ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF COLLECTIVITY OF ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION IN ENGLAND- IMPORTANCE OF AVERAGE DRINKER

Objective: To assess whether the average consumption of alcohol is ass ociated with the prevalence of heavy drinking, problem drinking, and a bstention in England. Design: Ecological analysis using data from a cr oss sectional household based survey of English adults. Subjects: Rand om sample of 32 333 adults from the English population who participate d in the 1993 and 1994 health surveys for England. Main outcome measur es: Association, expressed as the correlation coefficient, between the regional mean and median alcohol consumption and the regional prevale nce of heavy drinking, problem drinking, and abstention. Results: Mean consumption of alcohol in light to moderate drinkers was strongly pos itively associated with the prevalence of heavy drinking (r = 0.75 in men and r = 0.62 in women for drinking more than 21 and 14 units per w eek respectively). A similar association was found between median cons umption and prevalence of heavy drinking, Abstention was not significa ntly associated with mean consumption in drinkers (r = 0.08 for men an d r = -0.29 for women). Both the median and mean consumption in drinke rs were positively associated with the prevalence of problem drinking as defined by the CAGE questionnaire on alcohol use (r = 0.53 for men and r = 0.42 for women for the association with mean consumption). Con clusion: Factors that increase the average consumption of alcohol in t he population may result in an increase in the prevalence of heavy dri nking and related problems.