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A multilevel analysis of change in alcohol consumption in Québec, 1993-98
Andrée Demers1, Sylvia Kairouz
1Health & Prevention Social Research Group and Groupe de Recherche et d'Intervention sur les Substances Psychoactives, 2801 Edouard Montpetit, University of Montréal, CP 6128, succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C-3J7. andree.demers@umontreal.ca
Aims:
Changes in drinking are subgroup-specific and vary by dimensions of drinking pattern. This study investigates changes in drinking patterns between 1993 and 1998 within various subgroups of Québec society.
Design:
A multilevel design was used in which respondents (level 1) were nested within demographic groups (level 2).
Participants:
Based on the 1993 and 1998 Québec Health and Social Surveys, 40 598 respondents (level 1) were nested within 220 groups (level 2) based on age, SES status, gender and the year of survey.
Measurements:
The effect of group characteristics were assessed for various dimensions of drinking pattern.
Findings:
A significant part of the variance in drinking pattern is attributed to group membership (ranging from 8.6% to 18.3%). Except for the frequency of heavy drinking episodes, the data revealed a significant increase between 1993 and 1998 on all drinking pattern dimensions, which was more marked for higher SES groups for current drinking status. However, the frequency of heavy drinking decreased among the lower SES groups and remained stable among the higher SES groups.
Conclusions:
These results call for an increase in public health vigilance in monitoring trends in drinking patterns and their potential acute and chronic consequences.