Indicators related to alcohol consumption in the national Key Performance Indicators (nKPIs) are:
- the proportion of Indigenous regular clients aged 15 and over who had their alcohol consumption status recorded within the previous 24 months
- the proportion of Indigenous regular clients aged 15 and over, who had an AUDIT-C result recorded in the previous 24 months with a score of either:
- high risk (greater than or equal to 4 in males and 3 in females)
- low risk (less than 4 in males and 3 in females)
Why recording alcohol consumption and level 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.
AUDIT-C is a screening tool used to help identify hazardous drinking or active alcohol use disorders. It is scored on a scale of 0–12. A total score of 4 or more in males and 3 or more in females is considered positive. Generally the higher the score, the more likely it is that the person’s drinking is affecting their safety (RACGP 2015).
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, harmful drinking may result in alcohol dependence and other chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, cirrhosis of the liver, types of dementia, mental health problems and various cancers. Excessive drinking can impair judgment and coordination, and contributes to crime, violence, anti-social behaviours and accidents. Alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with severe adverse perinatal outcomes, such as foetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol-related birth defects and developmental disorders.
It is estimated that over one-third of the overall disease burden experienced by Indigenous Australians could be prevented by removing exposure to risk factors, such as alcohol use. Alcohol use was responsible for 8% of the total burden (AIHW 2016).
Alcohol consumption recorded (PI16)
This indicator is the proportion of Indigenous regular clients aged 15 and over who had their alcohol consumption status recorded within the previous 24 months.
It is collected for males and females in age groups:
- 15–24
- 25–34
- 35–44
- 45–54
- 55–64
- 65 and over.
At June 2019, 62% of Indigenous regular clients aged 15 and over had their alcohol consumption status recorded within the previous 24 months.