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Item Beverage-specific consumption trends: A cross-country, cross-sectional comparison.(Elsevier B.V., 2023-05-12) Torney A; Room R; Huckle T; Casswell S; Callinan SINTRODUCTION: The price of alcoholic beverages can vary for a range of reasons, including tax. Risky drinkers purchase more low-cost alcoholic drinks than moderate drinkers, contributing to beverage-specific risks for that category. The study aimed to examine the proportion of total alcohol consumption comprised by each beverage type and their correlates. Australian and New Zealand populations were compared, where drinking cultures are similar, but taxation of alcohol differs. METHOD: Data was taken from the International Alcohol Control study in Australia (N=1580) and New Zealand (N =1979), a cross national survey that asks questions on beverage specific alcohol consumption at a range of different locations. Tax rates were obtained from previous analyses run on the dataset. RESULTS: Ready to Drink (pre-mixed) beverages are more popular in New Zealand and the proportion of these drinks consumed out of total alcohol consumption by risky drinkers was correspondingly higher there. Conversely, the proportion of wine consumed by risky drinkers was higher in Australia. The consumption of spirits and beer by risky drinkers was similar in both countries. DISCUSSION: Differences found for the proportion of beverages consumed by risky drinkers between the countries are fairly well aligned with differences in the taxation of each drink type. Future adaptations in taxation systems should consider the impact of taxes on preferential beverage choice and associated harms.Item Maori identification and alcohol behaviour : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University(Massey University, 2004) Ebbett, ErinThe impact of Maori identification on mental health and alcohol behaviour has been neglected in the psychological literature. This research attempted to investigate potential relationships between these variables and to examine drinking motivations and alcohol related opinion amongst Maori. It was initially hypothesised that strength of Maori identification would be associated with better mental health and well-being. Stronger Maori identification and better mental health were also expected to relate to lower average alcohol consumption and less frequent drinking. It was hypothesised that better mental health would be associated with greater social motivation, greater positive affect, and less negative affect after drinking. Heavier drinking was predicted to be directly related to coping and conformity motivations and inversely related to positive affect. In addition, it was anticipated that frequent drinkers would be internally motivated. This sample contained 447 Maori aged 18 years and over. Participants were found by e-mailing Massey University students registered as Maori and by utilising a snowball technique. Respondents were required to complete demographic, Maori identification, mental health, alcohol behaviour, reasons for drinking and opinion measures either online or by mail. Non parametric methods were then used to analyse all data. Results showed no significant relationships between Maori identification and mental health. Stronger Maori identification was significantly related to drinking less frequently but not with lower average consumption. Better mental health was found to be significantly related to lower consumption of alcohol, but not to drinking less frequently. Better mental health was also related to drinking for socially motivated reasons, increased positive emotions, and decreased negative emotions after drinking. Average consumption was not significantly related to coping and conformity motivations. Heavier consumption was related to less positive affect after drinking and more frequent drinking was related to internal motivation. Limitations of this study included difficulties measuring these variables, a lack of comparative studies to provide reference, and a non representative Maori sample. Recommendations for future research include studying an adolescent population, measuring smoking behaviour, and conducting a qualitative analysis. Further interventions and policies targeting cultural and societal norms will be needed for these patterns of drinking to change. These results suggest that relationships between Maori identification, mental health and alcohol behaviour are complex and worthy of further analysis.Item "If she's drunk, she's easy" : femininity, binge drinking and music videos : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2014) Naomi, ShobnaYoung New Zealand women continue to drink more than previous generations. Research demonstrates that legislation, access, changing gender roles, identity, marketing and culture contribute to the current desire that many young people, including women, have for the excessive consumption of alcohol. The current study sought to explore popular youth culture, namely music videos, to understand the ways in which young women engage with and understand such media and the role it plays in drinking cultures. Three music videos were used to stimulate discussions surrounding gender, identity and alcohol consumption among four friendship groups, each containing three female participants. Participants were aged between 18-25 years and came from mixed ethnic backgrounds in Auckland, New Zealand. Three music videos were selected for their inclusion of portrayals of femininity and binge drinking (by Katy Perry, The Paradiso Girls and Cobra Starship). The music videos were shown to the groups, and questions prompted discussion following each. The discussions were transcribed verbatim, and subjected to a discursive analysis which identified four key discourses that participants drew on during their discussions. The “contemporary feminist discourse” constructed women as agentic; making conscious choices regarding identity, behaviour and consumption. Limits and boundaries were emphasised in relation to alcohol consumption and self-presentation. The “gender inequality discourse” illustrated women’s inferior positioning in relation to men. It highlighted a tendency to define equality by comparing women directly to men and the tensions this creates. In the “female objectification discourse” music video representations of women were constructed as exploitative, objectifying and unrealistic. Concern was raised over female vulnerability to sexually motivated crimes and exposure to the music videos prompted body image concerns for some participants. Finally, the “normative teenage phase of experimentation discourse” discussed binge drinking in terms of a necessary process for discovering identity and consumption limits, while emphasising the limited temporality of this period. These discourses highlighted a tension between the realities of young female experience and competing ideals presented in popular culture, which illustrates the dilemmatic nature of contemporary femininity.Item The effects of customary post-game behaviour on rugby specific performance measures following competitive match play : a report submitted towards the attainment of MPhil (Sport and Exercise Science)(Massey University, 2012) Prentice, ChrisBackground: Deviant off-field behaviour is now generally accepted as being part of a ‘normal’ sporting culture. The majority of research into such behaviour has focussed primarily on the immediate impact of alcohol consumption on sporting performance, with such research highlighting the ergolytic nature of alcohol on performance. The fundamental issue with such research however is that the deviant behaviour associated with sports such as rugby union typically occurs the night previous to or following competition, accordingly the effect of such customary behaviour on recovery from competition or on subsequent performance would be more specific to what actually occurs. Initial work has found that moderate alcohol consumption adversely affects the recovery of exercise induced microstructural damage post eccentric exercise, as well a negatively affecting subsequent lower body power output post rugby simulation. Despite conclusions suggesting that alcohol negatively influences both recovery and subsequent performance, such conclusions may not be truly representative of what typically occurs due to the behaviour investigated being far different to what occurs naturally. The question of how customary off-field rugby behaviour affects both recovery and subsequent performance therfore remains unanswered. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether post-game behaviour, that is customary to rugby union, is detrimental to the subsequent performance of players in the days following competitive match play. Methods: Using a naturalistic means of investigation, thirty senior grade club rugby players were allocated to either the standardized post game behaviour (SPGB) or investigated post game behaviour (IPGB) conditions following a competitive rugby match. Players involved in the IPGB condition were left to undergo customary post rugby game behaviour whilst those in the SPGB had their behaviour controlled according to recommended guidelines. Performance measures, behaviour recall and indicators of both muscle damage and hydration status were tested at both twelve and thirty six hours following match play Rugby’s customary post-game behaviour does not affect subsequent performance Results: Following competitive match play participants in the IPGB condition reported significant (p<0.01) alcohol consumption with a corresponding decrease in sleep when compared with the SPGB. Irrespective of such behaviour, performance measures were not significantly affected. Finally no significant difference was seen between conditions in either hydration status or CK. Conclusions: The results of the present naturalistic study indicate that following a competitive match, customary rugby behaviour consisting of significant alcohol consumption and a reduction in sleep failed to significantly affect subsequent rugby specific performance measures in the days following the match.Item "If you only have money for two drinks you might as well have nothing at all" : young people talk about drinking and drug use : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2010) Barclay, Simone M.; Barclay, Simone M.Psychoactive consumption is on the rise. In particular young people’s heavy sessional or ‘binge’ drinking has been highlighted in the media because of the burden it places upon public health resources and the risks it poses to health and social order. Youth intoxication has therefore become a prominent issue for policy makers, health promoters and researchers. Previous research suggests excessive drinking amongst young people can be understood in terms of the contemporary commodification of leisure which contributes to a culture of intoxication and facilitates the pursuit of calculated hedonism. The current study investigated the discourses surrounding the intoxication practices of 18 – 24 year olds. Twenty-one male and female participants took part in four friendship group discussions in Auckland, New Zealand. Their talk was subsequently analysed to gain access to young people’s views on drinking and other drug use in the context of socialising. The data was subjected to a Foucauldian discourse analysis and three discourses were identified in the texts: self-regulation, psychosocial development and pleasure. Together, these constituted a web of meaning which constructed drinking and drug use as a constrained, socially appropriate and culturally embedded practice motivated by enjoyment and social enhancement. Participants deliberately pursued states of intoxication, maintaining specific boundaries of appropriateness, means, frequency and degree of inebriation while simultaneously taking measures to mitigate perceived risks. Widespread conceptions of young adults’ heavy sessional consumption as reckless or out of control did not correspond to the young people’s perceptions of themselves as responsible, risk averse, social drinkers. Participants consistently resisted the positioning afforded them by the public discourse of censure surrounding youth intoxication and in doing so located their behaviour as age-appropriate and shaped by wider societal norms. Occasional excesses were constructed as a necessary and beneficial constituent of the maturation process. Results highlight the degree to which the voices of relevant consumer groups have been marginalised in the policy development process and the credibility gap between young people’s experiences and the health promotion messages directed at them. Findings problematise the notion that education about the risks of drinking and drug use will cause young people to moderate their behaviour out of a desire to avoid them. It is suggested that current focus on youth excess unduly attributes blame at the expense of recognising the more pervasive changes required to modify population-wide detrimental drinking cultures.Item Assessment of risk of foetal alcohol syndrome and other alcohol related effects in New Zealand : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nutritional Science at Massey University (Palmerston North), New Zealand(Massey University, 2003) Parackal, Shirly MathewThe current research emerged from a definite need in New Zealand and was designed to be a base-line study to provide information on a number of issues relating to alcohol consumption in pregnancy. The results of this study indicate that the prevalence of alcohol consumption in pregnancy among New Zealand women is similar to that seen in a majority of other Western countries. It also indicates that greater proportions of younger women were drinkers in pregnancy, especially in the early stages and that the majority in this age group were drinking heavily. The prevalence of drinking in pregnancy at levels currently perceived to cause foetal harm observed in this study was also similar to that seen in other Western countries, where incidence rates for the prevalence of alcohol related birth defects are well established. The encounter of midwives with outcomes associated with heavy maternal alcohol consumption further confirms the risk for the prevalence of foetal alcohol syndrome and other alcohol related effects in New Zealand, at rates similar to other Western countries. The results of this study also indicate that regular alcohol consumption exhibited a negative effect on intakes of vital nutrients like dietary folates and calcium among heavy drinking women of childbearing age and this effect is likely to continue in pregnancy. The functional role of these nutrients, pivotal to favourable outcome of pregnancy, raises concern as to what the dual consequences are of alcohol consumption and compromised nutritional status. The risk of foetal alcohol syndrome and other alcohol related effects in New Zealand is high and efforts have to be made to develop effective prevention strategies. The current research also assessed the knowledge and attitudes of midwives on the issue of alcohol consumption in pregnancy. A high proportion of midwives perceived abstinence to be the best option in pregnancy. However, this perception of the midwives is not reflected in the behaviour of clients in their practice, as the prevalence of drinking among their clients was fairly high. However, the good response to this study by midwives and their keenness for further education on the issue of alcohol consumption in pregnancy indicates that midwives are keen to play an active role in reducing the prevalence of alcohol related birth defects in New Zealand.Item Trading off : a grounded theory on how Māori women negotiate drinking alcohol during pregnancy : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand(Massey University, 2009) Stuart, KeriataThis study aimed to understand how Maori women negotiate decisions about alcohol and pregnancy. It was based in the recognition that Maori women?s decisions about drinking alcohol when pregnant are shaped by social and cultural expectations about gender roles, as well as their knowledge about alcohol and pregnancy. Maori attitudes to alcohol have also been influenced by colonisation and Maori responses to it. Alcohol use in pregnancy also exists in the context of potential impacts, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. There is little knowledge about how and why women may or may not drink during pregnancy. The research used grounded theory methods. Information was gathered through in-depth interviews with ten Maori women. The information they provided was analysed using constant comparative analysis, and a series of categories was generated. The grounded theory proposes that Maori women manage decisions about drinking alcohol when pregnant using a process of Trading off. Trading off is supported by three key processes: drawing on resources, rationalising, and taking control of the role. Maori women start by learning the rules about alcohol, get messages about alcohol and pregnancy, change their alcohol use while making role transitions, and use alcohol in the processes of fitting in where you are, releasing the pressure, and carrying on as normal. Trading off is an individual process, but exists in a complex social context. The process is fluid, conditional, and continues throughout pregnancy. The theory must be recognised as my interpretation, although I believe it is grounded in the data, accounts for the data, and offers a new, modifiable and potentially useful interpretation. While the body of theory that can be compared to the theory of Trading off is limited, the interpretation is consistent with several models of health behaviour, including Maori health models. This research has implications for future research, and for the development of programmes to support Maori women.Item Transformation and time-out: The role of alcohol in identity construction among Scottish women in early midlife(Elsevier, 2015) Emslie C; Hunt K; Lyons ACDespite the increase in drinking by women in early midlife, little alcohol research has focused on this group. We explore how alcohol is associated with the construction of gender identities among women aged 30-50 years in the west of Scotland, United Kingdom. We draw on qualitative data from 11 focus groups (five all-female, six mixed-sex) with pre-existing groups of friends and work colleagues in which women and men discuss their drinking behaviours. Analysis demonstrated how alcohol represented a time and space away from paid and unpaid work for women in a range of domestic circumstances, allowing them to relax and unwind. While women used alcohol to construct a range of identities, traditional notions of femininity remained salient (e.g. attention to appearance, drinking 'girly' drinks). Drinking enabled women to assert their identity beyond the roles and responsibilities often associated with being a woman in early midlife. For example, some respondents with young children described the transformative effects of excessive drinking which allowed them to return temporarily to a younger, carefree version of themselves. Thus, our data suggest that women's drinking in early midlife revolves around notions of 'idealised' femininity but simultaneously represents a way of achieving 'time out' from traditional female responsibilities such as caring for others. We consider these findings within a broader social and cultural context including alcohol marketing, domestic roles and motherhood and their implications for health promotion.
