The Harms That Drinkers Cause: Regional Variations Within Countries

Area of Science:

• Alcohol and public health research
• Sociology of substance use
• Health disparities

Background:

• Multinational studies often overlook regional variations within countries when examining alcohol consumption and its harms.
• This homogeneity can lead to inaccurate conclusions, particularly regarding harms to non-drinkers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate regional variations in self-reported harms to others caused by drinking within multiple countries.
• To determine if harms to others from drinking differ across regions within nations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized survey data from 12,356 drinkers across 46 regions in 10 countries (GENACIS project).
• Employed multilevel modeling to analyze the likelihood of reporting eight types of drinking-related harms to others.
• Accounted for respondent, regional, and national levels, along with demographic factors.

Main Results:

• Reports of causing harm to others due to drinking varied significantly by gender and age.
• Crucially, significant regional differences in harms to others were observed within countries.
• Regional prevalence of drinking did not significantly predict harms to others.

Conclusions:

• National and international studies on alcohol-related harms to non-drinkers must incorporate regional variations.
• Understanding within-country differences is essential for accurate assessments of alcohol's societal impact.