| Demographic Group: | Resident persons aged >=18 years. |
| Numerator: | Respondents aged >=18 years who report having >=5 drinks (men) or >=4 drinks (women) on >=1 occasion during the previous 30 days. |
| Denominator: | Respondents aged >=18 years who report having a specific number, including zero, of drinks on one occasion during the previous 30 days (excluding unknowns and refusals). |
| Measures of Frequency: | Annual prevalence — crude and age-adjusted (standardized by the direct method to the year 2000 standard U.S. population, distribution 9*) — with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Previous month. |
| Background: | In 2006, a total of 15.2% of adults reported binge drinking on >=1 occasion during the previous 30 days. The prevalence of binge drinking is higher among young adult men than among other groups. |
| Significance: | Approximately 75,000 deaths each year in the United States are attributed to excessive alcohol use. Excessive alcohol use is strongly associated with injuries, violence, fetal alcohol syndrome, chronic liver disease, and risk of other acute and chronic health effects. |
| Limitations of Indicator: | The indicator does not convey the frequency of binge drinking or the specific amount of alcohol consumed. |
| Data Resources: | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).
http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/surveillance.htm |
| Limitations of Data Resources: | As with all self-reported sample surveys, BRFSS data might be subject to systematic error resulting from noncoverage (e.g., lower telephone coverage among populations of low socioeconomic status), nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | 26-11: Reduce the proportion of persons engaging in binge drinking of alcoholic beverages. (26-11c is specific for adults aged >=18 years.) |
