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Patterns of alcohol consumption in the Kimberley Aboriginal population
Author(s) -
Hunter Ernest M,
Hall Wayne D,
Spargo Randolph M
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1992.tb121557.x
Subject(s) - environmental health , medicine , alcohol consumption , public health , population , alcohol , alcohol abuse , demography , consumption (sociology) , psychiatry , social science , biochemistry , sociology , chemistry , nursing
Objective To estimate patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol‐related problems among adult Aborigines in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Design A community survey of adult Aborigines. Participants A stratified random sample of 516 Aboriginal men and women over the age of 15 years in the Kimberley. Main outcome measures Participants’ reports of their frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption, and their lifetime experience of alcohol‐related problems; and the laboratory measure γ ‐glutamyltranspeptidase. Results Aborigines in the Kimberley were more likely to be non‐drinkers than non‐Aborigines in the Australian population, but the majority of drinkers consumed hazardous amounts of alcohol: 85% (95% CI, 82% to 88%) of drinkers in the population were estimated to be drinking above the level defined by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) as harmful. Conclusion Alcohol abuse among Aborigines in the Kimberley is a major public health problem which requires urgent action.