Rates of Binge Drinking in the US Have Risen Significantly
US drinking rates have risen in the past few years due to significantly heightened drinking rates among women. Further, there were major disparities in drinking patterns from different counties of the same state, according to a new study.
For the study— the first to monitor trends involving alcohol consumption at the county level—researchers estimated rates of binge drinking and any drinking from 2002 to 2012 and heavy drinking between 2005 and 2012 for every county in the United States.1,2
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Using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, researchers applied small area models that accounted for methodological changes to the system during the analyzed time period.2
Researchers discovered that heavy or binge drinking prevalence increased between 2005 and 2012 for most counties, despite the varied magnitude of change.2
They found that the prevalence of any drinking ranged from 11.0% to 78.7%, heavy drinking prevalence ranged from 2.4% to 22.4%, and the prevalence of binge drinking ranged from 5.9% to 36.0%.2
The study showed that the proportion of drinkers who engaged in binge or heavy drinking varied widely.
The investigators noted that the new estimates could be used to help design and implement targeted interventions to reduce excessive alcohol use.12
“In the US, state-level results often mask the full range of what people are experiencing health-wise,” said Christopher Murray, MD, DPhil, the Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and professor of Global Health at the University of Washington.1
“When you can map out what’s happening county by county, over time, and for men and women separately, that’s also when you can really pinpoint specific health needs and challenge –and then tailor health policies and programs accordingly,”1 he said.
The complete study is published in the April issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
-Michelle Canales Butcher
References:
1. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Heavy drinking and binge drinking rise sharply in US counties. April 2015. www.healthdata.org/news-release/heavy-drinking-and-binge-drinking-rise-sharply-us-counties. Accessed April 29, 2015.
2. Dwyer-Lindgren L, Flaxman AD Ng M, et al. Drinking patterns in US countries from 2002 to 2012. Am J Public Health. 2015 April [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302313.