Education Raises Young Women's Risk for Binge Drinking

Binge drinking is less common among British women with lower educational levels or job status when they are in their 20s than it is among those with higher educational levels or job status, but in their 30s the trend reverses, according to a new study.

The cohort study of more than 10,000 British men and women found that, while trends in both binge drinking and abstaining from alcohol remained stable over time for men, women were more likely to change their binge-drinking habits as they age (J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2007;61:150–3).

At age 23 years, less-educated women were 9% less likely to binge drink than were better-educated women. At age 33, they were 11% more likely, and at age 42, 28% more likely.

The researchers, led by Barbara Jefferis, of the Institute of Child Health in London, said their findings suggest that the differences in binge-drinking habits may reinforce alcohol-related health inequalities.

“The initial peak of alcohol use in the most educated women differs from characteristic social gradients in health behaviors, whereby healthier behaviors are taken up by the most educated in society, as seen with smoking in this cohort,” they wrote. “Social gradients in health behaviors, including alcohol consumption, differ across locations and times, and are influenced by cultural and economic contexts.”

The researchers followed a group of British men and women all born the same week in March 1958, surveying them on drinking habits at the ages of 23, 33, and 42 years.

Survey respondents were asked to describe their drinking habits, and binge drinkers were identified by dividing the number of units of alcohol consumed in the past week by their normal weekly frequency of drinking.

In both sexes and at all time points, abstaining from alcohol was more likely among those achieving lower educational and job status. At age 23, men in the less educated group were 31% more likely to be nondrinkers, decreasing to 19% at age 33 and 17% at age 42. Less-educated women were 23% more likely to abstain at age 23, decreasing to 20% at age 33, but then increasing to 28% at age 42. The trends were not statistically significant.

Abstainers were a small proportion of the study population, reaching a maximum of 3.7% of men and 6.3% of the women at age 42.

Among men, binge drinking was more likely among those with lower educational and job status at all time points. At age 23, men in the less-educated group were 13% more likely to binge drink, 17% more likely at age 33, and 18% more likely at age 42. That odds increase among the less-educated men was not statistically significant, however.

Binge drinkers were a larger share of the cohort than abstainers, with a maximum of 36% of men and 18% of women at age 23.

Binge drinking is less common among British women with lower educational levels or job status when they are in their 20s than it is among those with higher educational levels or job status, but in their 30s the trend reverses, according to a new study.

The cohort study of more than 10,000 British men and women found that, while trends in both binge drinking and abstaining from alcohol remained stable over time for men, women were more likely to change their binge-drinking habits as they age (J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2007;61:150–3).

At age 23 years, less-educated women were 9% less likely to binge drink than were better-educated women. At age 33, they were 11% more likely, and at age 42, 28% more likely.

The researchers, led by Barbara Jefferis, of the Institute of Child Health in London, said their findings suggest that the differences in binge-drinking habits may reinforce alcohol-related health inequalities.

“The initial peak of alcohol use in the most educated women differs from characteristic social gradients in health behaviors, whereby healthier behaviors are taken up by the most educated in society, as seen with smoking in this cohort,” they wrote. “Social gradients in health behaviors, including alcohol consumption, differ across locations and times, and are influenced by cultural and economic contexts.”

The researchers followed a group of British men and women all born the same week in March 1958, surveying them on drinking habits at the ages of 23, 33, and 42 years.

Survey respondents were asked to describe their drinking habits, and binge drinkers were identified by dividing the number of units of alcohol consumed in the past week by their normal weekly frequency of drinking.

In both sexes and at all time points, abstaining from alcohol was more likely among those achieving lower educational and job status. At age 23, men in the less educated group were 31% more likely to be nondrinkers, decreasing to 19% at age 33 and 17% at age 42. Less-educated women were 23% more likely to abstain at age 23, decreasing to 20% at age 33, but then increasing to 28% at age 42. The trends were not statistically significant.

Abstainers were a small proportion of the study population, reaching a maximum of 3.7% of men and 6.3% of the women at age 42.

Among men, binge drinking was more likely among those with lower educational and job status at all time points. At age 23, men in the less-educated group were 13% more likely to binge drink, 17% more likely at age 33, and 18% more likely at age 42. That odds increase among the less-educated men was not statistically significant, however.

Binge drinkers were a larger share of the cohort than abstainers, with a maximum of 36% of men and 18% of women at age 23.

Binge drinking is less common among British women with lower educational levels or job status when they are in their 20s than it is among those with higher educational levels or job status, but in their 30s the trend reverses, according to a new study.

The cohort study of more than 10,000 British men and women found that, while trends in both binge drinking and abstaining from alcohol remained stable over time for men, women were more likely to change their binge-drinking habits as they age (J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2007;61:150–3).

At age 23 years, less-educated women were 9% less likely to binge drink than were better-educated women. At age 33, they were 11% more likely, and at age 42, 28% more likely.

The researchers, led by Barbara Jefferis, of the Institute of Child Health in London, said their findings suggest that the differences in binge-drinking habits may reinforce alcohol-related health inequalities.

“The initial peak of alcohol use in the most educated women differs from characteristic social gradients in health behaviors, whereby healthier behaviors are taken up by the most educated in society, as seen with smoking in this cohort,” they wrote. “Social gradients in health behaviors, including alcohol consumption, differ across locations and times, and are influenced by cultural and economic contexts.”

The researchers followed a group of British men and women all born the same week in March 1958, surveying them on drinking habits at the ages of 23, 33, and 42 years.

Survey respondents were asked to describe their drinking habits, and binge drinkers were identified by dividing the number of units of alcohol consumed in the past week by their normal weekly frequency of drinking.

In both sexes and at all time points, abstaining from alcohol was more likely among those achieving lower educational and job status. At age 23, men in the less educated group were 31% more likely to be nondrinkers, decreasing to 19% at age 33 and 17% at age 42. Less-educated women were 23% more likely to abstain at age 23, decreasing to 20% at age 33, but then increasing to 28% at age 42. The trends were not statistically significant.

Abstainers were a small proportion of the study population, reaching a maximum of 3.7% of men and 6.3% of the women at age 42.

Among men, binge drinking was more likely among those with lower educational and job status at all time points. At age 23, men in the less-educated group were 13% more likely to binge drink, 17% more likely at age 33, and 18% more likely at age 42. That odds increase among the less-educated men was not statistically significant, however.

Binge drinkers were a larger share of the cohort than abstainers, with a maximum of 36% of men and 18% of women at age 23.