| Demographic Group: | Female residents aged 18–44 years. |
| Numerator: | Female respondents aged 18–44 years who report having >=4 drinks on >=1 occasion during the previous 30 days. |
| Denominator: | Female respondents aged 18–44 years who report a specific number, including zero, of drinks on one occasion during the previous 30 days (excluding unknowns and refusals). |
| Measures of Frequency: | Annual prevalence with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Previous month. |
| Background: | In 2006, a total of 14.8% of adult women reported binge drinking on >=1 occasion during the previous 30 days. |
| Significance: | 1) Approximately 75,000 deaths each year in the United States are attributed to excessive alcohol use. 2) Excessive alcohol use is strongly associated with injuries, violence, chronic liver disease, and risk of other acute and chronic health effects. 3) Alcohol use by pregnant women causes fetal alcohol syndrome. 4) Approximately 5,000 infants are born each year with fetal alcohol syndrome, which is irreversible and the leading known cause of mental retardation. |
| 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 answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | 16-17: Increase abstinence from alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs among pregnant women. (16-17a is specific for alcohol; 16-17b is specific for binge drinking.) |
