title: Alcohol's harm to others: reduced wellbeing and health status for those with heavy drinkers in their lives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The impact of alcohol on those other than the drinker is an under-researched area with important policy implications. This study is a first step in investigating relationships between exposure to heavy drinkers in respondent's lives with measures of health status and wellbeing.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional general population survey was carried out among 3068 New Zealand residents aged 12-80 years (response rate 64%) using an in-house computer-assisted telephone interviewing system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Respondents' estimates of health status (European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions) and subjective wellbeing (Personal Wellbeing Index) were measured along with self-reports of heavy drinkers in their lives, demographic variables and own drinking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than one in four of the sample had experienced someone they considered to be a heavy drinker in their environment in the past 12 months. An index of exposure to heavy drinkers, reflecting numbers of heavy drinkers and cohabitation, predicted lower health status and personal wellbeing while controlling for demographic variables and respondent's own drinking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cross-sectional data from a general population sample suggest that there is a relationship between exposure to heavy drinkers and reduced personal wellbeing and poorer health status. Exposure to heavy drinkers may have negative impacts for others.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation (SHORE), Massey University, Wellesley Street, Auckland, New Zealand. s.casswell@massey.ac.nz
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casswell
authors.forename: Ru Quan
authors.initials: RQ
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Taisia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huckle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult