Hon v. Stroh Brewery Company: what do we mean by "moderate" and "heavy" drinking?

Abstract

Although widely used, drinking terms such as "light,"' "moderate," and "heavy" are unstandardized and, as a result, public health messages using these terms may convey confusing information. As an initial attempt in providing such standardization, the present study surveyed public definitions for these terms. "Light" drinking was operationally defined as 1.4-2.4 drinks/day; "moderate" drinking was defined as 2.5-3.6 drinks/day; and "heavy" drinking was defined as 3.7 drinks/day and above. These ranges, however, were dependent on the respondent's gender, age, socioeconomic status, and especially the respondent's self-reported tolerance. Males had a higher threshold of consumption for "moderate" and "heavy" drinking than women. Older respondents likewise assigned a higher threshold for these terms than younger respondents. As respondent income increased, the threshold for "heavy" drinking decreased. The heaviest drinkers had a higher threshold for assigning the "heavy" label than did any other group. Ethnicity did not significantly affect these ranges, and religion only affected the threshold for "heavy" drinking. Because reseachers ultimately rely on terms such as "moderate" or ":heavy" to communicate their findings to colleagues and the public, it would seem apposite for them to agree on operational definitions for such terms. It would also seem appropriate to consider the operational definitions the public uses when referring to these terms to promote credibility of research findings and appropriate changes in behavior.