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Tax Policy, Adult Binge Drinking, and Youth Alcohol Consumption in the United States
Author(s) -
Xuan Ziming,
Nelson Toben F.,
Heeren Timothy,
Blanchette Jason,
Nelson David E.,
Gruenewald Paul,
Naimi Timothy S.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12152
Subject(s) - binge drinking , young adult , population , odds , demography , logistic regression , youth risk behavior survey , behavioral risk factor surveillance system , injury prevention , monitoring the future , medicine , poison control , environmental health , psychology , gerontology , psychiatry , substance abuse , sociology
Background Prior research attributed youth alcohol consumption to the attitudes and drinking patterns among adults. Yet at a population level, few have examined the relationship between state‐level adult binge drinking prevalence and youth drinking behaviors, or whether tax policy plays a role in this relationship. Methods We analyzed 6 biennial surveys (1999 to 2009) of individual‐level youth alcohol use and related behaviors from state‐based Y outh R isk B ehavior S urveys and corresponding years of state‐level adult binge drinking prevalence from the B ehavioral R isk F actor S urveillance S ystem. We employed logistic regression with generalized estimating equations method to assess the extent to which state adult binge drinking predicted individual‐level youth drinking outcomes and examined the role of alcohol taxes in that relationship. Results Population‐aggregate analyses based on 194 state‐year strata showed a positive correlation between state adult binge drinking and youth binge drinking ( P earson r = 0.40, p < 0.01). For individual‐level youth drinking outcomes, a 5 percentage point increase in binge drinking prevalence among adults was associated with a 12% relative increase in the odds of alcohol use ( adjusted OR = 1.12, 95% CI : 1.08, 1.16). Taxes were strongly inversely related with adult and youth drinking measures, and the effect of tax on youth drinking was attenuated after controlling for adult binge drinking. Conclusions Both tax and adult binge drinking are strong predictors of youth drinking. Tax may affect youth drinking through its effect on adult alcohol consumption. Implementing effective alcohol policies to reduce excessive drinking in the general population is an important strategy to reduce youth drinking.