McAlaney John, McMahon John
Centre for Alcohol and Drug Studies, University of Paisley, Paisley PA1, 2BE.
Alcohol Alcohol. 2006 Jul-Aug;41(4):355-7. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agl025. Epub 2006 Apr 19.
Several studies funded by the UK government have been influential in understanding rates of 'binge drinking' in the UK. This analysis aims to establish consistency between results and clarify UK rates of binge drinking.
The relevant sections of these surveys were compared: the Scottish Health Survey (SHS) 1998, the General Household Survey (GHS) 2002, and the Health Survey for England (HSE) 2003. In addition the methodology used by the Health Protection Agency in the Adult Drinking Patterns in Northern Ireland (2003) was compared with the approach used by the SHS, GHS, and HSE.
Marked differences were observed between the results of the GHS 2002 and both the SHS 1998 and the HSE 2002 despite each using a similar methodology, with the HSE 2003 reporting a rate of 'binge drinking' in young males of 57%, and the GHS reporting a rate of 35%. This difference may be largely attributed to variations in the criteria in binge drinking in each study. These differences in interpretation do not appear to have been acknowledged. Indeed several key documents on alcohol harm reduction made inaccurate citations of previous surveys.
The media rhetoric on escalating rates of binge drinking in the UK should be regarded with caution until trends are based on standardized recording and reporting.
英国政府资助的多项研究对理解英国的“狂饮”比率具有重要影响。本分析旨在确定研究结果之间的一致性，并阐明英国的狂饮比率。
对这些调查的相关部分进行了比较：1998年苏格兰健康调查（SHS）、2002年综合家庭调查（GHS）以及2003年英格兰健康调查（HSE）。此外，还将北爱尔兰健康保护局在《2003年成人饮酒模式》中使用的方法与SHS、GHS和HSE所采用的方法进行了比较。
尽管2002年GHS与1998年SHS以及2002年HSE均采用了类似的方法，但结果却存在显著差异。2003年HSE报告称年轻男性的“狂饮”比率为57%，而GHS报告的比率为35%。这种差异可能主要归因于每项研究中狂饮标准各不相同。这些解读上的差异似乎未得到认可。事实上，几份关于减少酒精危害的关键文件对先前调查的引用并不准确。
在基于标准化记录和报告得出趋势之前，对于英国媒体有关狂饮比率不断上升的言辞应持谨慎态度。
