title: Do pre-drinkers consume more alcohol than non-pre-drinkers on an event-specific night out? A cross-national panel mobile survey of young people's drinking in England and Denmark.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Young people drinking heavily before going out to bars and clubs is associated with alcohol-related harm and therefore of great public concern. This study examines whether pre-drinkers consume more alcohol than non-pre-drinkers on an event-specific night out in England and Denmark--two European countries known for their excessive youth drinking.
  
  
  METHODS
  An event-specific survey of 1298 young people conducted in 50 bars, pubs and nightclubs in England and Denmark and follow-up interviews conducted via mobile surveys (n = 580). The questionnaire measured demographics, socioeconomic status, frequency of intoxication and alcohol unit intake before and during the young people's night out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A mixed linear model performed on the panel mobile survey shows that pre-drinkers in England and Denmark consume 9.185 (P < 0.001) and 7.554 (P < 0.001) units, respectively, more than the non-pre-drinkers. However, in both countries pre-drinkers consume 3.430 (P < 0.05) and 3.141 (P < 0.001) units less alcohol on-premises than the non-pre-drinkers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pre-drinking is a widespread phenomenon in England and Denmark, with more than half of young people pre-drinking on an event-specific night out. Pre-drinking contributes significantly to high-intensity drinking, as it does not preclude further drinking in bars, clubs and pubs. Thus, pre-drinking is a major target for public measures seeking to reduce young people's intoxication-related drinking and alcohol-related harm.
authors: The Danish National Centre for Social Research, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors: Jeanette
authors: J
authors: Østergaard
authors: Peter R
authors: PR
authors: Skov
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies / Q000379:methods; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012147:Restaurants; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alcohol; cross-national survey; panel mobile survey; pre-drinking; young people