Wastewater reveals socioeconomic link to alcohol consumption

People from a higher socioeconomic status drink more alcohol on average than those of lower socioeconomic background, according to new research from The University of Queensland.

Dr. Ben Tscharke from UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS) said the team analyzed wastewater samples collected from 50 sites across Australia between 2016 and 2023, covering 50% of the population. The study was published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

“We used wastewater analysis to assess long-term trends in alcohol consumption based on community socioeconomic status and remoteness,” Dr. Tscharke said.

“We found alcohol consumption is more prominent in regional communities and areas with higher socioeconomic status, which includes higher levels of education, income and skilled occupation.

“This could be due to a variety of factors including affordability of alcohol and lifestyle, with Australians of a higher socioeconomic status more likely to engage in social activities that involve drinking.”

The research team reported alcohol consumption dropped by approximately 4.5% in major cities, and by approximately 2.5% and 3% in regional and remote areas respectively over the seven-year period.

Study co-author Associate Professor Phong Thai said although there was a decline in alcohol consumption in Australia, it wasn’t consistent across population groups.

“We found the decline of alcohol consumption was steeper in cities than regional and remote areas, while there were smaller annual decreases in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas,” Professor Thai said.

“There’s a risk that if this trend continues it may increase Australian health inequalities, which is why it is necessary to maintain a sustained and multi-faceted effort to reduce the harms associated with alcohol consumption in more disadvantaged areas.

“Policy and prevention work should be appropriately targeted in these areas to produce more equitable long-term outcomes.”