National Oral Health Plan 2015–2024: performance monitoring report

Proportion of people aged 18 years and older who consume more than two standard drinks per day on average

Numerator

Estimated total number of adults (aged 18+ years) in the Australian population who exceed the 2009 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guideline¹ of drinking no more than two standard drinks per day to reduce the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury.

Denominator

Total persons 18 years and over.

Note, rates are age standardised to the 2001 Australian standard population for comparisons over time.

Low

National Health Survey (ABS)

The Australian Bureau of Statistics National Health Survey (NHS) is the primary source of alcohol consumption data. It is designed to collect a range of information about the health of Australians and be representative of the estimated resident population living in private dwellings in non-Very remote areas of Australia.

Proportion of adults at risk of long-term harm from alcohol (consuming more than two standard drinks per day on average)

Respondents to NHS that self-report an average intake of more than 2 standard drinks of alcohol per day. The number of standard drinks per day is derived from information about the types and quantities of alcoholic drinks consumed on the three most recent days, of the week prior to interview, in conjunction with the total number of days alcohol was consumed. Survey data in the NHS is extrapolated to the Australian population living in private dwellings in non-Very remote areas of Australia using age and sex benchmarks to estimate the total number of adults who drink more than two standard drinks per day.

None