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Important Facts for Alcohol Consumption - Binge DrinkingDefinitionPercentage of adults aged 18 years and older who reported binge drinking during the 30 days prior to the survey.NumeratorNumber of survey respondents who reported binge drinking during the 30 days prior to the survey.DenominatorNumber of survey respondents excluding those with missing, "Don't know/Not sure" or "Refused" responses.Data Interpretation IssuesQuestion Text 1989-2005: "Considering all types of alcoholic beverages, how many times during the past 30 days did you have 5 or more drinks on an occasion?"Question Text beginning in 2006: "Considering all types of alcoholic beverages, how many times during the past 30 days did you have X [X=5 for men, X=4 for women] or more drinks on an occasion?" Follow-up Question starting 2005: "During the past 30 days, what is the largest number of drinks you had on any occasion?" From 1989-2005, binge drinking on the BRFSS was defined as consuming five or more drinks of alcohol on an occasion one or more times during the past 30 days for both males and females. Starting in 2006, the definition of binge drinking changed to consuming five or more drinks on an occasion for men, or four or more drinks on an occasion for women one or more times during the past 30 days. Data for this indicator have been analyzed using this new definition. Data from the survey should be considered representative of all non-institutionalized adults in households with landline telephones. Data were collected using a random sample of all possible telephone numbers. Prior to analysis, data were weighted to represent the population distribution of adults by sex, age group, and area of residence. As with all surveys, some error results from nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions) and measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). Error was minimized by use of strict calling protocols (up to 15 calls were made to reach each household), good questionnaire design, standardization of interviewer behavior, interviewer training, and frequent, on-site interviewer monitoring and supervision. It should be noted that this survey did not reach people with only a cell phone. It is estimated that approximately 25% of Utah's households have only a cell phone and no landline phone. Excluding this group introduces some bias into these results. The Utah BRFSS Program is in the process of updating the BRFSS methodology to include people with cell phones in the sampling frame. Beginning with 2011 data, the BRFSS will include both landline and cell phones. It will also utilize an updated weighting methodology. For more information on how these changes will affect BRFSS data, please see: http://health.utah.gov/opha/publications/brfss/Raking/Raking%20impact%202011.pdf Why Is This Important?Binge drinking is an indicator of potentially serious alcohol abuse, and is related to driving under the influence of alcohol. It is a problem nationally, especially among males and young adults. Alcohol abuse is strongly associated with injuries and violence, chronic liver disease, fetal alcohol syndrome, and risk of other acute and chronic health conditions. Binge drinking among women of childbearing age is a problem because of the risk for prenatal alcohol exposure. Birth defects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure can occur during the first 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy before a woman knows she is pregnant.Healthy People Objective SA-14.3:Reduce the proportion of persons engaging in binge drinking during the past month--Adults aged 18 years and olderU.S. Target: 24.3 percent Other ObjectivesOne of Utah's 42 Community Health IndicatorsOne of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Chronic Disease Indicators. How Are We Doing?In Utah, the percentage of adults who reported binge drinking in the past 30 days fluctuated between highs of 12% in 1989 and 1993 to a low of 7.7% in 1997. In 2009, 8.7% (crude rate) of Utah adults reported recent binge drinking. Utah is below the Healthy People 2020 objective of 24.3% for this measure.How Do We Compare With U.S.?The percentage of adults who reported binge drinking in the past 30 days was substantially lower in Utah than in the U.S. for all years reported between 1989-2010. Age-adjusted estimates for 2010 show that 15.5% of U.S. adults reported binge drinking in the past 30 days whereas only 8.3% of Utah adults reported binge drinking.What Is Being Done?The Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is the agency responsible for ensuring that substance abuse and mental health prevention and treatment services are available statewide. The Division also acts as a resource by providing general information, research, and statistics to the public regarding substances of abuse and mental health services. <http://www.dsamh.utah.gov> |
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