Beverage-specific Alcohol Consumption Research Articles

Where do high-risk drinking occasions occur more often? A cross-sectional, cross-country study.

The current paper examines the proportion of drinking occasions and total alcohol consumed that takes place at off-premise locations. Comparisons are made between high-income countries: Australia, New Zealand, England and Scotland, and across drinker-types: high-risk and lower-risk. Data were taken from the International Alcohol Control study in Australia (N = 1789), New Zealand (N = 1979), England (N = 2844) and Scotland (N = 1864). The cross-national survey measures location and beverage-specific alcohol consumption. The number of drinking occasions and mean consumption across on- and off-premise locations and the proportion of drinking occasions that high- and lower-risk drinkers had at on- and off-premise locations was estimated for each country. The majority of drinking occasions among high-risk drinkers occurred at off-premise locations across all four countries; Australia 80.1%, New Zealand 72.0%, England 61.7% and Scotland 60.7%. High-risk drinkers in Australia had significantly larger proportions of drinking occasions occurring at off-premise locations compared to England and Scotland. Across all countries, high-risk drinkers and lower-risk drinkers consumed significantly larger quantities of alcohol per occasion at off-premise locations compared to on-premises locations. Finally, the majority of total alcohol consumed occurred at off-premise locations across all countries for high- and lower-risk drinkers. As the accessibility to alcohol outside of licensed premises continues to increase, particularly with the expansion of home delivery services, it is important to be mindful of the high proportion of heavy drinking occasions that occur off-premise.

Population-Level Alcohol Consumption and Homicide Rates in Latin America: A Fixed Effects Panel Analysis, 1961-2019.

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) possesses 8 per cent of the global population but approximately one-third of global homicides. The region also exhibits high per capita alcohol consumption, risky drinking patterns and a heterogeneous mix of beverage preferences. Despite this, LAC violence receives limited attention in the English-language literature and there are no studies of the population-level alcohol-homicide association in the region. We examined the effects on total, male and female homicide rates of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption (22 nations, 1961-2019) and of risky drinking patterns (20 nations, 2005 and 2010). We collected homicide and alcohol data from the World Health Organization. Panel fixed effects models showed (1) per capita total and wine consumption were positively associated with total, male and female homicide rates, though effects were much stronger for males, (2) per capita beer consumption was positively associated with total and male homicide rates, (3) per capita spirits consumption was not associated with homicide rates, and (4) nations with riskier drinking patterns had higher total, male and female homicide rates than those with less risky drinking patterns.

Beverage-specific consumption trends: A cross-country, cross-sectional comparison.

The price of alcoholic beverages can vary for a range of reasons, including tax. Risky drinkers purchase more low-cost alcoholic drinks than moderate drinkers, contributing to beverage-specific risks for that category. The study aimed to examine the proportion of total alcohol consumption comprised by each beverage type and their correlates. Australian and New Zealand populations were compared, where drinking cultures are similar, but taxation of alcohol differs. Data was taken from the International Alcohol Control study in Australia (N=1580) and New Zealand (N =1979), a cross national survey that asks questions on beverage specific alcohol consumption at a range of different locations. Tax rates were obtained from previous analyses run on the dataset. Ready to Drink (pre-mixed) beverages are more popular in New Zealand and the proportion of these drinks consumed out of total alcohol consumption by risky drinkers was correspondingly higher there. Conversely, the proportion of wine consumed by risky drinkers was higher in Australia. The consumption of spirits and beer by risky drinkers was similar in both countries. Differences found for the proportion of beverages consumed by risky drinkers between the countries are fairly well aligned with differences in the taxation of each drink type. Future adaptations in taxation systems should consider the impact of taxes on preferential beverage choice and associated harms.

The association between beverage-specific alcohol consumption and mortality among road users in Russia, 1965–2019

A vast body of literature suggests a relationship between alcohol consumption and road traffic fatalities. Despite an impressive downward trend in road traffic fatalities in Russia, the death rate is still unacceptably high. Far fewer studies have differentiated the association by road users and types of alcoholic beverages. This population-based study aims to estimate the associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol per capita (15+) consumption (APC) based on official alcohol sales statistics and road traffic mortality using police data on the number of deaths by road users. The study covers the period 1965–2019. We employed a first-order difference linear regression model with robust and autocorrelation consistent standard errors, controlling for a level of motorisation. To examine the possible evolution of the phenomenon, we repeated models separately for three consecutive periods (1965–1984, 1985–2002, 2003–2019). The findings suggest that an annual 1-litre increase in APC (in litres of pure alcohol) associated with a corresponding increase in the death rates (per 100,000 inhabitants) of both unprotected road users and motor vehicle occupants by about 0.3 (p < 0.01) and 0.4 (p < 0.05), respectively. A beverage-specific analysis for 1965–2019 revealed a positive and significant association between mortality of pedestrians and cyclists and the consumption of strong alcoholic beverages (p < 0.05) as well as mortality of drivers and passengers and the consumption of weaker alcoholic beverages, primarily beer (p < 0.01). Various road safety strategies should be applied to prevent road traffic fatalities of road users.

Alcohol intake and bradyarrhythmia risk: a cohort study of 407 948 individuals.

Aims There is a paucity of epidemiological evidence on alcohol and the risk of bradyarrhythmias. We thus characterized associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption with incident bradyarrhythmias using data from the UK Biobank.Methods and results Alcohol consumption reported at baseline was calculated as UK standard drinks (8 g alcohol)/week. Bradyarrhythmia events were defined as sinus node dysfunction (SND), high-level atrioventricular block (AVB), and permanent pacemaker implantations. Outcomes were assessed through hospitalization and death records, and dose–response associations were characterized using Cox regression models with correction for regression dilution bias. We studied 407 948 middle-aged individuals (52.4% female). Over a median follow-up time of 11.5 years, a total of 8 344 incident bradyarrhythmia events occurred. Increasing total alcohol consumption was not associated with an increased risk of bradyarrhythmias. Beer and cider intake were associated with increased bradyarrhythmia risk up to 12 drinks/week; however, no significant associations were observed with red wine, white wine, or spirit intake. When bradyarrhythmia outcomes were analysed separately, a negative curvilinear was observed for total alcohol consumption and risk of SND, but no clear association with AVB was observed.Conclusion In this predominantly White British cohort, increasing total alcohol consumption was not associated with an increased risk of bradyarrhythmias. Associations appeared to vary according to the type of alcoholic beverage and between different types of bradyarrhythmias. Further epidemiological and experimental studies are required to clarify these findings.

Alcohol consumption and risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death: An observational study of 408,712 individuals.

Although previous studies have demonstrated a U-shaped relationship between alcohol and sudden cardiac death (SCD), there is a paucity of evidence on the role of alcohol specifically on incident ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). The purpose of this study was to characterize associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption with incident VA and SCD using data from the UK Biobank. Alcohol consumption reported at baseline was calculated as UK standard drinks (8 g of alcohol) per week. Outcomes were assessed through hospitalization and death records. Alcohol consumption was modeled as restricted cubic splines in multivariate Cox regression models and corrected for regression dilution bias. We studied 408,712 middle-aged individuals (52.1% female) over a median follow-up time of 11.5 years. A total of 1733 incident VA events and 2044 SCDs occurred. For incident VA, no clear association was seen with total alcohol consumption. Although consumption of greater amounts of spirits was associated with increased VA risk, no other significant beverage-specific associations were observed. For SCD, a U-shaped association was seen for total alcohol consumption, such that consumption of <26 drinks per week was associated with lowest risk. Consumption of greater amounts of beer, cider, and spirits was potentially associated with increasing SCD risk, whereas increasing red and white wine intake was associated with reduced risk. In this predominantly white cohort, no association of total alcohol consumption was observed with VA, whereas a U-shaped association was present for SCD. Additional studies utilizing accurately defined VA and SCD events are required to provide further insights into these contrasting findings.

Risk Thresholds for Total and Beverage-Specific Alcohol Consumption and Incident Atrial Fibrillation.

This study sought to characterize associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption with incident atrial fibrillation (AF). Although binge drinking and moderate to high consumption of alcohol are both established risk factors for AF, comparatively less is known about the effect of low alcohol consumption and whether associations differ by specific alcoholic beverages. Using data from the UK Biobank, total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption was calculated as UK standard drinks (8g alcohol) per week. Past drinkers and those with a history of AF were excluded. Incident AF events were assessed through hospitalization and death records, and dose-response associations were characterized using Cox regression models with correction for regression dilution bias. We studied 403,281 middle-aged individuals (52.4% female). Over a median follow-up time of 11.4 years (IQR: 10.7-12.3 years), a total of 21,312 incident AF events occurred. A J-shaped association of total alcohol consumption was observed, with lowest risk of AF with fewer than 7 drinks/week. Beverage-specific analyses demonstrated harmful associations of beer/cider consumption with any consumption. In contrast, consumption of red wine, white wine, and spirits up to 10, 8, and 3 drinks/week, respectively, was not associated with increased risk. In this predominantly White population, low levels of alcohol consumption (<7 U.K. standard drinks [56g alcohol]/week) were associated with lowest AF risk. Low consumption of red and white wine and very low consumption of spirits may not be associated with increased AF risk, whereas any consumption of beer/cider may be associated with harm. These findings may have important implications for the primary prevention of AF that should beexplored in future studies.

B-PO05-165 ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND RISK OF BRADYARRHYTHMIAS: DATA FROM THE UK BIOBANK

There is a paucity of evidence for the role of alcohol consumption on the risk of bradyarrhythmias. Using prospective cohort data from the UK Biobank, we characterised associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption with incident bradyarrhythmias. Self-reported alcohol consumption from a baseline questionnaire was calculated as standard drinks (8g alcohol) per week. Past and never drinkers and those with a history of bradyarrhythmias were excluded. Bradyarrhythmias were defined as a pacemaker insertion or abnormalities in rate/rhythm resulting in a pathologically slow ventricular response. Incident events were assessed through hospitalisation and death records. Consumption was modelled as restricted cubic splines in multivariate Cox regression models and corrected for regression dilution bias. The cohort consisted of 385,670 participants with 4,246 incident bradyarrhythmias over a median (IQR) follow-up duration of 8.0 (7.3-8.6) years. Participants consuming greater amounts of alcohol were younger, more likely male, of white ethnicity, and largely more comorbid. Associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption and bradyarrhythmia risk are shown in the Figure. Disaggregation demonstrated similar associations for alcohol consumption with different bradyarrhythmia outcomes. Amongst current drinkers, alcohol consumption appears to have a protective association with bradyarrhythmia risk. Red and white wine intake was associated with lower risk compared to beer, cider and spirits. Further investigation is required into the biologic mechanisms behind these findings.

B-PO02-004 TOTAL AND BEVERAGE-SPECIFIC ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND INCIDENT ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

Although binge drinking and moderate-to-high alcohol consumption are risk factors for developing atrial fibrillation (AF), the impact of low alcohol consumption remains controversial. Using prospective cohort data from the UK Biobank, we characterised the associations of alcohol consumption with incident AF. Self-reported alcohol consumption from a baseline questionnaire was calculated as standard drinks (8g alcohol) per week. Non-drinkers and those with a history of AF were excluded. Incident AF was assessed through hospitalisation and death records. Consumption was modelled as restricted cubic splines in multivariate Cox regression models and corrected for regression dilution bias. The cohort consisted of 381,236 participants with 11,538 incident AF events over a median (IQR) follow-up duration of 7.9 (7.3-8.6) years. Participants consuming greater amounts of alcohol were younger, more likely male, of white ethnicity, and largely more comorbid. Associations for total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption with risk of AF are shown in the Figure. When included in the analysis, past drinkers but not never drinkers appeared to have a greater risk of AF compared to current drinkers (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.05-1.26 and HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.94-1.13 respectively). Spirit consumption in females was associated with greater AF risk, though no other significant gender interactions were observed. Amongst current drinkers, low alcohol consumption up to 7 standard drinks/week was not associated with increased AF risk. Red and white wine intake was associated with lower AF risk in comparison to beer, cider and spirits.

Total and Beverage-Specific Alcohol Consumption and Incident Ventricular Arrhythmias

Although a significant body of literature has examined the effects of alcohol on coronary heart disease, comparatively less is known about ventricular arrhythmia risk. We characterised associations of alcohol consumption with incident ventricular arrhythmias using data from the UK Biobank.

Alcohol Intake and Bradyarrhythmia Risk: A Cohort Study of 385,670 Individuals

There is a paucity of evidence for the role of alcohol consumption on bradyarrhythmia risk. Using prospective cohort data from the UK Biobank, we characterised associations of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption with incident bradyarrhythmias.

Race- and sex-specific association between alcohol consumption and hypertension in 22 cohort studies: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and aimsThe alcohol–hypertension relation has been well documented, but whether women have protective effect or race and type of beverage consumed affect the association remain unclear. To quantify the relation between total or beverage-specific alcohol consumption and incident hypertension by considering the effect of sex and race. Methods and resultsArticles were identified in PubMed and Embase databases with no restriction on publication date. Pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by random effects models. Restricted cubic splines were used to model the dose–response association. This study involved 22 articles (31 studies) and included 414,477 participants. The hypertension risk was different among liquor, wine, and beer at 5.1–10 g/d of ethanol consumption (P-across subgroups = 0.002). The hypertension risk differed between men (RR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.20) and women (RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.06) at 10 g/d (P-across subgroups = 0.005). We found a linear alcohol–hypertension association among white (P-linearity = 0.017), black people (P-linearity = 0.035), and Asians (P-linearity<0.001). With 10 g/d increment of consumption, the RRs for hypertension were 1.06 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.08), 1.14 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.28), and 1.06 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.10) for Asians, black, and white people, respectively. ConclusionSex modifies the alcohol–hypertension association at low level of alcohol consumption and we did not find evidence of a protective effect of alcohol consumption among women. Black people may have higher hypertension risk than Asians and white people at the same ethanol consumption.

Population Alcohol Consumption as a Predictor of Alcohol-Specific Deaths: A Time-Series Analysis of Aggregate Data

The study examines whether the number of alcohol-specific deaths can be predicted by population total and/or beverage-specific alcohol consumption and if, how precisely. The data are annual series of spirits, wine, beer and total consumption and alcohol-specific deaths in Finland in the years 1969-2015. We specify a Auto Regressive Distributed Lags model with cointegrated variables, to be used in prediction. In our model, the number of alcohol-specific deaths is the response variable, and log of spirits consumption and log of non-spirits consumption, are the explanatory variables. The response variable has one added annual lag and the explanatory variables have both four annual added lags in the model. In our data alcohol-specific deaths, log of spirits and log of non-spirits consumption are significantly cointegrated. The precision of the estimated model is good. The prediction results include prediction of the 2008 downturn in alcohol deaths, using the data from the years 1969-2004, forecasting the as yet unknown 2016 alcohol deaths on the basis of known values of alcohol consumption up to 2016, and forecasts of future (2017-2020) alcohol deaths from 2016 on. Forecasted effects of a proposed Finnish alcohol policy change, leading to six percent total consumption increase, are estimated. The number of alcohol-specific deaths can be predicted with an appropriate time-series regression model on the basis of population consumption. It is important to consider also beverage type because of the improved predictive power. The model is useful in an evaluation of proposed alcohol policy changes.

Alcohol and the risk of Barrett's esophagus: a pooled analysis from the International BEACON Consortium.

Results from studies examining the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of Barrett's esophagus have been inconsistent. We assessed the risk of Barrett's esophagus associated with total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption by pooling individual participant data from five case-control studies participating in the international Barrett's and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Consortium. For analysis, there were 1,282 population-based controls, 1,418 controls with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and 1,169 patients with Barrett's esophagus (cases). We estimated study-specific odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) using multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), education, smoking status, and GERD symptoms. Summary risk estimates were obtained by random-effects models. We also examined potential effect modification by sex, BMI, GERD symptoms, and cigarette smoking. For comparisons with population-based controls, although there was a borderline statistically significant inverse association between any alcohol consumption and the risk of Barrett's esophagus (any vs. none, summary OR=0.77, 95% CI=0.60-1.00), risk did not decrease in a dose-response manner (Ptrend=0.72). Among alcohol types, wine was associated with a moderately reduced risk of Barrett's esophagus (any vs. none, OR=0.71, 95% CI=0.52-0.98); however, there was no consistent dose-response relationship (Ptrend=0.21). We found no association with alcohol consumption when cases were compared with GERD controls. Similar associations were observed across all strata of BMI, GERD symptoms, and cigarette smoking. Consistent with findings for esophageal adenocarcinoma, we found no evidence that alcohol consumption increases the risk of Barrett's esophagus.

Risk of upper aerodigestive tract cancer and type of alcoholic beverage: a European multicenter case–control study

The general relationship between cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) and alcohol drinking is established. Nevertheless, it is uncertain whether different types of alcoholic beverages (wine, beer and liquor) carry different UADT cancer risks. Our study included 2,001 UADT cancer cases and 2,125 controls from 14 centres in 10 European countries. All cases were histologically or cytologically confirmed squamous cell carcinomas. Controls were frequency matched by sex, age and centre. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) adjusted for age, sex, centre, education level, vegetable and fruit intake, tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking, where appropriate. Risk of beverage-specific alcohol consumption were calculated among 'pure drinker' who consumed one beverage type exclusively, among 'predominant drinkers' who consumed one beverage type to more than 66% and among 'mixed drinkers' who consumed more than one beverage type to similar proportions. Compared to never drinkers and adjusted for cumulative alcohol consumption, the OR and 95%CI for wine, beer and liquor drinking, respectively, were 1.24 (0.86, 1.78), 1.54 (1.05, 2.27) and 0.94 (0.53, 1.64) among 'pure drinkers' (p value for heterogeneity across beverage types=0.306), 1.05 (0.76,1.47), 1.25 (0.87,1.79) and 1.43 (0.95, 2.16) among 'predominant drinkers' (p value=0.456), and 1.09 (0.79, 1.50), 1.20 (0.88, 1.63) and 1.12 (0.82, 1.53) among 'mixed drinkers' (p value=0.889). Risk of UADT cancer increased with increasing consumption of all three alcohol beverage types. Our findings underscore the strong and comparable carcinogenic effect of ethanol in wine, beer and liquor on organs of the UADT.

Per capita alcohol consumption and suicide mortality in a panel of US states from 1950 to 2002.

introduction and aims: The relationship between per capita alcohol consumption and suicide rates has been found to vary in significance and magnitude across countries. This study utilises a panel of time-series measures from the US states to estimate the effects of changes in current and lagged alcohol sales on suicide mortality risk. Generalised least squares estimation utilised 53 years of data from 48 US states or state groups to estimate relationships between total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption measures and age-standardised suicide mortality rates in first-differenced semi-logged models. An additional litre of ethanol from total alcohol sales was estimated to increase suicide rates by 2.3% in models utilising a distributed lag specification while no effect was found in models including only current alcohol consumption. A similar result is found for men, while for women both current and distributed lag measures were found to be significantly related to suicide rates with an effect of approximately 3.2% per litre from current and 5.8% per litre from the lagged measure. Beverage-specific models indicate that spirits is most closely linked with suicide risk for women while beer and wine are for men. Unemployment rates are consistently positively related to suicide rates. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS" Results suggest that chronic effects, potentially related to alcohol abuse and dependence, are the main source of alcohol's impact on suicide rates in the USA for men and are responsible for about half of the effect for women.

Amount and type of alcohol consumption and missing teeth among community-dwelling older adults: findings from the Copenhagen Oral Health Senior study

To study if an association between total weekly intake of alcohol, type-specific weekly alcohol intake, alcoholic beverage preference, and the number of teeth among older people exists. A cross-sectional study including a total of 783 community-dwelling men and women aged 65-95 years who were interviewed about alcohol drinking habits and underwent a clinical oral and dental examination. Multiple regression analyses were applied for studying the association between total weekly alcohol consumption, beverage-specific alcohol consumption, beverage preference (defined as the highest intake of one beverage type compared with two other types), and the number of remaining teeth (≤ 20 versus >20 remaining teeth). The odds ratio (OR) of having a low number of teeth decreased with the total intake of alcohol in women, with ORs for a low number of teeth of 0.40 [95 percent confidence interval (CI) 0.22-0.76] in women drinking 1-14 drinks per week and 0.34 (95 percent CI 0.16-0.74) in women with an intake of more than 14 drinks per week compared with abstainers. Similar relations could also be obtained for type-specific alcohol intake of wine and for wine and spirits preference among women. Men who preferred beer showed a decreased risk for a low number of teeth compared with men with other alcohol preferences. In this study, alcohol consumption, wine drinking, and wine and spirits preference among women were associated with a higher number of teeth compared with abstainers. Among men, those who preferred beer also had a higher number of teeth.

The importance of alcoholic beverage type for suicide in Japan: A time‐series analysis, 1963–2007

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Cohort analysis has suggested that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for suicide in Japan. However, this relationship has not been observed at the population level when a measure of per capita total alcohol consumption has been analysed. The present study employed a time-series analysis to examine whether these contradictory findings may be due to the existence of beverage-specific effects on suicide. An autoregressive integrated moving average model was used to assess the relationship between the consumption of different types of alcohol and suicide rates from 1963 to 2007. The data comprised age-adjusted suicide rates for the ages 15-69, and information on beverage-specific alcohol consumption per capita (15+). The unemployment rate was included as a control variable. During 1963-2007, male suicide rates increased substantially whereas female rates decreased slightly. Consumption of distilled spirits was significantly related to male suicide rates (but not in women) with a 1L increase in consumption associated with a 21.4% (95% confidence interval: 3.2-42.9) increase in male suicide rates. There was no statistically significant relationship between suicide and any other form of alcohol consumption (beer, wine, other alcohol). This is the first study that has shown an association between spirits consumption and male suicide in Japan. Potentially beneficial policy changes include increasing spirits prices through taxation, reducing the physical availability of alcohol and discouraging the practice of heavy drinking.

Lifetime Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Barrett's Esophagus

Alcohol is a carcinogen that may increase the risk of Barrett's esophagus (BE) through direct contact with esophageal mucosa. However, few studies have investigated this association and findings have been inconsistent. We sought to examine the association between measures of total and beverage-specific alcohol consumption and BE risk. We conducted a large population-based case-control study that collected information on lifetime alcohol consumption and other exposures from 285 patients with nondysplastic BE, 108 patients with dysplastic BE, and two separate control groups: 313 endoscopy patients with acute inflammatory changes ("inflammation controls") and 644 population controls. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for categories of average alcohol consumption using unconditional multivariate logistic regression. Relative to life-long nondrinkers and consumption of <1 drink/week, consumption of 7-20 drinks/week (OR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.31-0.91) and 21-41 drinks/week (OR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.19-0.73) of total alcohol throughout the life was inversely associated with nondysplastic BE, for comparisons with population controls. Lifetime total alcohol consumption was also inversely associated with dysplastic BE (7-20 drinks/week OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.19-1.43; 21-41 drinks/week OR=0.22, 95% CI: 0.07-0.73). Similarly, reduced risk estimates were found for comparisons with inflammation controls. The inverse associations were observed separately for beer and wine consumption, with a significant linear trend observed with beer consumption. The risks associated with liquor consumption were up to twofold higher; however, they were not statistically significant. We found no evidence for effect modification by factors known (or suspected) to cause BE. Overall, alcohol consumption does not increase the risk of BE. Significant inverse associations were observed for beer consumption, the underlying reasons for which remain unclear.

Effects of Beverage-Specific Alcohol Consumption on Drinking Behaviors among Urban Youth

Alcoholic beverage consumption among high school students has shifted from beer to liquor. The current longitudinal study examined the effects of beverage-specific alcohol use on drinking behaviors among urban youth. Data included 731 adolescents who participated in Project Northland Chicago and reported consuming alcohol in 7th grade. Logistic regression tested the effects of beverage-specific use on consequences (e.g., alcohol use in the past month, week, heavy drinking, and ever drunkenness). Compared to wine users, adolescents who reported drinking hard liquor during their last drinking occasion had increased odds of alcohol use during the past month (OR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.01-2.05), past week (OR = 3.37; 95% CI = 1.39-8.18), and ever drunkenness (OR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.07-2.29). Use of hard liquor was associated with increased risk of alcohol-related consequences. Early selection of certain alcoholic beverages (e.g., hard liquor) may result in negative health outcomes and problematic alcohol use over time.