Sarah Callinan

Changes in Australian attitudes to alcohol policy: 1995-2010

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS In 2009 Wilkinson and colleagues reported a downward trend in support for alcohol policy restrictions in Australia between 1995 and 2004. The aim of the current study is to examine more recent data on policy support in Australia, specifically for policies covering alcohol availability up to 2010, and to examine specific demographic shifts in support. DESIGN AND METHODS Data was taken from the National Drug Strategy Household Surveys from 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010 (n = 80,846), primarily responses to attitude items on policy restriction and demographic questions. The effects of age, sex, drinking patterns and income over time on three items addressing restriction of alcohol availability were assessed using a factorial analysis of variance. RESULTS Although availability items are among the less popular policy restrictions put forward in the National Drug Strategy Household Surveys, 2004 actually represented a turning point in the decrease in popularity, with an increase in support since then. Though some groups show consistently higher rates of support than others for policy restrictions, the rate of change in support was fairly uniform across demographic and drinking groups. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Despite the lack of an obvious catalyst, there has been an increase in support for alcohol policy restriction as it relates to general availability and accessibility since 2004. Furthermore, this increase does not appear to be a reflection of a change in a specific group of people, but appears to be occurring across the Australian population.

“Fourteen Dollars for One Beer!” Pre‐drinking is associated with high‐risk drinking among Victorian young adults

Objective: Pre‐drinking entails consuming alcohol before attending licensed venues. We examined the relationship between pre‐drinking, intention to get drunk and high‐risk drinking among Victorians aged 18–24 years, to consider whether reducing pre‐drinking might ameliorate alcohol‐related harm.

The increasing significance of alcohol's harm to others research

Purpose – In history, alcohol has most commonly been constructed as a problem that affects individuals, not others. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of historical and contemporary research on alcohols harms to others and aims to give a rationale for the current increasing interest in this field of research. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the recent literature published on alcohols harm to others and contextualises this through a discussion of historical and present-day cultural positions on alcohol. Findings – Alcohol was rarely linked to harms to others until the early Temperance movement, but this waned in the early twentieth century. Increasing prosperity post the Second World War led to the relaxation of licensing laws, which coincided with an increasing focus on individualism and consumer capitalism. New public health research identified lifestyle factors, including drinking, as problems that were controllable through health promotion and individual behaviour ch...

Heavy drinking occasions in australia: do context and beverage choice differ from low-risk drinking occasions?

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS The aim of the current study is to look for differences in drink choice and drinking location between a recent heavy drinking occasion (RHDO) and usual low-risk occasions among those that recently had both types of drinking occasion. DESIGN AND METHODS Seven hundred and seventy-four respondents to a population-based survey reported having a RHDO [8 + Australian standard drinks (ASD) for females, 11 + ASD for males] in the past six months also reported that their usual drinking occasion in at least one location involved less than five ASD. Drink choice and drinking locations for the RHDO and usual low-risk occasions were compared using confidence intervals. RESULTS The RHDO was more likely than usual low-risk occasions to occur away from licensed premises (59%), despite a higher percentage of respondents reporting drinking at a pub, bar or nightclub on a RHDO (28%) than on a usual low-risk night (12%). A higher percentage of respondents nominated bottled spirits (33%) as their main drink for their RHDO, with 11% primarily drinking bottled spirits on a usual low-risk occasion; the converse was true for bottled wine (20% and 33%, respectively). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS While the high proportion of RHDOs that occurred at least in part at pubs or nightclubs was not surprising, a high proportion also occur in private homes. Previously found links between heavy drinking and beer may be a reflection of the usual drink choice of heavier drinkers, rather a choice specific to a particularly heavy occasion.

Changes in Smoking Rates Among Pregnant Women and the General Female Population in Australia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden

Abstract Introduction: Smoking rates have dropped substantially in most developed countries in recent decades. This general trend has, however, not always been evident among women—particularly younger women. Smoking habits do, however, often change in connection with pregnancy and the aim of this study is to determine whether smoking during pregnancy follows general trends in smoking rates in the general female population in four countries with active anti-tobacco policies and decreasing population smoking rates. Methods: Changes in rates of persistent smoking, that is, smoking in late pregnancy or daily smoking among all women of childbearing age were described according to age groups. Data were retrieved from the Australian Household Drug Surveys during 2000–2013 and from registries and surveys in Finland, Norway, and Sweden between 1995 and 2014. Results: In general, persistent smoking has decreased and late-pregnancy smoking rates are lower than daily smoking rates among all women. However, younger women are more likely to be persistent smokers regardless of pregnancy status. In Norway and Finland, persistent smoking was most common among young pregnant women and in Sweden there was an increased polarization between age groups. In Australia, a steady decrease in smoking rates appears to have stalled in younger pregnant women. Conclusion: Although smoking has declined substantially in recent decades, there are groups lagging behind this general trend. Young pregnant women are of particular concern in this respect. The possibility that these findings reflect the changing characteristics of younger pregnant women is discussed. Implications: This study puts recent trends in maternal smoking into a broader context by relating developments to changes in smoking rates among women in general. By using similar data from four countries we were able to follow changes in smoking rates “within” groups of women within the four countries without being limited by methodological problems related to cross-country or inter-group comparisons. We were above all able to show that aggregate data disclose the strong age gradient in maternal smoking habits.

Who Purchases Low-Cost Alcohol in Australia?

AIMS Debates surrounding potential price-based polices aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms tend to focus on the debate concerning who would be most affected-harmful or low-income drinkers. This study will investigate the characteristics of people who purchase low-cost alcohol using data from the Australian arm of the International Alcohol Control study. METHODS 1681 Australians aged 16 and over who had consumed alcohol and purchased it in off-licence premises were asked detailed questions about both practices. Low-cost alcohol was defined using cut-points of 80¢,

Off-premise alcohol purchasing in Australia: Variations by age group, income level and annual amount purchased

1.00 or

Price elasticity of on- and off-premises demand for alcoholic drinks: A Tobit analysis

1.25 per Australian standard drink. RESULTS With a

Identifying Learning Disabilities Through a Cognitive Deficit Framework Can Verbal Memory Deficits Explain Similarities Between Learning Disabled and Low Achieving Students

1.00 cut-off low income (OR = 2.1) and heavy drinkers (OR = 1.7) were more likely to purchase any low-cost alcohol. Harmful drinkers purchased more, and low-income drinkers less, alcohol priced at less than

Cross‐country comparison of proportion of alcohol consumed in harmful drinking occasions using the International Alcohol Control Study

1.00 per drink than high income and moderate drinkers respectively. The relationship between the proportion of units purchased at low cost and both drinker category and income is less clear, with hazardous, but not harmful, drinkers purchasing a lower proportion of units at low cost than moderate drinkers. CONCLUSIONS The impact of minimum pricing on low income and harmful drinkers will depend on whether the proportion or total quantity of all alcohol purchased at low cost is considered. Based on absolute units of alcohol, minimum unit pricing could be differentially effective for heavier drinkers compared to other drinkers, particularly for young males.