ArticleAddiction (Abingdon, England)2015
Lay epidemiology and the interpretation of low-risk drinking guidelines by adults in the United Kingdom.
Article in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers.
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Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed.
- [Assessment of recommendations for low-risk use of alcohol, cannabis, gambling and gaming: state of knowledge].Der Nervenarzt · 2026Review
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- 'I don't consider cancer when I'm grabbing the beer': Discursive strategies used by midlife New Zealanders to undermine alcohol-cancer risks.Health promotion international · 2025Article
- Personal perceptions of risky drinking and alcohol guidelines - a qualitative analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Taking pleasure seriously: Should alcohol research say more about fun?Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2025Article
- Alcohol use as a modifiable risk factor in cardiology: A qualitative study of patient perspectives in Sweden.PloS one · 2025Article
- Public and professional stakeholders' perceptions of alcohol advertising and availability policies: A qualitative study.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
- Risky drinking or risky governance?Nordisk alkohol- & narkotikatidskrift : NAT · 2024Article
- Mixed messages? Exposure to reports about alcohol's suggested cardiovascular effects and hazardous alcohol use: a cross-sectional study of patients in cardiology care.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Should we promote alcohol problems as a continuum? Implications for policy and practice.Drugs (Abingdon, England) · 2024Article
- Youth drinking in decline: What are the implications for public health, public policy and public debate?The International journal on drug policy · 2022Article
- "Drinkers Like Me": A Thematic Analysis of Comments Responding to an Online Article About Moderating Alcohol Consumption.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Lockdown Period: Predictors of At-Risk Drinking at Different AUDIT-C Cut-Off Thresholds.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Article
- Revisiting Candidacy: What Might It Offer Cancer Prevention?International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Understanding Motivation to Adhere to Guidelines for Alcohol Intake, Physical Activity, and Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among U.K. University Students.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2021Article
- Effects on alcohol consumption of announcing and implementing revised UK low-risk drinking guidelines: findings from an interrupted time series analysis.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2020Article
- Drinking patterns, alcohol-related harm and views on policies: results from a pilot of the International Alcohol Control Study in Canada.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2020Article
- Patients' experiences of alcohol screening and advice in primary care: a qualitative study.BMC family practice · 2020Article
- Transdiagnostic or Disorder Specific? Indicators of Substance and Behavioral Addictions Nominated by People with Lived Experience.Journal of clinical medicine · 2020Article
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Abstract
aimsTo explore how the concept of lay epidemiology can enhance understandings of how drinkers make sense of current UK drinking guidelines.
methodsQualitative study using 12 focus groups in four sites in northern England and four sites in central Scotland. Participants were 66 male and female drinkers, aged between 19 and 65 years, of different socio-economic backgrounds. Data were analysed thematically using a conceptual framework of lay epidemiology.
resultsCurrent drinking guidelines were perceived as having little relevance to participants' drinking behaviours and were generally disregarded. Daily guidelines were seen as irrelevant by drinkers whose drinking patterns comprised heavy weekend drinking. The amounts given in the guidelines were seen as unrealistic for those motivated to drink for intoxication, and participants measured alcohol intake in numbers of drinks or containers rather than units. Participants reported moderating their drinking, but this was out of a desire to fulfil work and family responsibilities, rather than concerns for their own health. The current Australian and Canadian guidelines were preferred to UK guidelines, as they were seen to address many of the above problems.
conclusionsDrinking guidelines derived from, and framed within, solely epidemiological paradigms lack relevance for adult drinkers who monitor and moderate their alcohol intake according to their own knowledge and risk perceptions derived primarily from experience. Insights from lay epidemiology into how drinkers regulate and monitor their drinking should be used in the construction of drinking guidelines to enhance their credibility and efficacy.
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