Background: According to the prevention paradox, the majority of alcohol-related harms in the population occur among low-to-moderate risk drinkers, simply because they are more numerous in the population, although high-risk drinkers have a higher individual risk of experiencing alcohol-related harms. In this study we explored the prevention paradox in the Irish population by comparing alcohol-dependent drinkers (high-risk) to low-risk drinkers and non-dependent drinkers who engage in heavy episodic drinking (HED). Methods: Data were generated from the 2013 National Alcohol Diary Survey (NADS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of Irish adults aged 18-75. Data were available for 4338 drinkers. Respondents dependent on alcohol (as measured by DSM-IV criteria), respondents who engaged in monthly HED or occasional HED (1-11 times a year) and low-risk drinkers were compared for distribution of eight alcohol-related harms. Results: Respondents who were dependent on alcohol had a greater individual risk of experiencing each harm (p
CITATION STYLE
O’Dwyer, C., Mongan, D., Millar, S. R., Rackard, M., Galvin, B., Long, J., & Barry, J. (2019). Drinking patterns and the distribution of alcohol-related harms in Ireland: Evidence for the prevention paradox. BMC Public Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7666-4
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