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Sunday, March 18, 2007

SURVEILLANCE REPORT #78

APPARENT PER CAPITA ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION:NATIONAL, STATE, AND REGIONAL TRENDS, 1977–2004


National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research
Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System


Nekisha E. Lakins, M.A.
Gerald D. Williams, D.Ed.
Hsiao-ye Yi, Ph.D.

CSR, Incorporated1
Suite 1000
2107 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201

August 2006


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
National Institutes of Health

1 CSR, Incorporated, operates the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS) under Contract No. N01AA32007 for the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Dr. Rosalind A. Breslow serves as NIAAA Project Officer on the contract and oversaw the preparation of this report.


HIGHLIGHTS

This surveillance report on 1977–2004 apparent per capita alcohol consumption in the United States is the 20th in a series of consumption reports produced annually by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). Findings are based on alcoholic beverage sales data, either collected directly by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS) from the States or provided by beverage industry sources. Population data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau are used as denominators to calculate per capita rates.

The following are highlights from the current report, which updates consumption trends through 2004:

  • United States per capita consumption of ethanol from all alcoholic beverages combined in 2004 was 2.23 gallons, representing a 0.5 percent increase from 2.22 gallons in 2003. The increase is due to the increase in per capita consumption of wine (from 0.34 to 0.35 gallons ethanol) and spirits (from 0.67 to 0.68 gallons ethanol). However, per capita consumption of beer decreased (from 1.22 to 1.21 gallons ethanol).

  • Between 2003 and 2004, changes in overall per capita consumption of ethanol included increases in 35 states and the District of Columbia and decreases in 15 states.

  • Analysis of overall per capita alcohol consumption by census region between 2003 and 2004 indicated increases in the Northeast (1.4 percent), the West (0.9 percent), and the South (0.5 percent), and a decrease in the Midwest (0.9 percent).

  • Healthy People 2010 has set the national objective for reducing per capita alcohol consumption to no more than 1.96 gallons ethanol. However, there has been an increasing trend in per capita consumption since 1999. To meet the 2010 objective, per capita alcohol consumption will need to decrease by 12.1 percent, or about 2 percent per year from 2005 through 2010.
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