Alcohol consumption (PI16 and PI17)

Indicators related to alcohol consumption in the national Key Performance Indicators (nKPI) collection are:

  • alcohol consumption status recorded (PI16): the proportion of First Nations regular clients aged 15 and over who had their alcohol consumption status recorded within the previous 24 months
  • AUDIT-C result (PI17): the proportion of First Nations regular clients aged 15 and over who had an AUDIT-C result recorded within the previous 24 months with a score of either high risk (greater than or equal to 4 in males and 3 in females) or low risk (less than 4 in males and 3 in females).

PI16 and PI17 are collected for males and females in age groups:

  • 15–24
  • 25–34
  • 35–44
  • 45–54
  • 55–64
  • 65 and over.

Data for AUDIT-C result (PI17) are not presented on this page but are available at Data (this indicator has been retired from the nKPI collection starting from the December 2022 period).

Why recording alcohol consumption is important

Alcohol consumption refers to the consumption of drinks containing ethanol, commonly referred to as alcohol. The quantity, frequency or regularity with which alcohol is drunk provides a measure of the level of alcohol consumption.

The harmful use of alcohol has both short-term and long-term health effects. Short-term effects are mainly related to potential injury suffered by the drinker and/or others who may be affected by the drinker’s behaviour. Over the longer term, excessive alcohol consumption is associated with a variety of adverse health and social consequences. It is a major risk factor for conditions, including liver disease, pancreatitis, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and some types of cancer. It is also linked to social and emotional wellbeing, mental health and other drug issues. Alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with severe adverse perinatal outcomes, such as foetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol-related birth defects and developmental disorders.

The proportion of First Nations people aged 15 and over who did not drink alcohol in the last 12 months has increased in recent years, and they were also more likely than non-Indigenous Australians to have not drunk alcohol in the previous 12 months (AIHW 2022).

At June 2022, 55% (or around 146,300) of First Nations regular clients aged 15 and over had their alcohol consumption status recorded within the previous 24 months.

Alcohol consumption status recorded by reporting period

Alcohol consumption status recorded, by reporting period

This Tableau visualisation shows the percentage of Indigenous regular clients aged 15 and over who had their alcohol consumption status recorded in the last 2 years, for reporting periods between June 2017 and June 2022.

Data supporting this visualisation are available in Excel supplementary data tables at Data.

Note: See Technical notes for more information, including on interpreting changes over time.

 

Recording of alcohol consumption status was highest in:

  • Western Australia (66%)
  • Major cities (64%)
  • Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) (58%).

Alcohol consumption status recorded, by reporting period and state/territory or remoteness or organisation type

Alcohol consumption status recorded, by either state/territory, remoteness or organisation type, reporting period

Two data visualisations are presented here. The first shows the percentage of Indigenous regular clients aged 15 and over who had their alcohol consumption status recorded in the last 2 years for either:

  • state/territory (NSW/ACT, Vic, Qld, WA, SA, Tas, NT, Australia)
  • remoteness area (Major cities, Inner regional, Outer regional, Remote, Very remote, Australia)
  • organisation type (ACCHO, non-ACCHO, Total).

Reporting periods of either June 2017, December 2017, June 2018, December 2018, June 2019, December 2019, June 2020, December 2020, June 2021, December 2021, or June 2022 can be selected.

The second visualisation shows the selected information from the first visualisation by sex (male, female) and age group (15–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, 55–64, 65+).

Data supporting this visualisation are available in Excel supplementary data tables at Archived content.

Note: See Technical notes for more information, including on interpreting changes over time..

Reference

AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2022) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework: risky alcohol consumption, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 3 January 2023.

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