A coordinated release of new national data reports include the latest figures on alcohol-related deaths and self-reported consumption. The releases again highlight the important nuances behind headlines trends of rising deaths but of a downward trend in drinking, at least amongst younger drinkers.
Health Survey England (HSE) 2017
According to the latest HSE data, 63% of men and 52% of women reported drinking alcohol in the last week, with 19% of adults reporting not drinking in the last 12 months. Sixty per cent of adults drank at lower risk, that is within the 14 units per week CMO guideline, whilst 28% of men and 14% of women drank at either increasing or higher risk levels.
The HSE figures on self-reported drinking in the last week are consistent with other recent survey reports including Drinkaware's Monitor 2018 and the AHA's 'how we drink, how we think', both indicating the same figure of 28% of men and 14% of women reporting drinking above the guidelines, down from 34% to 28% of men, and from 18% to 14% of women in 2011. However the recent Monitor 2018 also assessed consumption using AUDIT-C, finding higher figures of 41% indicating a risky drinking level; likely to reflect the different methodology but also the extent of under-reporting via self-report measures.
Similar regional and age differences are identified within HSE, with 55-64 year olds are the most likely to be drinking over the guidelines - indeed consumption falls have been driven by declining drinking amongst younger drinkers since 2004; the subject of ongoing debate and research. Adults in higher income households were more likely to drink over 14 units in a usual week (27%) than those in lower income households (15%).
Alcohol specific deaths
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released 2017 data on alcohol-specific deaths (deaths known to be direct consequences of alcohol misuse, such as alcohol-related liver disease), in the UK:
- In 2017, there were 7,697 alcohol-specific deaths in the UK, an age-standardised rate of 12.2 deaths per 100,000 population.
- For the UK, alcohol-specific death rates have increased in recent years to similar rates observed in 2008 where they were at the highest recorded.
- Since the beginning of the time series in 2001, rates of alcohol-specific deaths among males have been more than double those observed among females (16.8 and 8.0 deaths per 100,000 in 2017 respectively).
- In 2017, alcohol-specific death rates were highest among 55- to 59-year-old females and 60- to 64-year-old males.
- Scotland remains the constituent country with the highest rate of alcohol-specific deaths in 2017; yet Scotland was the only country to experience a statistically significant decrease in rates from 2001.
A Twitter thread from Colin Angus exploring the data identifies that the rises are 'completely driven by increasing death rates in the over 55s in both men and women' as deaths at younger ages have not changed since 2001. On the issue of rising harms in the context of falling consumption, Angus points out consumption has only been falling in people aged under 55 since 2011, actually rising in older age groups in both men and women; a particularly stark change when comparing 2001 to 2016. The Guardian led with the headline of 'alcohol-related deaths among UK women highest in 10 years'.
LAPE mortality data
New mortality statistics for England have been released as part of the Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE) tool, identifying:
- in 2017 there were an estimated 24,200 deaths attributed to alcohol use in England. This is an increase of 1.5% since 2016 and the fifth consecutive annual rise
- deaths from alcohol-specific conditions increased by 2.8% to 16,660 in the period 2015-2017 compared to the previous 3-year period
- there were 18,900 deaths from chronic liver disease between 2015 and 2017, a 2.6% increase compared to the previous 3-year time period
- there were over 307,000 potential years of life lost due to alcohol consumption in 2017
- gender and inequality gaps persist across the updated measures showing that disproportionate levels of harm are impacting on men and the most deprived
The LAPE tool allows local areas assess alcohol-related harm, part of PHE resources to support local areas seeking to implement strategic and commissioning response. Local responses have been consistently emphasised within the context of Government alcohol policy, albeit that calls for stronger national policy and attention to the issue of cuts to treatment services are yet to be heard. Exceptions may be a current national CQUIN programme and the recent announcement of innovation funding for nine areas to implement projects to support children affected by parental alcohol problems. A new national strategy is expected next year.
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