Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access published online on October 7, 2006
Alcohol and Alcoholism, doi:10.1093/alcalc/agl088
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Aims: To investigate the validity of retrospective items used to distinguish people who have rarely or never consumed alcohol. Methods: The 1958 British Birth Cohort Study has followed 9377 individuals until age 45. Previous drinking (at 16, 23, 33 and 42 years) was investigated for two groups of 45-year-old non-drinkers, those reporting never having consumed alcohol (‘never drinkers’, n = 143, 1.5%), and having only consumed very infrequently (‘occasional-only drinkers’, n = 1149, 12.3%). Results: 67% of never drinkers previously reported drinking, 25% were past weekly/daily drinkers; 56% of occasional-only drinkers reported weekly/daily consumption. The validity of the retrospective items was progressively questionable when presumed to cover longer time periods. Conclusions: Substantial measurement error was evident when identifying ‘occasional-only’ and ‘never’ drinkers using retrospective items covering the lifecourse. Researchers investigating potential health benefits associated with moderate drinking need to incorporate more sophisticated methods when identifying sub-groups of non-drinkers.
Received May 21, 2006
Accepted September 5, 2006
Rapid Communication
DRINKING HISTORIES OF SELF-IDENTIFIED LIFETIME ABSTAINERS AND OCCASIONAL DRINKERS: FINDINGS FROM THE 1958 BRITISH BIRTH COHORT STUDY
T. M. CALDWELL 1 *, B. RODGERS 1, C. POWER 2, C. CLARK 3, and S. A. STANSFELD 3
2 Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, University College, London, UK
3 Centre for Psychiatry, Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK
T. M. CALDWELL, E-mail: Tanya.Caldwell{at}anu.edu.au
Abstract 
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  N. Lucas, T. D. Windsor, T. M. Caldwell, and B. Rodgers Psychological Distress in Non-Drinkers: Associations with Previous Heavy Drinking and Current Social Relationships Alcohol Alcohol., November 16, 2009; (2009) agp080v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Rehm, H. Irving, Y. Ye, W. C. Kerr, J. Bond, and T. K. Greenfield Are Lifetime Abstainers the Best Control Group in Alcohol Epidemiology? On the Stability and Validity of Reported Lifetime Abstention Am. J. Epidemiol., October 15, 2008; 168(8): 866 - 871. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. L. Klatsky Invited Commentary: Never, or Hardly Ever? It Could Make a Difference Am. J. Epidemiol., October 15, 2008; 168(8): 872 - 875. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B J M H Jefferis, O Manor, and C Power Cognitive development in childhood and drinking behaviour over two decades in adulthood J Epidemiol Community Health, June 1, 2008; 62(6): 506 - 512. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K Atherton, E Fuller, P Shepherd, D P Strachan, and C Power Loss and representativeness in a biomedical survey at age 45 years: 1958 British birth cohort J Epidemiol Community Health, March 1, 2008; 62(3): 216 - 223. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Pattenden, K. Nanchahal, P. Primatesta, and B. Thom Self-reported never-drinkers in England 1994 2003: Characteristics and trends in adults aged 18 54 years Alcohol Alcohol., January 1, 2008; 43(1): 91 - 96. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. CONNOR THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE J-SHAPED CURVE Alcohol Alcohol., November 1, 2006; 41(6): 583 - 584. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|