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Alcohol consumption
The Department of Health is responsible for all policy addressing the problem of alcohol misuse insofar as it affects the health of people in England. It works with partner organisations in the Government and voluntary sector to encourage sensible drinking, and is involved in European and International efforts to reduce alcohol misuse and treat its symptoms.
The Regional Lifestyle Survey asked questions about how much alcohol residents drank in the past week and amount consumed in one sitting. From this data the percentage of people who consume more than the recommended intake of alcohol per week could be calculated.
The recommended intake of alcohol units per week for males is 21 units and 14 units for females. One unit of alcohol is 10 ml (1 cl) by volume, or 8 g by weight, of pure alcohol. For example:
One unit of alcohol is about equal to:
- Half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager, or cider (3 - 4% alcohol by volume), or
- A small pub measure (25 ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume), or
- A standard pub measure (50 ml) of fortified wine such as sherry or port (20% alcohol by volume).
There are one and a half units of alcohol in:
- A small glass (125 ml) of ordinary strength wine (12% alcohol by volume), or
- A standard pub measure (35 ml) of spirits (40% alcohol by volume).
Table 1. Percentage of adults (16 and over) who consume more than the recommended intake of alcohol per week in 2005
Source: Regional Lifestyle Survey 2005, West Midlands Reginal Observatory & West Midlands Public Health Observatory
Based on the survey results, 17% of adults in Herefordshire drank more than the recommended intake of alcohol, which is lower than 20% for the West Midlands. In both Herefordshire and the West Midlands, a higher proportion of males than females drank more than the recommended intake of alcohol in the week prior to the survey.
Binge drinking is defined by the Office for National Statistics to be 8 or more units for males and 6 or more units for females consumed on at least one day in the week. The wording on the RLS questionnaire was slightly different in that it asked residents to record the most they had drunk in any one sitting during the previous week. In Herefordshire 23% of residents were identified as binge drinkers compared to 28% regionally.
In both Herefordshire and the region the rates of binge drinking were considerably higher in males. Both the male and female binge drinking rates for Herefordshire (32% and 15% respectively) were lower than those regionally (36% for males and 19% for females).
Chart 1. Prevalence of binge drinking by age
Source: Regional Lifestyle Survey 2005, West Midlands Reginal Observatory & West Midlands Public Health Observatory
Chart 1 shows a clear age-related trend in binge drinking in both areas, with the highest rates being observed in the 18-34 year old age band (37% in the county, 42% regionally).