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. 2007 Oct;4(4):A94.
Epub 2007 Sep 15.

Binge drinking and occupation, North Dakota, 2004-2005

Dwayne W Jarman  1 , Timothy S Naimi, Stephen P Pickard, Walter Randolph Daley, Anindya K De
Affiliations

Binge drinking and occupation, North Dakota, 2004-2005

Dwayne W Jarman et al. Prev Chronic Dis. 2007 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Binge drinking is a leading cause of preventable death and results in employee absenteeism and lost productivity. Knowledge about the prevalence of binge drinking among employees of different occupations is limited.

Methods: We assessed the prevalence of binge drinking (i.e., consuming five or more drinks per occasion during the previous 30 days) by primary occupation using data from the 2004-2005 North Dakota Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We used logistic regression to assess the association between binge drinking and primary occupation.

Results: Overall, 24.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 22.5-25.7) of North Dakota workers reported binge drinking. The prevalence was highest among farm or ranch employees (45.3%; 95% CI, 28.3-63.4), food or drink servers (33.4%; 95% CI, 23.9-44.4), and farm or ranch owners (32.5%; 95% CI, 26.3-39.4). The prevalence was lowest among health care workers (13.2%; 95% CI, 10.3-16.8). Compared with health care workers, the adjusted odds of binge drinking were highest among farm or ranch employees (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.2; 95% CI, 0.9-5.5), food or drink servers (AOR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1-4.0), and farm or ranch owners (AOR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.6). Health insurance coverage was lowest among employees in occupations with the highest prevalence of binge drinking.

Conclusion: We found occupational differences in the prevalence of binge drinking among employees in North Dakota. Many occupational categories had a high prevalence of binge drinking. We recommend the implementation of both employer-sponsored and population-based interventions to reduce binge drinking among North Dakota workers, particularly because employees in occupations with the highest rates of binge drinking had the lowest rates of health insurance coverage.

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Figures

Bar graph
Figure 1
Prevalence of binge drinking by occupation, North Dakota, 2004–2005. Binge drinking was defined as having consumed five or more drinks on one or more occasions during the previous 30 days.
Bar graph
Figure 2
Prevalence of frequent binge drinking by occupation among workers who reported binge drinking, North Dakota, 2004–2005. Binge drinking was defined as having consumed five or more drinks on one or more occasions during the previous 30 days. Frequent binge drinking was defined as binge drinking on three or more occasions during the previous 30 days.
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