title: Binge drinking intensity and health-related quality of life among US adult binge drinkers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Binge drinking (men, ≥ 5 drinks, women, ≥ 4 on an occasion) accounts for more than half of the 79,000 annual deaths due to excessive alcohol use in the United States. The frequency of binge drinking is associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL), but the association between binge drinking intensity and HRQOL is unknown. Our objective was to examine this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used 2008-2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data and multivariate linear regression models to examine the association between binge drinking intensity (largest number of drinks consumed on any occasion) among US adult binge drinkers and 2 HRQOL indicators: number of physically and mentally unhealthy days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among binge drinkers, the highest-intensity binge drinkers (women consuming ≥ 7 drinks and men consuming ≥ 8 drinks on any occasion) were more likely to report poor HRQOL than binge drinkers who reported lower levels of intensity (women who consumed 4 drinks and men who consumed 5 drinks on any occasion). On average, female binge drinkers reported more physically and mentally unhealthy days (2.8 d and 5.1 d, respectively) than male binge drinkers (2.5 d and 3.6 d, respectively). After adjustment for confounding factors, women who consumed ≥ 7 drinks on any occasion reported more mentally unhealthy days (6.3 d) than women who consumed 4 drinks (4.6 d). Compared with male binge drinkers across the age groups, female binge drinkers had a significantly higher mean number of mentally unhealthy days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings underscore the importance of implementing effective population-level strategies to prevent binge drinking and improve HRQOL.
authors.affiliation: Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS K-67, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Dafna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kanny
authors.forename: William W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Catherine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Okoro
authors.forename: Machell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Town
authors.forename: Lina S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Balluz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000431:Ethanol / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol