ABSTRACT
Introduction: Investigations of drinking practices often rely on cross-country comparisons of population
averages in beverage preferences, drinking volumes and frequencies. Here, we investigate within-culture
patterns and variations in where, why and how people drink, answering the research question: How does
engagement in drinking practices vary by sex, age and household income?
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis examining the societal distribution (by age, sex,
household income) of 12 drinking practices identified in previous analyses of 2019 British event-level
drinking diary data from 14,742 drinkers aged 18+: Four off-trade practices (in-home consumption; e.g.
Evening at home with partner) and eight on-trade practices (consumption in licensed venues, e.g. Family
meal, Big night out).
Results: The level of engagement in practices varied by sex, age and income. In the on-trade sector, men,
particularly those in low-income groups, engaged in traditional pub-drinking, while women, especially older
women, engaged in sociable drinking occasions with family and friends which commonly involved food.
Young men and women were similarly likely to engage in heavier on-trade practices, which remained
commonplace into midlife. Drinking whilst socialising with friends, both inside and outside the home, was
common amongst younger age groups across all income bands. From midlife, home drinking often involved a
partner, especially for higher income groups.
Discussion and Conclusions: Most drinking practices were shared across the whole population, but level of
engagement in them is strongly patterned by age, household income and, particularly in the on-trade sector,
sex.
MEIER Petra Sylvia;
HOLMES John;
STEVELY KATE Abigail;
BOYD Jennifer;
HERNÁNDEZ ALAVA Monica;
HARDIE Iain;
WARDE Alan;
SASSO Alessandro;
2025-02-17
WILEY
JRC138296
0959-5236 (online),
https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.13975,
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dar.13975,
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC138296,
10.1111/dar.13975 (online),
