Kale Dimitra, Buss Vera, Oldham Melissa, Brown Jamie, Shahab Lion, Jackson Sarah
Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, UK.
SPECTRUM Research Consortium, UK.
Drug Alcohol Depend Rep. 2025 May 5;15:100340. doi: 10.1016/j.dadr.2025.100340. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Understanding the motives for reducing alcohol consumption, how they differ among various population groups, and how they have evolved over time is crucial for designing effective public health interventions. This study estimated time trends in motives for attempts to reduce alcohol consumption among risky adult drinkers in England between 2017 and 2024 and explored differences by sociodemographics and alcohol consumption levels.
Data came from a nationally representative survey (Alcohol Toolkit Study), assessing 11,974 risky adult drinkers (mean [Standard Deviation] age= 45.8 [15.7] years, 60.1 % men) who made a past-year reduction attempt between January/2017 and August/2024. Participants reported factors motivating their most recent attempt (not mutually exclusive). We estimated time trends in the proportion of attempts to reduce alcohol consumption motivated by health concerns, cost, social factors (i.e., peer influence/support) and health professional advice, and calculated prevalence ratios (PRs) to compare changes in prevalence across the whole time series.
Over the time series, there was a small increase in the proportion of attempts motivated by health concerns (70.5-76.8 %; PR=1.09, 95 %CI1.01-1.18). Attempts motivated by cost and social factors nearly doubled (10.7-20.2 %; PR=1.89, 95 %CI1.37-2.60; 13.3-25.5 %; PR=1.92, 95 %CI1.46-2.52, respectively). Attempts driven by health professional advice increased (4.4-7.0 %; PR=1.57, 95 %CI0.96-2.57). Women, individuals from less advantaged social grades and with AUDIT-C 5-7 exhibited more pronounced changes in the proportion of attempts motivated by health concerns. Cost was a more consistent driver of attempts for those aged≥ 65.
Health concerns remain the most common motive for attempts to reduce alcohol consumption, but the proportion of attempts motivated by cost and social factors nearly doubled over the study period. These findings suggest the need for public health interventions that consider both economic and social influences alongside health concerns to better support alcohol reduction.
了解减少酒精消费的动机、不同人群之间动机的差异以及这些动机如何随时间演变，对于设计有效的公共卫生干预措施至关重要。本研究估计了2017年至2024年期间英格兰有风险的成年饮酒者尝试减少酒精消费的动机的时间趋势，并探讨了社会人口统计学和酒精消费水平的差异。
数据来自一项具有全国代表性的调查（酒精工具包研究），评估了11974名有风险的成年饮酒者（平均[标准差]年龄 = 45.8[15.7]岁，60.1%为男性），他们在2017年1月至2024年8月期间进行了过去一年的减少尝试。参与者报告了促使他们最近一次尝试的因素（并非相互排斥）。我们估计了因健康问题、成本、社会因素（即同伴影响/支持）和健康专业建议而促使减少酒精消费尝试的比例的时间趋势，并计算了患病率比值（PRs）以比较整个时间序列中患病率的变化。
在整个时间序列中，因健康问题而促使尝试的比例略有增加（70.5 - 76.8%；PR = 1.09，95%CI 1.01 - 1.18）。因成本和社会因素而促使的尝试几乎增加了一倍（分别为10.7 - 20.2%；PR = 1.89，95%CI 1.37 - 2.60；13.3 - 25.5%；PR = 1.92，95%CI 1.46 - 2.52）。由健康专业建议推动的尝试有所增加（4.4 - 7.0%；PR = 1.57，95%CI 0.96 - 2.57）。女性、社会等级较低且AUDIT - C评分为5 - 7的个体，因健康问题而促使尝试的比例变化更为明显。成本是65岁及以上人群尝试减少饮酒的更一致的驱动因素。
健康问题仍然是尝试减少酒精消费的最常见动机，但在研究期间，因成本和社会因素而促使的尝试比例几乎增加了一倍。这些发现表明需要公共卫生干预措施，在考虑健康问题的同时，兼顾经济和社会影响，以更好地支持减少酒精消费。
