check-ins completed, and engagement with the community through likes and following) had lower alcohol consumption. Finally, those who experienced more slip-ups had lower alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS Participation in an online forum can support long-term behavior change in individuals wishing to change their drinking behavior. Importantly, reductions in AUDIT scores appeared larger for those drinking at high-risk and hazardous levels before program commencement. This has promising implications for future models of alcohol reduction treatment, as online forums are an anonymous, accessible, and cost-effective alternative or adjunct to treatment-as-usual. Further research is needed into the specific mechanisms of change within a Web-based supportive community, as well as the role of specific mood states in predicting risky drinking behavior.

scholarly journals Inaccuracies in survey reporting of alcohol consumption

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor Gilligan ◽  
Kristen G. Anderson ◽  
Benjamin O. Ladd ◽  
Yun Ming Yong ◽  
Michael David
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Accurate Calculation ◽  
Standard Drink ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Us ◽  
Serving Sizes

Abstract Background Alcohol consumption estimates in public health predominantly rely on self-reported survey data which is likely to underestimate consumption volume. Surveys tend to ask specifically about standard drinks and provide a definition or guide in an effort to gather accurate estimates. This study aimed to investigate whether the inclusion of the term standard drinks with pictorial guide is associated with an adjustment in self-reported alcohol volume. Methods A web-based survey was administered with AUDIT-C questions repeated at the beginning and end of the survey with and without the standard drink term and guide. The order in which respondents were presented with the different question types was randomised. Two cohorts of university/college students in NSW Australia (n = 122) and the US Pacific Northwest (n = 285) completed the survey online. Results Australian students did not adjust their responses to questions with and without the standard drink term and pictorial guide. The US students were more likely to adjust their responses based on the detail of the question asked. Those US students who drank more frequently and in greater volume were less likely to adjust/apply a conversion to their consumption. Conclusions This study supports previous findings of the inaccuracy of alcohol consumption volume in surveys, but also demonstrates that an assumption of underestimation cannot be applied to all individual reports of consumption. Using additional questions to better understand drink types and serving sizes is a potential approach to enable accurate calculation of underestimation in survey data.

scholarly journals Alcohol Consumption by Older New York City Residents: The Need for New Policies to Address Misuse

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-454
Author(s):  
Daniel Weisz ◽  
Michael Kelley Gusmano
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
York City ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
New Public Health

Abstract Aims The aim of this study is to assess risk factors for alcohol misuse among older New York City residents and examine the effect of local public health efforts to address alcohol misuse. Methods The Community Health Survey, a cross-sectional telephone survey of 8500 randomly selected adult New Yorkers, records the frequency of alcohol use. We examine these results among 65 and older subjects by sociodemographic status using logistic regression modeling and compare trends in smoking and alcohol consumption between 2002 and 2016. Results Those with unhealthy drinking habits, combining binge drinking and excessive consumption, constituted 5.7% of 65 plus population and were more likely to be White, US born, healthy, better educated and wealthier. The percentage of older smokers in New York City has decreased while unhealthy drinking is nearly flat since 2002. Conclusions Our findings reinforce the importance of screening geriatric populations for alcohol use disorders and support the development of new public health efforts to address alcohol misuse if the city is to achieve results similar to those obtained in decreasing tobacco consumption.

scholarly journals Identity, influence, and intervention: The roles of social media in alcohol use

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Corwin Westgate ◽  
Jason Holliday
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Social Influence ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorders ◽  
Online Identity ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Alcohol Related Problems

Alcohol-related content is common on social media and may both reflect and influence offline drinking behavior. Posting alcohol-related content has been linked to alcohol outcomes, including higher rates of alcohol consumption, cravings, alcohol-related problems, and clinical alcohol use disorders. Exposure to alcohol-related content on social media has likewise been associated with adverse alcohol outcomes. In this paper, we review research on the relationship between social media and alcohol use, and explore the ways that online identity and social influence can account for this relationship. Finally, we call for further research on the use of social media as a platform for prevention and intervention efforts.

scholarly journals Engagement With a Web-Based Intervention to Reduce Harmful Drinking: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul U Nordholt ◽  
Eva Christalle ◽  
Jördis M Zill ◽  
Jörg Dirmaier
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Binge Drinking ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
User Characteristics ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Harmful Drinking ◽  
System Usage ◽  
Randomized Controlled

BACKGROUND Engagement with digital behavior change interventions (DBCIs) is considered a prerequisite for intervention efficacy. However, in many trials on DBCIs, participants use the intervention either only little or not at all. OBJECTIVE To analyze engagement with a web-based intervention to reduce harmful drinking, we explored (1) whether engagement with a web-based alcohol intervention is related to drinking outcomes, (2) which user characteristics are associated with measures of engagement, and (3) whether reported outcomes are associated with data captured by voluntary intervention questionnaires. METHODS We analyzed data of the intervention arm of a randomized controlled trial on a DBCI to reduce risky alcohol consumption. Data were collected at baseline (T0), after 90 days (T1), and at the end of the 180-day usage period (T2). Engagement with the intervention was measured via system usage data as well as self-reported usage. Drinking behavior was measured as average daily alcohol consumption as well as the number of binge drinking days. User characteristics included demographics, baseline drinking behavior, readiness to change, alcohol-related outcome expectancies, and alcohol abstinence self-efficacy. Following a bivariate approach, we performed two-tailed Welch’s <i>t</i> tests and Wilcoxon signed rank/Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> tests or calculated correlation coefficients. RESULTS The data of 306 users were analyzed. Time spent engaging with the intervention as measured by system usage did not match self-reported usage. Higher self-reported usage was associated with higher reductions in average daily alcohol consumption (T1: ρ=0.39, <i>P</i>&lt;.001; T2: ρ=0.29, <i>P</i>=.015) and in binge drinking days (T1: ρ=0.62, <i>P</i>&lt;.001; T2: ρ=0.3, <i>P</i>=.006). Higher usage was reported from users who were single (T1: <i>P</i>&lt;.001; T2: <i>P</i>&lt;.001), users without children (T1: <i>P</i>&lt;.001; T2: <i>P</i>&lt;.001), users who did not start or finish secondary education (T1: <i>P</i>&lt;.001; T2: <i>P</i>&lt;.001), users without academic education (T1: <i>P</i>&lt;.001; T2: <i>P</i>&lt;.001), and those who worked (T1: <i>P</i>=.001; T2: <i>P</i>=.004). Relationships between self-reported usage and clinical or psychological baseline characteristics were complex. For system usage, the findings were mixed. Reductions in drinking captured by intervention questionnaires were associated with reported outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Though self-reported usage could be consistently linked to better outcomes and multiple user characteristics, our findings add to the overall inconclusive evidence that can be found throughout the literature. Our findings indicate potential benefits of self-reports as measures of engagement and intervention questionnaires as a basis for tailoring of intervention content. Future studies should adopt a theory-driven approach to engagement research utilizing psychometrically sound self-report questionnaires and include short ecological momentary assessments within the DBCIs. CLINICALTRIAL German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00006104; https://tinyurl.com/y22oc5jo

scholarly journals The impact of promoting revised UK low-risk drinking guidelines on alcohol consumption: interrupted time series analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-108
Author(s):  
John Holmes ◽  
Emma Beard ◽  
Jamie Brown ◽  
Alan Brennan ◽  
Inge Kersbergen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Behaviour Change ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorders ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽  
Identification Test ◽  
The Impact

Background The UK’s Chief Medical Officers revised the UK alcohol drinking guidelines in 2016 to ≤ 14 units per week (1 unit = 10 ml/8 g ethanol) for men and women. Previously, the guideline stated that men should not regularly consume more than 3–4 units per day and women should not regularly consume more than 2–3 units per day. Objective To evaluate the impact of promoting revised UK drinking guidelines on alcohol consumption. Design Interrupted time series analysis of observational data. Setting England, March 2014 to October 2017. Participants A total of 74,388 adults aged ≥ 16 years living in private households in England. Interventions Promotion of revised UK low-risk drinking guidelines. Main outcome measures Primary outcome – alcohol consumption measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption score. Secondary outcomes – average weekly consumption measured using graduated frequency, monthly alcohol consumption per capita adult (aged ≥ 16 years) derived from taxation data, monthly number of hospitalisations for alcohol poisoning (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision: T51.0, T51.1 and T51.9) and assault (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision: X85–Y09), and further measures of influences on behaviour change. Data sources The Alcohol Toolkit Study, a monthly cross-sectional survey and NHS Digital’s Hospital Episode Statistics. Results The revised drinking guidelines were not subject to large-scale promotion after the initial January 2016 announcement. An analysis of news reports found that mentions of the guidelines were mostly factual, and spiked during January 2016. In December 2015, the modelled average Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption score was 2.719 out of 12.000 and was decreasing by 0.003 each month. After the January 2016 announcement, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption scores did not decrease significantly (β = 0.001, 95% confidence interval –0.079 to 0.099). However, the trend did change significantly such that scores subsequently increased by 0.005 each month (β = 0.008, 95% confidence interval 0.001 to 0.015). This change is equivalent to 0.5% of the population moving each month from drinking two or three times per week to drinking four or more times per week. Secondary analyses indicated that the change in trend began 6 months before the guideline announcement. The secondary outcome measures showed conflicting results, with no significant changes in consumption measures and no substantial changes in influences on behaviour change, but immediate reductions in hospitalisations of 7.3% for assaults and 15.4% for alcohol poisonings. Limitations The pre-intervention data collection period was only 2 months for influences on behaviour change and the graduated frequency measure. Our conclusions may be generalisable only to scenarios in which guidelines are announced but not promoted. Conclusions The announcement of revised UK low-risk drinking guidelines was not associated with clearly detectable changes in drinking behaviour. Observed reductions in alcohol-related hospitalisations are unlikely to be attributable to the revised guidelines. Promotion of the guidelines may have been prevented by opposition to the revised guidelines from the government's alcohol industry partners or because reduction in alcohol consumption was not a government priority or because practical obstacles prevented independent public health organisations from promoting the guidelines. Additional barriers to the effectiveness of guidelines may include low public understanding and a need for guidelines to engage more with how drinkers respond to and use them in practice. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15189062. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 8, No. 14. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

scholarly journals The societal costs of problem gambling in Sweden

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Hofmarcher ◽  
U. Romild ◽  
J. Spångberg ◽  
U. Persson ◽  
A. Håkansson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Problem Gambling ◽  
Indirect Costs ◽  
Direct Costs ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Societal Costs ◽  
Prevention And Treatment ◽  
Intangible Costs

Abstract Background Problem gambling is a public health issue affecting both the gamblers, their families, their employers, and society as a whole. Recent law changes in Sweden oblige local and regional health authorities to invest more in prevention and treatment of problem gambling. The economic consequences of gambling, and thereby the potential economic consequences of policy changes in the area, are unknown, as the cost of problem gambling to society has remained largely unexplored in Sweden and similar settings. Methods A prevalence-based cost-of-illness study for Sweden for the year 2018 was conducted. A societal approach was chosen in order to include direct costs (such as health care and legal costs), indirect costs (such as lost productivity due to unemployment), and intangible costs (such as reduced quality of life due to emotional distress). Costs were estimated by combining epidemiological and unit cost data. Results The societal costs of problem gambling amounted to 1.42 billion euros in 2018, corresponding to 0.30% of the gross domestic product. Direct costs accounted only for 13% of the total costs. Indirect costs accounted for more than half (59%) of the total costs, while intangible costs accounted for 28%. The societal costs were more than twice as high as the tax revenue from gambling in 2018. Direct and indirect costs of problem gambling combined amounted to one third of the equivalent costs of smoking and one sixth of the costs of alcohol consumption in Sweden. Conclusions Problem gambling is increasingly recognized as a public health issue. The societal costs of it are not negligible, also in relation to major public health issues of an addictive nature such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Direct costs for prevention and treatment are very low. A stronger focus on prevention and treatment might help to reduce many of the very high indirect and intangible costs in the future.

Thai youth bar patrons and harmful alcohol consumption: An underrecognised public health issue

2011 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
RUPALI J. LIMAYE ◽  
BANGORN SRIROJN ◽  
KAMOLRAWEE SINTUPAT ◽  
SUTASSA MANOWANNA ◽  
APINUN ARAMRATTANA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Harmful Alcohol
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