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Informing drinkers of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption via warning statements located on alcohol products can increase their capacity to make healthier choices. This study assessed whether exposing at-risk drinkers to warning statements relating to specific chronic diseases increases the extent to which alcohol is believed to be a risk factor for those diseases and influences consumption intentions. Australians drinking at levels associated with long-term risk of harm (n = 364; 72% male) completed an online survey assessing their drinking habits, beliefs in the link between alcohol and various diseases and drinking intentions. Respondents were then exposed to one of five statements advising of the potential risks associated with alcohol consumption (either cancer, liver damage, diabetes, mental illness or heart disease). Beliefs and drinking intentions were reassessed. Significant increases in the extent to which alcohol was believed to be a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, mental illness and cancer were found. With the exception of the liver damage and heart disease statements, exposure to each statement was associated with a significant reduction in consumption intentions. Warning statements advising of the specific chronic diseases associated with alcohol consumption can produce favourable changes in drinking intentions among at-risk drinkers.

Selection biases may lead to systematic overestimate of protective effects from 'moderate' alcohol consumption. Overall, most sources of selection bias favor low-volume drinkers in relation to non-drinkers. Studies that attempt to address these types of bias generally find attenuated or non-significant relationships between low-volume alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease, which is the major source of possible protective effects on mortality from low-volume consumption. Furthermore, observed mortality effects among established low-volume consumers are of limited relevance to health-related decisions about whether to initiate consumption or to continue drinking purposefully into old age. Short of randomized trials with mortality end-points, there are a number of approaches that can minimize selection bias involving low-volume alcohol consumption., (© 2016 Society for the Study of Addiction.)

While protective behavioral strategies (PBSs) have the potential to reduce alcohol-related harm, there is a lack of understanding of the factors influencing adults' use of these strategies. The present study assessed the frequency of enactment of a range of PBSs among Australian adults and identified factors associated with their use and the implications for alcohol harm minimization. A sample of 2,168 Australian drinkers (1,095 males and 1,073 females) recruited via a web panel provider completed an online survey that included items relating to quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, beliefs about the health consequences of alcohol consumption, use of 5 specific PBSs (e.g., counting drinks and eating while drinking), and demographic characteristics. In general, use of these PBSs was negatively associated with overall alcohol consumption. However, usage rates were relatively low, especially among the heaviest drinkers. Refusing unwanted drinks and alternating between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages were identified as especially important strategies in the Australian context, accounting for a substantial proportion of the variance in alcohol consumption. Greater efforts to increase awareness and use of PBSs are warranted. In particular, the results suggest that information relating to the importance of refusing unwanted drinks and alternating between alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages should be actively disseminated to the drinking public. In addition, the reliance on specified numbers of standard drinks in national drinking guidelines suggests encouraging drinkers to count their drinks should be a further focus of interventions given low reported prevalence of this behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a specific tax increase on ready-to-drink beverages (the "alcopops" tax) on male injuries presenting to emergency departments during times likely to be highly alcohol related in two Australian states., Method: Poisson regression was used to compare annual risk of Western Australian and Victorian male emergency department injuries occurring during high alcohol-related times before and after the implementation of the alcopops tax. A range of age groups was examined. Surrogate methodology was applied to identify numbers of emergency department injuries that occurred during high and low alcohol-related times., Results: Risk of injury during high alcohol-related times (incident rate ratio [IRR]) was lower among Western Australian 12- to 15-year-olds beginning from the year of the tax increase and continued throughout. Lower IRRs were also apparent for 15- to 19-year-olds, although some delay was implicated. There was no change for 12- to 15-year-old Victorians, but immediate declines were evident for 15- to 19-year-olds. To a lesser extent, delayed effects were also indicated for 20- to 29-year-olds in both states. There was no evidence of a change in injury risk during high alcohol-related times among the oldest age group (35-39 years)., Conclusions: Previous research on beverage-specific taxes has suggested that they may increase alcohol-related harms among the target group. This study found no evidence of increased injury during high alcohol-related times associated with the alcopops tax in two states. Evidence of reduced harm was apparent, however, and strongest for Western Australian males aged 19 years and younger. These outcomes are consistent with documented national reductions in alcopops sales.

Objective: To examine the effects of licensed outlets and sales on levels of alcohol-related injuries presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in the Inner, Middle and Outer postcode zones of Perth, Australia., Methods: Using panel data (2002-2010), a surrogate measure (based on day of week and time of day of presentation) was used to identify alcohol-related injuries presenting at EDs. Postcodes were grouped according to their distance from the central business district (CBD). Numbers of alcohol outlets and their sales were the primary explanatory variables. Data were analysed using negative binomial regression with random effects., Results: In the Inner and Outer postcode zones, counts of on-site outlets were positively associated with alcohol-related injury (IRR: 1.008; 95%CI 1.003-1.013 and IRR: 1.021; 95%CI 1.013-1.030 respectively). An additional off-site outlet was associated with 6.8% fewer alcohol-related injuries (95%CI 0.887-0.980). In the Middle postcode zone, mean off-site sales were positively associated with injury (IRR: 1.024; 95%CI 1.003-1.044)., Conclusions: Associations between alcohol availability variables and injury differed by outlet type and distance from the CBD., Implications: These findings provide further evidence to support stronger controls on liquor licensing, and indicate the need for different controls according to the location and type of licence., (© 2015 Public Health Association of Australia.)

In response to increasing calls to introduce warning labels on alcoholic beverages, this study investigated the potential effectiveness of alcohol warning statements designed to increase awareness of the alcohol-cancer link. A national online survey was administered to a diverse sample of Australian adult drinkers (n = 1,680). Along with attitudinal, intentions and demographic items, the survey included an online simulation that exposed respondents to one of six cancer warning statements delivered across a range of situational contexts. Half of the statements made general reference to cancer and half mentioned specific forms of cancer. Respondents reported on the believability, convincingness and personal relevance of the warning statements. Pre- and post-exposure data were captured relating to respondents' alcohol consumption intentions. Of the six statements tested, Alcohol increases your risk of bowel cancer produced the highest scores across all outcome measures. All statements produced favorable changes in alcohol consumption intentions, including among high-risk drinkers. There is thus the potential for these and similar statements to be used as a suite of rotating warning messages located on alcoholic beverage labels and applied in various public education contexts., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Alcohol consumption and related harms are largely determined by both demand and supply of alcohol. Across Western Australia, under state licensing laws, there are state-wide alcohol sales restrictions imposed on Good Friday and Christmas Day each year. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the Good Friday and Christmas Day state-wide alcohol restrictions on the risk of alcohol-related injuries presenting at emergency departments., Methods: This is a population-based cohort study using ED injury presentation data for the period 1st January 2002 to 1st January 2015. Risk of injury during the alcohol-related time of day affected by the alcohol restrictions (intervention periods, including Good Friday and Christmas Day) were compared to the same time of day over a number of control days. Multivariable Poisson regression model was used to perform the analysis., Results: The crude injury risk was considerably lower during the alcohol restriction periods compared to control periods in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. The protective effect observed on the days of the alcohol restrictions remained significant, and largely unchanged, when potential confounding effects were controlled for., Conclusion: The significant reduction in alcohol-related injury presentations observed for public holiday periods with alcohol restrictions were likely caused by the alcohol restriction policy and its direct effect on alcohol supply., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: Few studies have investigated the combined effects of alcohol sales, outlet numbers and trading hours on alcohol-related harms. This study aimed to test whether associations: (i) exist between alcohol-related emergency department (ED) injuries and alcohol sales and counts of outlets; (ii) vary between on- and off-premises outlets; and (iii) vary by trading hours conditions [extended trading permits (ETP) versus standard hours]., Design: Panel study using 117 postcodes over 8 years (2002-10): 936 data points., Setting: Perth, Australia., Participants: ED injury presentations, aggregated to postcode-level., Measurements: Alcohol-related injuries were identified using time-based surrogate measures: night injuries (n=51,241) and weekend night injuries (n=30,682). Measures of alcohol availability included number of outlets with standard and extended trading hours and mean sales per postcode. Negative binomial regression modelling with random effects was used to examine associations between availability and alcohol-related injury, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics., Findings: (i) Night injuries were associated significantly with counts of on-premises outlets [incident rate ratio (IRR)=1.046; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.014-1.078] and sales per off-premises outlet (IRR=1.019; 95% CI=1.004-1.035); (ii) counts of on-premises outlets were positively associated with alcohol-related injury while counts of off-premises outlets indicated a negative association; and (iii) weekend night injuries increased by about 5% per on-premises outlet with an ETP (IRR=1.049; 95% CI=1.015-1.084) and by less than 1% for outlets with standard trading hours (IRR=1.008; 95% CI=1.004-1.013)., Conclusions: Regions of Perth, Australia with greater off-premises alcohol sales and counts of on-premises alcohol outlets, particularly those with extended trading hours, appear to have higher levels of alcohol-related injuries., (© 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.)

Background: Studies such on alcohol and injuries have defined alcohol-related injury as an injury with a positive self-report of alcohol consumption in the 6h prior to the event. However, there is very limited data on the pattern of alcohol use over time of day and day of week among the general population. The aim of this study is to estimate the rate of alcohol use by time of day, and day of week for the U.S. general adult (≥ 18 years) population., Methods: This study employed the design of a retrospective cohort study using data collected from three waves (2005-06, 2007-08, 2009-10) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Incidence rates of overall drinking (≥ 10 g of alcohol) and incidence rates of heavy drinking (≥ 40 g of alcohol) were estimated for day of week, and time of day (in hours). Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to investigate the difference between weekend nights and weekday nights., Results: The incidence rates (95% confidence interval) of all drinking episodes were 30.5 (29.2-32.0) per 100 person-days and 24.4 (22.8-26.2) per 100 person-days for weekend and the rest of the week, respectively. The incidence rates of heavy drinking episodes were 11.0 (10.2-11.9) and 7.7 (6.8-8.7) for weekend and the rest of the week. Multivariable analysis indicated that risks of overall drinking and heavy drinking were significantly higher (18% and 34%, respectively) during the weekend nights when compared to weekday nights. It was also observed young adults (18-29 years old) were more likely to increase their alcohol use during weekend nights compared to older age groups., Conclusions: The general US population, especially young adults are exposed to alcohol and its acute effects at a much higher level during the night, and this in-turn increases the risk of alcohol-related injuries during that time., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Two ecological cross-sectional studies which relied on national survey data (U.S. and Australia) have shown that starting drinking at a younger age increases the frequency of heavy drinking in the general population, including those with good mental and physical health status. This study further investigates the hypothesis that age at first use of alcohol increases the risk of heavy alcohol use by applying data from a longitudinal study., Method: This study used public-use data collected from Wave I, Wave III and Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health in the United States. The association between age at first use of alcohol and heavy alcohol use (5+ drinks per occasion) was examined with two different multivariate analysis approaches with data from 2316 participants: ordered logistic regression models and Poisson regression models with longitudinal data settings. In addition, the newly developed proxy outcome approach was further used to estimate and adjust for unmeasured/unobserved confounding factors., Results: Age at first use of alcohol before 18 years was associated significantly higher risk of heavy alcohol use at follow-up., Conclusion: After adjusting for known and residual confounders, younger age at first use of alcohol was associated with significantly higher risk of heavy alcohol use, moreover, we posit that the association observed from this longitudinal study is probably causal. Abstinence from alcohol until the age of 18 years will likely reduce individual risk of alcohol-related problems in adulthood. In the longer term, delayed onset of exposure with widespread abstinence among this age group is also likely to reduce the overall prevalence of alcohol-related problems in the general population., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Experimental studies suggest that alcohol can lead to aggression in laboratory settings; however, it is impossible to test the causal relationship between alcohol use and real-life violence among humans in randomized clinical trials. Objectives. (i) To examine the relationship between heavy alcohol use and assaults in a population based study; (ii) to demonstrate the proxy outcome method, as a means of controlling the effects of unknown/unmeasured confounders in observational studies., Methods: This study used data collected from three waves of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The effects of heavy alcohol use on assault were measured using multivariable logistic regressions in conjunction with the proxy outcome method., Results: Application of the proxy outcome method indicated that effect sizes of heavy alcohol use on the risk of assault were overestimated in the standard models. After adjusting for the effects of unknown/unmeasured confounders, the risk of assault remained 43% and 63% higher (P < 0.05) among participants who consumed 5+ drinks/day for 5-8 days/month and 9-30 days/month, respectively., Conclusions: Even after adjustment for unknown/unmeasured confounders the association between heavy alcohol use and risk of violence remained significant. These findings support the hypothesis that heavy alcohol use can cause violence.

Background: There is growing evidence of the increased cancer risk associated with alcohol consumption, but this is not well understood by the general public. This study investigated the acceptability among drinkers of cancer warning statements for alcoholic beverages., Methods: Six focus groups were conducted with Australian drinkers to develop a series of cancer-related warning statements for alcohol products. Eleven cancer warning statements and one general health warning statement were subsequently tested on 2,168 drinkers via an online survey. The statements varied by message frame (positive vs negative), cancer reference (general vs specific), and the way causality was communicated ('increases risk of cancer' vs 'can cause cancer')., Results: Overall, responses to the cancer statements were neutral to favorable, indicating that they are unlikely to encounter high levels of negative reaction from the community if introduced on alcoholic beverages. Females, younger respondents, and those with higher levels of education generally found the statements to be more believable, convincing, and personally relevant. Positively framed messages, those referring to specific forms of cancer, and those using 'increases risk of cancer' performed better than negatively framed messages, those referring to cancer in general, and those using the term 'can cause cancer'., Conclusion: Cancer warning statements on alcoholic beverages constitute a potential means of increasing awareness about the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk.

Background: There is very limited data available on the association between underage drinking and risk of diabetes. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between alcohol use during adolescence and the risk of diabetes while controlling for a wide range of confounders, including parental alcohol use., Methods: This population-based study used data collected from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Participants were initially recruited in 1994-1995 (Wave I), then followed up in 1996 (Wave II) and in 2001-2002 (Wave III), and in 2008-2009 (Wave IV). Analysis included 2,850 participants (46% male) who were successfully followed up at Waves I, III, and IV without a known diagnosis of diabetes at Waves I and III and who provided all necessary information for the analysis., Results: During adolescence, frequent alcohol consumption at levels reaching 5 or more drinks, 3-7 days/week, substantially increased the risk of diabetes in young adulthood, with an odds ratio of 12.57 (95% CI 4.10-38.61) compared to current abstainers., Conclusions: Heavy alcohol use during adolescence may increase the risk of diabetes in young adulthood. The Significant finding of the Study.

Background: The frequently reported protective effects of moderate alcohol consumption in observational studies may be due to unadjusted bias., Aim: To examine two new approaches that account for unknown confounding factors and allow the application of intention-to-treat analysis., Method: This study used data from the 2008, 2009, and 2010 National Health Interview Surveys conducted in the United States. Unknown confounding effects were estimated through the association between parental alcohol use and health outcomes for children, because the presence of hypothetical physiological effects of alcohol can be ruled out for this association. In order to apply intention-to-treat analysis, previous alcohol use of former drinkers was obtained by using multiple imputations. Estimates with new adjustment approaches were compared with the traditional approach., Results: The traditional analytical approach; appears to be consistent with findings from previous observational studies; when two further adjustment approaches were used, the "protective" effects of moderate drinking almost disappeared., Conclusion: Use of a proxy outcome to estimate and control residual confounding effects of alcohol use and application of the intention-to-treat principle could provide a more realistic estimation of the true effects of alcohol use on health outcomes in observational epidemiological studies.

Aims: To investigate the direction and degree of potential bias introducedto analyses of drinking and health status which exclude former drinkers from exposure groups., Design: Pooled analysis of 14 waves (1997-2010) of the U.S. National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)., Setting: General population-based study., Participants: 404,462 participants, from 14 waves of the NHIS, who had knownself-reported health status and alcohol consumption status., Measurements: Self-reported health status was used as the indicatorof health. Two approaches were used to classify alcohol consumption: (i) separation of former drinkers and current drinkers, and (ii) combined former and current drinkers. The prevalence of fair/poor health by alcohol use, gender and age with 95% confidence intervals was estimated. The difference in prevalence of fair/poor health status for lifetime abstainers, former drinkers, current drinkers and drinkers (former drinkers and current drinkers combined) were compared using Poisson regression with robust estimations of variance., Findings: Excluding former drinkers from drinker groups exaggerates the difference in health status between abstainers and drinkers, especially for males., Conclusions: In cohort study analyses, former drinkers should be assigned to a drinking category based on their previous alcohol consumption patterns and not treated as a discrete exposure group.

Aim: To examine the association between age at first alcohol use and risk of heavy alcohol use among the adult US general drinking population., Methods: This population-based study used the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from United States. Multivariate Poisson regression was employed to predict the frequency of heavy alcohol use (five or more drinks per occasion) in the last 30 days with age at first use of alcohol controlling for potential confounding factors., Results: Younger age at first use of alcohol was associated with increased likelihood of heavy alcohol use in the last 30 days in this population-based sample. This association remained significant when analysis was reperformed for the subgroup of participants who were with desired good health status and Kessler score lower than 12., Conclusion: Younger age at first use of alcohol was associated with increased likelihood of heavy alcohol use.

We posit that: (i) light alcohol consumption during pregnancy does not improve the cognitive development of human offspring and (ii) observational study outcomes indicating apparent protective effects arise from residual confounding due to socioeconomic status. Our hypotheses counter emerging hypotheses apparent in the epidemiological literature that light alcohol consumption during pregnancy improves offspring's cognitive development. Determining the plausibility of this proposition is important given its potential to influence women's alcohol consumption behavior during pregnancy. However, given ethical concerns, it is unlikely that a randomized control trial will be conducted to test this hypothesis. The veracity of alcohol's purported positive effect on cognitive development is therefore explored here by comparing research evidence on light alcohol consumption to the evidence for folate and DHA supplementation intake during pregnancy. An alternative approach for further testing this hypothesis in observational studies is also suggested., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Aims: Associations between alcohol-related harms and numbers of outlets at the neighbourhood level have been demonstrated; however, the degree to which alcohol consumption or sales plays a part in levels of violence is not clear. This has contributed to uncertainty regarding the actual mechanisms by which outlet density may influence levels of violence. This ecological cross-sectional study investigated the effect of outlet numbers and alcohol sales on the risk of assault in Western Australia., Design and Methods: For 2000/2001, information on type, number and wholesale alcohol purchases of all licensed outlets in operation, police-reported assault offences, socioeconomic/demographic data were obtained from official sources. Multivariate negative binomial regression was applied to at local government area level in order to assess associations between outlet density, alcohol sales and violence occurring in both licensed and domestic settings., Results: Average alcohol sales volume per off-site outlet was significantly associated with all measures of assault. Numbers of on-site outlets significantly predicted violence with the exception of assaults occurring at residential premises. Alcohol sales from off-site outlets predicted violence occurring at on-site outlets., Discussion and Conclusions: The link between on-site outlets and violence may be primarily underpinned by negative amenity effects while off-site outlet effects occur via increased availability. Alcohol sales volumes from off-site outlets influence levels of violence, which occur at both licensed and residential settings. The substantial and wide-ranging effects of liquor stores on alcohol-related harms may have been underestimated in the literature and by policy makers., (© 2011 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)

Aims: This study investigated the association between alcohol consumption and health status using cross-sectional national survey data. MEASUREMENTS AND DESIGN: This study relied upon self-report data collected by the 2004 and 2007 Australian National Drug Strategy Household (NDSH) surveys. Households were selected using a multi-stage, stratified-area, random sample design. Both surveys used combinations of the drop-and-collect and computer-assisted telephone interview approaches. Respondents were questioned about their current and past drinking, the presence of formal diagnosis for specific diseases (heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer, anxiety, depression) and self-perceived general health status. Associations between drinking status, the presence of diagnoses and self-perceptions of general health status among respondents aged 18+ and 45+ were assessed using multivariate logistic regression., Setting and Participants: Males and females aged 18 years or older and resident in Australia. The sample sizes for the 2004 and 2007 NDSH surveys were 24, 109 and 23, 356, respectively., Findings:   Respondents with a diagnosis of diabetes, hypertension and anxiety were more likely to have reduced or stopped alcohol consumption in the past 12 months. The likelihood of having reduced or ceased alcohol consumption in the past 12 months increased as perceived general health status declined from excellent to poor., Conclusions: Experience of ill health is associated with subsequent reduction or cessation of alcohol consumption. This may at least partly underlie the observed 'J-shape' function relating alcohol consumption to premature mortality., (© 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction.)

Aims: We examined parental influences on drinking over two contexts – a typical social occasion, and at ‘Schoolies’, a multiple-day mass celebration. Particular focus was placed on addressing the mixed literature on the impact of parental alcohol supply. Methods: Australian adolescents aged 17–18 completed a Last Event (N = 541) and post-Schoolies survey (N = 405). Results: Parental supply of alcohol was commonplace at the Last Event (21%) and at Schoolies (25%). At the Last Event, exclusive parental supply was associated with lower consumption (10 vs. 12 standard drinks; p = .03). However, around half supplemented parental alcohol with other sources of alcohol and this nullified any protective effects. Parental supply did not affect quantity at Schoolies, though engaging with parents in a safety discussion about drinking was protective. Across both contexts, perceived parental disapproval of risky consumption mitigated against risk. Conclusions: Identifying whether alcohol supplied by parents was combined with other sources was relevant, and parental supply per se is unlikely to be protective as this supply was commonly topped up. Parental safety discussions lowered risk at Schoolies and should continue to be promoted. Right up to the time when young adults were drinking in both typical and high-risk environments, parental disapproval continued to exert a protective influence over drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction:Few studies have undertaken to explore whether people who consume particular alcoholic beverages have a greater tendency to substitute with cheaper alcohol in response to price increases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of price increases on alcohol purchasing decisions, specifically the influence on brand and cross-beverage substitution across demographic, drinking level and socio-economic factors. Method:Data on participants’ alcohol purchasing habits and consumption were collected via an online survey, including their reactions to three price increases to alcoholic beverages types previously purchased. Data were analysed using logistic regression, with substitution behaviour the dependent variable, controlling for demographic and socio-economic factors. Results:Responses to different price increases varied by drinking level, which was consistently and significantly associated with likelihood of substitution behaviour across beverage types. For a 50% increase in price, regardless of whether participants purchased beer, wine, bottled spirits or premixed spirits, drinking at levels which put participants at high risk of short-term harms was associated with a higher likelihood of substitution with cheaper brands or beverage types (OR: 1.729; OR: 1.787; OR: 1.729 and OR: 1.729, respectively). Conclusions:No consistent trends in responses occurred according to respondent characteristics, suggesting that increasing price may be an effective tool to influence purchasing behaviour across the population. Results also suggested that those who drink at levels which put them at high risk of short-term harms may be more likely to circumvent price increases by switching to a cheaper product. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To investigate whether recall of age at first use of alcohol and tobacco is time dependent. Respondents aged 14-89 years from the 2001 and 2007 waves of the Australian National Drug Strategy Household Survey were considered as independent samples of the Australian population at two different time points. The means of reported age at first use of alcohol and age at first use of tobacco from the two sula, eys were compared for each birth cohort. The mean differences were generally small (< 1 year) across birth cohorts. Overall, the increase in mean age at first use from 2001 to 2007 was 0.31 years for alcohol and 0.33 years for tobacco, after controlling for birth cohort and gender effects. The time lag between actual onset of first use and subsequent survey recall can introduce a small systematic bias, but the error is unlikely to pose a threat to retrospective studies that rely on recall information to estimate cumulative exposure of alcohol and tobacco use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and aims: Divorced people have been found to be more likely to consume alcohol at higher levels than those who are married, with the association varying somewhat by country. However, the effect that remaining unmarried has on alcohol consumption is less clear. This study investigated the association between marital status and alcohol consumption among young and middle-aged Australian adults. Methods: Using a cross-sectional study design, the association between marital status and alcohol consumption behaviour was assessed using data from the Australian 2007 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Results: Young and middle-aged people who were never married, divorced or separated were more likely to consume alcohol at levels associated with increased risk for both long-term and short-term harm when compared to married people. Discussion: It may be possible that mental health status is one of the factors mediating the association between marital status and alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Being never married, divorced or separated was a strong indicator of hazardous alcohol consumption behaviours. The marital status of young and middle-aged people might serve as a useful screening tool for health professionals wishing to identify patients at elevated risk of alcohol-related problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma is a highly prevalent disease that may affect the lifestyle adopted by young adults. This study investigated whether asthma status influences fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity level, tobacco smoking, and alcohol drinking behavior of young adults in Australia. Information of 2619 participants aged 18 to 29 years was extracted from the 2007-2008 Australian National Health Survey database. The level of physical activity and fruit consumption were found to be similar between young adults with and without asthma. Participants with asthma symptoms in the past 12 months were more likely to achieve the dietary recommendation for vegetable intake, but they tended to smoke tobacco and consume alcohol above safe levels. It may be necessary to develop prevention strategies targeting young adults with asthma that include screening for harmful use of substances. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, the authors comment on a study conducted by researcher M. Holmes and colleagues on mendelian randomization (MR) meta-analysis to know association between low dose alcohol consumption and risk of coronary heart diseases (CHD). Topics discussed includes information on MR, genotypic assessment of behavior related to consumption and abstinence from alcohol and increased risk of CHD among drinkers.

Purpose: To assess whether exposing drinkers to information about the alcohol-cancer link via multiple and diverse sources in an online simulation produces larger improvements in attitudes and intentions relative to exposure to a single source of information.Design: Experimental; unequal randomization with respondents allocated to either the single-source (20%) or multiple-source condition (80%). Alcohol-related behavioral intentions were assessed preexposure and postexposure.Setting: Australia.Participants: A total of 2087 drinkers consuming alcohol at least twice per month.Measures: Scales were used to assess attitudes toward the messages (believability, convincingness, and personal relevance) and behavioral intentions (extent to which participants believed that they should and would reduce their alcohol consumption and their intention to consume 5 or more drinks in a single session).Analysis: Hierarchical linear regression.Results: Source condition was significantly associated with all 3 attitudinal variables ( P < .001). Those exposed to an alcohol warning statement from multiple sources found the message more believable, convincing, and personally relevant compared to those exposed to a warning statement via a single source. They also reported significantly greater change preexposure to postexposure on the 2 behavioral beliefs that they should (Δ M = 0.25 vs Δ M = 0.09) and would (Δ M = 0.23 vs Δ M = 0.00) reduce their current alcohol consumption ( P < .001). Further, those in the multiple-source condition reported reduced intentions to consume 5 or more standard drinks in a single sitting (Δ M = 0.21 vs Δ M = 0.14; P < .001).Conclusion: Findings from the online simulation provide support for the suggestion that integrated approaches involving the combination of multiple sources to deliver a message produce superior outcomes compared to relying on a single source (eg, warning labels on alcoholic beverages). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]