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Newsweek: PHI Expert Discusses Factors Related to Binge Drinking
In Newsweek, PHI’s Dr. Thomas K. Greenfield discusses factors, such as restrictive state alcohol control laws, that can reduce the prevalence of binge drinking within states.
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Alcohol Research Group
“North Dakota is the state with the highest rate of binge-drinking, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show.
Binge drinking is defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as five or more alcoholic drinks for males, or four or more for females, on the same occasion.
This means at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other, on at least one day in a month-long period.
When asked if they engaged in this style of drinking, the respondents to a Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey in North Dakota more widely said “yes” than any other state, at 21.2 percent.
The Peace Garden State was followed by Iowa, South Dakota and Montana for having the biggest binge-drinkers.
However, the country’s capital, Washington, D.C., actually exceeded the rate in those top states, having the highest prevalence of binge drinking across the U.S., at 27.1 percent.
Utah was the state with the fewest binge-drinkers, having a prevalence of 11.9 percent. Other states with lower levels of binge-drinking included West Virginia, New Mexico, Maryland and Alabama.
Utah has a high percentage of Latter Day Saints in its population and still fairly restrictive state alcohol control laws, which likely reduces binge prevalence.Thomas K. Greenfield, PhD
The Midwest, especially Wisconsin, and Northern tier states tend to have higher binge levels and less restrictive alcohol control laws.
Senior Scientist, Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute
Click on the link below to read the full article.
Originally published by Newsweek
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