Aim To compare alternative survey methods for estimating (a) levels of at risk alcohol consumption and (b) total volume of alcohol consumed per capita in comparison with estimates from sales data and to investigate reasons for under-reporting.

Setting  The homes of respondents who were eligible and willing to participate.

Participants  A total of 21 674 Australians aged 14 years and older.

Design  A 2001 national household survey of drug use, experiences and attitudes with weights applied for age, sex, geographic location and day of week of interview.

Measures  Self-completion questionnaire using quantity–frequency (QF) and graduated–frequency (GF) methods plus two questions about consumption ‘yesterday’: one in standard drinks, another with empirically based estimates of drink size and strength.

Results  The highest estimate of age 14 + per capita consumption of 7.00 l of alcohol derived from recall of consumption ‘yesterday’ or 76.8% of the official estimate. The lowest was QF with 49.8%. When amount consumed ‘yesterday’ was recalled in standard drinks this estimate was 5.27 l. GF questions yielded higher estimates than did QF questions both for total volume (5.25 versus 4.54 l) and also for the proportion of the population at risk of long-term alcohol-related harm (10.6%versus 8.1%). With the detailed ‘yesterday’ method 61% of all consumption was on high risk drinking days.

Conclusions  Questions about typical quantities of alcohol consumed can lead to underestimates, as do questions about drinking ‘standard drinks’ of alcohol. Recent recall methods encourage fuller reporting of volumes plus more accurate estimates of unrecorded consumption and the proportion of total alcohol consumption that places drinkers at risk of harm. However, they do not capture longer-term drinking patterns. It is recommended that both recent recall and measures of longer-term drinking patterns are included in national surveys.

Under-reporting of alcohol consumption in household surveys: a comparison of quantity-frequency, graduated-frequency and recent recall.

This article is an overview of different approaches to measuring alcohol consumption: self-reports and objective measures such as blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and aggregate level measures. The...

Measuring alcohol consumption.

Ways of measuring drinking patterns and the difference they make: experience with graduated frequencies

Alcohol and Health in Canada: A Summary of Evidence and Guidelines for Low-Risk Drinking

Recent epidemiological and social studies have increasingly pointed to the importance of drinking patterns in explaining consequences of alcohol consumption This paper presents recommendations for research in the area based on the presentations and discussions of the first "International Conference on Social and Health Effects of Different Drinking Patterns" held in Toronto in November 1995 In particular, the social dimension in pattern research, and the relationship between patterns of drinking and casualties as well as social harm, are stressed The paper also argues for better theories, incorporating knowledge from related basic disciplines In addition, we emphasize the need for improved methodologies and standardized methods for assessing drinking patterns Finally, implications of research on drinking patterns for policy and programme development are discussed

On the emerging paradigm of drinking patterns and their social and health consequences.

Based on a large-scale 1989 national survey in Canada, the extent of drinking in different social settings is estimated. Home consumption accounts for the greatest share of total drinking. while drinking in licensed establishments accounts for approximately one-fourth of consumption. This estimate is externally validated against scales data. The set of questions on drinking venues produces estimates of individual's alcohol consumption which have higher coverage rates than the more commonly used quantity-frequency or recent occasion approaches. The distribution of total drinking in different settings is strongly related to demographic variables and individual level of consumption. In particular, drinking in bars and taverns is related to higher levels of drinking and self-reported drinking problems. The proportion of drinking in different venues is not strongly related to drinking problems, once demographic variables and individual consumption patterns are taken into account. This does not mean that drinking venue is not a significant factor in the development of problems--it may be via its impact on consumption level and heavy drinking occasions that drinking venue relates to drinking problems.

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Papers

Drinking in various settings as it relates to demographic variables and level of consumption: findings from a national survey in Canada.