Citation

Naimi TS, Siegel M, Dejong W, O'Doherty C, Jernigan D. J. Subst. Use 2015; 20(5): 333-339.

Affiliation

Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 Wolfe St., Baltimore, Maryland 21205.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa Healthcare)

DOI

10.3109/14659891.2014.920054

PMID

26425112

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Binge drinking is a common and risky pattern of alcohol consumption among youth; beverage and brand-specific consumption during binge drinking is poorly understood. The objective was to characterize beverage- and brand-specific consumption associated with binge drinking among underage youth in the U.S.

METHODS: An internet panel was used to obtain a sample of 1,032 underage youth aged 13-20, who drank alcohol in the past 30 days. For each brand consumed, youth reported drinking quantity and frequency, and whether they engaged in binge drinking with that brand (≥5 drinks for males, ≥4 for females). Each youth reporting binge drinking with a brand constituted a binge drinking report.

RESULTS: Overall, 50.9% of youth binge drank with ≥1 brand, and 36.5% of youth who consumed any particular brand reported binge drinking with it. Spirits accounted for 43.8% of binge drinking reports. Twenty-five brands accounted for 46.2% of binge drinking reports. Many of these brands were disproportionately associated with binge drinking relative to their youth market share.

CONCLUSIONS: Binge drinking among youth is most commonly involves spirits, and binge drinking is concentrated within a relatively small number of brands. Understanding factors underlying beverage and brand preference among binge drinking youth could assist prevention efforts.

Language: en