Emma Beard|Jamie Brown|Robert West|Eileen Kaner|Petra Meier|Susan Michie
Associations between socio-economic factors and alcohol consumption: A population survey of adults in England
University College London|University College London|University College London|Newcastle University|University of Sheffield|University College London
aim gain better understanding complex relationships different measures social position educational level income alcohol consumption england method march 2014 april 2018 data collected n 57807 alcohol drinkers england taking part alcohol toolkit study ats respondents completed auditc measure frequency alcohol consumption amount consumed typical day binge drinking frequency first two questions used derive secondary measure quantity average weekly unit consumption socioeconomic factors measured socialgrade based occupation employment status educational qualifications home car ownership income models constructed using ridge regression assess contribution predictor taking account high collinearity models adjusted age gender ethnicity results strongest predictor frequency alcohol consumption socialgrade two lowest occupational categories social grade eg semiskilled unskilled manual workers unemployed pensioners casual workers fewer drinking occasions professionalmanagerial occupations 029 95ci 034 025 031 95ci 033 029 strongest predictor consumed volume binge drinking frequency lower educational attainment whose highest qualification alevel ie collegehigh school qualification drank substantially typical day 028 95ci 025 031 higher weekly unit intake 355 95ci 304 405 university qualification also reported higher frequency binge drinking 011 95ci 009 014 housing tenure strong predictor drinking outcomes employment status car ownership weakest predictors outcomes conclusion socialgrade educational attainment appear strongest socioeconomic predictors alcohol consumption indices england followed closely housing tenure employment status car ownership lowest predictive power