Characteristics of consumers of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks in Great Britain: A cross-sectional study

The impact of alcohol-free and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks on public health and health inequalities depends on who consumes them and how they are consumed. This study aimed to estimate: (i) the proportions of adults in Great Britain who consume no/lo drinks at different frequencies and in different settings; and (ii) the associations between no/lo drink consumption and individual characteristics.

Pooled data (N = 7691) from four waves of a repeat cross-sectional survey on alcohol use completed in 2022-2023 by adults (16+) resident in Great Britain were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models.

In all, 31.3% of adults reported ever consuming no/lo drinks and 9.8% reported drinking them weekly. Ever consumption of no/lo drinks was associated with: being an increasing risk drinker of alcohol relative to not drinking (OR_adj: 3.96, 95% CI 3.27-4.80), being aged 16-24 compared with 65+ (OR_adj:1.29, 95% CI 1.07-1.57), having previously smoked compared with having never smoked (OR_adj:1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.34) and living in a rural rather than urban area (OR_adj:1.14, 95% CI 1.00-1.29). It was less likely among those in lower social grades or with lower educational qualifications; those living in Yorkshire and the Humber, and Scotland, compared with the South-East of England; and those using nicotine products.

A third of adults in Great Britain have consumed no/lo drinks and approximately one in 10 do so weekly. Consumption is more common among riskier drinkers of alcohol and among more advantaged social groups, which may contribute to the sustaining or widening of health inequalities.