Citation

Yuen WS, Peacock A, Man N, Callinan S, Slade T, Farrell M, Mattick R, Livingston M. Addiction 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/add.16061

PMID

36206499

Abstract

AIMS: To examine age, period, and birth cohort trends in the prevalence of any alcohol-related risky behaviour, and to compare these trends between men and women. DESIGN AND SETTING: Age, period, cohort analysis of repeated cross-sectional survey data from the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey from 2001 to 2016. PARTICIPANTS: 121,281 people aged 14 to 80 years who reported consuming alcohol in the past 12 months. MEASUREMENTS: Any risky behaviour undertaken while under the influence of alcohol in the past 12 months (e.g., operating a motor vehicle); male or female.

FINDINGS: Controlling for age and cohort, cubic spline models showed that any alcohol-related risky behaviour declined with time across participants who consumed alcohol (2016 vs 2007 Rate Ratio [RR] = 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76-0.84). Risky behaviour peaked in the 1954 birth cohort (1954 vs 1971 RR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.30-1.55), then steadily declined with more recent birth cohorts (2002 vs 1971 RR = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.27-0.39). Risky behaviour peaked at age 21 years, followed by steady decline and stabilisation at around age 70 years. Males were overall twice as likely as females to report alcohol-related risky behaviour (RR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.84-2.39), but this effect was smaller in cohorts born after 1980 (1980 PRR = 2.09 [95% CI = 1.81-2.43]; 2002 PRR = 1.31 [95% CI = 1.03-1.68]).

CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol-related risky behaviour in Australia has declined generally since 2001, with rates for recent cohorts having the sharpest decline. Risky behaviour remains most prevalent in young adults and the male-female gap in risky behaviour is closing for more recent birth cohorts. These trends are consistent with alcohol consumption trends observed in Australia and worldwide.

Language: en

Keywords

alcohol; age period cohort; alcohol-related harm; risky behaviour; trends