Chinese Women's Drinking Patterns Before and After the Hong Kong Alcohol Policy Changes. (23rd February 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wong, Eugene C; Kim, Jean H; Goggins, William B; Lau, Joseph; Wong, Samuel Y S; Griffiths, Sian M
• Is Part Of: Alcohol and alcoholism. Volume 53:Number 4(2018)
• Page Start: 477
• Page End: 486
• Publication Date: 2018-02-23
• Subjects: alcohol -- policy -- drinking -- women -- China -- epidemiology; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; 616.861005
• DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agy010
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0735-0414

Abstract

Abstract : This study compared alcohol consumption patterns in Hong Kong Chinese women before and after a period of major alcohol policy amendments and found increased drinking among certain subgroups, particularly middle-aged women. These increases are likely due to personal factors (e.g. changing perceptions) as well as environmental influences (e.g. greater marketing). Abstract: Aims: To examine the patterns of alcohol consumption in Hong Kong Chinese women before and after a period of major alcohol policy amendments. Short summary: This study compared alcohol consumption patterns in Hong Kong Chinese women before and after a period of major alcohol policy amendments and found increased drinking among certain subgroups, particularly middle-aged women. These increases are likely due to personal factors (e.g. changing perceptions) as well as environmental influences (e.g. greater marketing). Methods: Cross-sectional telephone surveys were conducted on adult Chinese women prior to the 2007–2008 beer and wine tax eliminations in 2006 ( n = 4946) and in 2011 ( n = 2439). Results: Over the study period, only women in the 36–45 year age stratum reported significant increases in all three drinking patterns: past-year drinking (38.1–45.2%), past-month binge drinking (2.3–5.2%) and weekly drinking (4.0–7.3%) ( P < 0.05); middle-aged women, unemployed or retired women and those ascribing to alcohol's health benefits emerged as new binge drinking risk groups. In 2011, 3.5% of all drinking-aged women (8.8% of past-year drinkers, 20.7% of binge drinkers and 23.1% of weekly drinkers) reported an increased drinking frequency after the tax policy changes. The main contexts of increased drinking were social events and with restaurant meals; moreover, beliefs of alcohol's health benefits were common to all contexts of increased drinking. Of women who increased their drinking frequency, the largest proportion attributed it to peer effects/social environment conducive to drinking, and brand marketing/advertising influences. Conclusions: Increased drinking among certain subgroups of Hong Kong Chinese women may be due to combined influences of: increased societal acceptance of social drinking, aggressive marketing promotions and personal beliefs in the health benefits of drinking that have recently emerged in the region. Hence, multi-prong strategies are required to combat potential drinking harms in these women.