Deconstructing alcohol use on a night out in England: promotions, preloading and consumption

Kirstie McClatchley, Gillian W Shorter, Jenny Chalmers

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    24 Citations (Scopus)
    68 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Introduction and Aims. To examine alcohol consumed during a drinking event (a single drinking occasion) by those attending public house/on-trade establishments on nights with standard pricing and nights with promotional prices. Design and Methods. Data (n = 425) were collected in an ecological momentary assessment over eight nights in two locations (Midlands and London) on both promotional and standard (Saturday) nights. Multiple regression was used to predict event alcohol consumption by sex, age, type of night, alcohol preloading behavior, marital and employment status, education, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test alcohol consumption questions separately or total AUDIT-C and social group size. Results. Mean (UK) units consumed were 11.8 (London) and 14.4 (Midlands). In London, consumption was similar on promotional and standard nights, but in the Midlands, standard night consumption was three units higher. Preloading was reported by 30%; more common on standard nights. Regression analyses revealed being male, preloading and past-year total AUDIT-C were associated with higher event consumption. However, when AUDIT-C questions were added separately, being a standard night was associated with increased event consumption and different AUDIT-C questions were significantly associated with event consumption in each location. Discussion and Conclusions. Event consumption reflected heavy episodic drinking and was influenced by price. Promotional night consumption either matched standard Saturday night consumption or was slightly lower. In London, there was a significant preference for drinking at least one promotional beverage on promotional nights. On standard nights, consumption was over a wider range of venues, and preloading with off-trade alcohol was more likely.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalDrug and Alcohol Review
    Volumeonline
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 2014

    Keywords

    • Alcohol Drinking
    • Alcoholic Intoxication
    • Policy
    • Event Drinking
    • Binge Drinking

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Deconstructing alcohol use on a night out in England: promotions, preloading and consumption'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this