Does individualized health information regarding alcohol consumption affect consumption among risky drinkers?
OBJECTIVE
Studies testing the effect of physician advice on alcohol consumption in a noncontrolled environment have not specifically focused on risky drinkers. Therefore, it is possible that the estimated effect of professional health advice primarily reflected moderate drinkers' responses. We assessed whether professional health advice reduced alcohol consumption among risky and binge drinkers in a real-world setting.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort analysis.


METHODS
We used 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Annual Survey Data.


METHODS
Five thousand seven hundred thirty-five adult male and nonpregnant female risky drinkers, with hypertension or borderline hypertension, who reported on whether they were advised to reduce alcohol consumption.


METHODS
Dependent variable: respondent was currently reducing alcohol use to control hypertension (1 = yes; 0 = no). Primary regressor: respondent claimed to have received advice from a health professional on reducing alcohol consumption to control hypertension (1 = yes; 0 = no).


METHODS
The model was estimated using generalized maximum entropy.


RESULTS
Professional health advice increased the probability that both risky (marginal effect [ME] = .09), and binge drinkers (ME = .07) reduced their alcohol consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that risky drinkers can effectively be targeted with consumption advice. This has important policy implications given that society bears the largest cost for this group, whereas moderate drinkers have been found to be relatively productive and healthy.
Joshua
J
Berning
Sean M
SM
Murphy
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
Alcohol Consumption, Risky Drinkers; Generalized Maximum Entropy; Health focus: social health; Manuscript format: research; Outcome measure: behavioral; Personalized Health Information; Prevention Research; Research purpose: modeling/relationship testing; Setting: state/national; Strategy: education, skill building/behavior change, policy; Study design: nonexperimental; Target population age: adults, seniors; Target population circumstances: education/income level, race/ethnicity