Study population: All individuals 18+ years registered with a CPRD practice on 1st January 2018* | Individuals in the study population with recording of alcohol use in different categories in the 5 years before 1st January 2018† | ||||||||
Has a record for any read code relating to alcohol use | Has a record for a read code indicating alcohol use, from which alcohol status could be derived‡ | Has a record of any drinking status recorded as read code, or captured through structured data areas in GP software§ | Has level of consumption recorded in read codes¶ | Has units per week recorded | Has had AUDIT** or FAST screen | Has AUDIT** or FAST score recorded | Has any level of drinking recorded in read, units or score†† | ||
N (col %)* | n (row %)† | n (row %)† | n (row %)† | n (row %)† | n (row %)† | n (row %)† | n (row %)† | n (row %)† | |
N | 1 768 651 (100) | 918 254 (51.9) | 897 535 (50.7) | 862 330 (48.8) | 558 747 (31.6) | 431 394 (24.4) | 204 182 (11.5) | 150 457 (8.5) | 862 642 (48.8) |
Sex | |||||||||
Male | 872 865 (49.4) | 416 611 (47.7) | 406 508 (46.6) | 389 946 (44.7) | 231 204 (26.5) | 222 678 (25.5) | 93 900 (10.8) | 69 661 (8.0) | 389 771 (44.7) |
Female | 895 786 (50.6) | 501 643 (56.0) | 491 027 (54.8) | 472 384 (52.7) | 327 543 (36.6) | 208 716 (23.3) | 110 282 (12.3) | 80 796 (9.0) | 472 871 (52.8) |
Age group | |||||||||
18–24 | 168 796 (9.5) | 58 379 (34.6) | 54 830 (32.5) | 51 584 (30.6) | 36 755 (21.8) | 16 537 (9.8) | 15 629 (9.3) | 8564 (5.1) | 51 647 (30.6) |
25–34 | 285 015 (16.1) | 131 905 (46.3) | 128 051 (44.9) | 119 772 (42.0) | 76 097 (26.7) | 50 686 (17.8) | 34 313 (12.0) | 25 222 (8.8) | 120 830 (42.4) |
35–44 | 300 819 (17.0) | 136 265 (45.3) | 133 289 (44.3) | 125 865 (41.8) | 77 277 (25.7) | 60 492 (20.1) | 34 273 (11.4) | 26 405 (8.8) | 126 761 (42.1) |
45–54 | 333 132 (18.8) | 171 021 (51.3) | 167 309 (50.2) | 160 742 (48.3) | 96 024 (28.8) | 88 593 (26.6) | 37 693 (11.3) | 28 709 (8.6) | 160 636 (48.2) |
55–64 | 277 217 (15.7) | 160 137 (57.8) | 157 180 (56.7) | 152 786 (55.1) | 94 656 (34.1) | 86 476 (31.2) | 32 478 (11.7) | 24 618 (8.9) | 151 987 (54.8) |
65–74 | 223 120 (12.6) | 145 105 (65.0) | 142 776 (64.0) | 139 320 (62.4) | 92 173 (41.3) | 77 896 (34.9) | 29 967 (13.4) | 22 483 (10.1) | 139 043 (62.3) |
75+ | 180 552 (10.2) | 115 442 (63.9) | 114 100 (63.2) | 112 261 (62.2) | 85 765 (47.5) | 50 714 (28.1) | 19 829 (11.0) | 14 456 (8.0) | 111 738 (61.9) |
Time since registration | |||||||||
1–5 years | 334 629 (18.9) | 274 706 (82.1) | 266 784 (79.7) | 246 126 (73.6) | 150 578 (45.0) | 114 320 (34.2) | 102 332 (30.6) | 76 254 (22.8) | 253 079 (75.6) |
>=5 years | 1 434 022 (81.1) | 643 548 (44.9) | 630 751 (44.0) | 616 204 (43.0) | 408 169 (28.5) | 317 074 (22.1) | 101 850 (7.1) | 74 203 (5.2) | 609 563 (42.5) |
Region | |||||||||
North England | 231 297 (13.1) | 138 506 (59.9) | 136 272 (58.9) | 128 522 (55.6) | 76 323 (33.0) | 76 396 (33.0) | 45 957 (19.9) | 40 689 (17.6) | 132 999 (57.5) |
South England | 607 016 (34.3) | 320 297 (52.8) | 308 052 (50.7) | 285 002 (47.0) | 174 695 (28.8) | 143 027 (23.6) | 106 862 (17.6) | 77 866 (12.8) | 295 640 (48.7) |
Northern Ireland | 114 311 (6.5) | 55 838 (48.8) | 53 203 (46.5) | 52 981 (46.3) | 34 830 (30.5) | 22 297 (19.5) | 13 363 (11.7) | 1104 (1.0) | 50 621 (44.3) |
Scotland | 397 133 (22.5) | 207 247 (52.2) | 205 159 (51.7) | 201 171 (50.7) | 138 776 (34.9) | 103 816 (26.1) | 35 951 (9.1) | 30 202 (7.6) | 197 790 (49.8) |
Wales | 418 894 (23.7) | 196 366 (46.9) | 194 849 (46.5) | 194 654 (46.5) | 134 123 (32.0) | 85 858 (20.5) | 2049 (0.5) | 596 (0.1) | 185 592 (44.3) |
Deprivation | |||||||||
1 (least deprived) | 190 262 (10.8) | 102 692 (54.0) | 99 633 (52.4) | 90 969 (47.8) | 44 305 (23.3) | 57 838 (30.4) | 34 487 (18.1) | 27 071 (14.2) | 95 812 (50.4) |
2 | 134 191 (7.6) | 74 536 (55.5) | 72 437 (54.0) | 66 664 (49.7) | 35 727 (26.6) | 39 943 (29.8) | 25 722 (19.2) | 20 614 (15.4) | 69 844 (52.0) |
3 | 118 777 (6.7) | 67 455 (56.8) | 65 713 (55.3) | 61 953 (52.2) | 36 121 (30.4) | 33 892 (28.5) | 20 030 (16.9) | 15 365 (12.9) | 63 199 (53.2) |
4 | 108 991 (6.2) | 62 745 (57.6) | 61 689 (56.6) | 58 234 (53.4) | 39 674 (36.4) | 26 879 (24.7) | 19 040 (17.5) | 15 816 (14.5) | 59 403 (54.5) |
5 (most deprived) | 96 301 (5.4) | 57 840 (60.1) | 56 804 (59.0) | 51 770 (53.8) | 38 342 (39.8) | 21 983 (22.8) | 21 497 (22.3) | 18 212 (18.9) | 54 968 (57.1) |
Missing | 1 120 129 (63.3) | 552 986 (49.4) | 541 259 (48.3) | 532 740 (47.6) | 364 578 (32.5) | 250 859 (22.4) | 83 406 (7.4) | 53 379 (4.8) | 519 416 (46.4) |
Ethnicity | |||||||||
White | 807 709 (45.7) | 502 125 (62.2) | 489 808 (60.6) | 465 333 (57.6) | 287 175 (35.6) | 254 409 (31.5) | 135 229 (16.7) | 104 643 (13.0) | 470 554 (58.3) |
South Asian | 46 593 (2.6) | 28 089 (60.3) | 27 111 (58.2) | 25 603 (55.0) | 21 297 (45.7) | 5874 (12.6) | 9611 (20.6) | 6835 (14.7) | 26 306 (56.5) |
Other | 60 520 (3.4) | 38 086 (62.9) | 36 482 (60.3) | 33 898 (56.0) | 26 559 (43.9) | 9974 (16.5) | 13 896 (23.0) | 10 120 (16.7) | 35 212 (58.2) |
Missing | 853 829 (48.3) | 349 954(41.0) | 344 134 (40.3) | 337 496 (39.5) | 223 716 (26.2) | 161 137 (18.9) | 45 446 (5.3) | 28 859 (3.4) | 330 570 (38.7) |
Smoking status | |||||||||
Non-smoker | 746 074 (42.2) | 383 302 (51.4) | 373 622 (50.1) | 356 424 (47.8) | 233 122 (31.2) | 163 733 (21.9) | 91 386 (12.2) | 66 152 (8.9) | 359 039 (48.1) |
Current smoker | 254 850 (14.4) | 147 616 (57.9) | 144 275 (56.6) | 139 028 (54.6) | 90 505 (35.5) | 68 758 (27.0) | 31 617 (12.4) | 23 328 (9.2) | 137 108 (53.8) |
Ex-smoker | 565 583 (32.0) | 347 945 (61.5) | 342 126 (60.5) | 332 036 (58.7) | 213 908 (37.8) | 181 109 (32.0) | 71 773 (12.7) | 53 832 (9.5) | 331 127 (58.5) |
Missing | 202 144 (11.4) | 39 391 (19.5) | 37 512 (18.6) | 34 842 (17.2) | 21 212 (10.5) | 17 794 (8.8) | 9406 (4.7) | 7145 (3.5) | 35 368 (17.5) |
BMI | |||||||||
Normal (18.5–25 kg/m²) | 533 130 (30.1) | 298 415 (56.0) | 290 354 (54.5) | 277 070 (52.0) | 172 796 (32.4) | 139 540 (26.2) | 74 169 (13.9) | 54 609 (10.2) | 278 618 (52.3) |
Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m²) | 32 421 (1.8) | 16 915 (52.2) | 16 262 (50.2) | 15 481 (47.7) | 10 904 (33.6) | 6055 (18.7) | 4327 (13.3) | 2938 (9.1) | 15 570 (48.0) |
Overweight/obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m²) | 865 940 (49.0) | 543 118 (62.7) | 534 282 (61.7) | 519 336 (60.0) | 346 490 (40) | 265 441 (30.7) | 110 880 (12.8) | 82 856 (9.6) | 516 657 (59.7) |
Missing | 337 160 (19.1) | 59 806 (17.7) | 56 637 (16.8) | 50 443 (15.0) | 28 557 (8.5) | 20 358 (6.0) | 14 806 (4.4) | 10 054 (3.0) | 51 797 (15.4) |
Liver disease | 35 542 (2.0) | 25 404 (71.5) | 24 854 (69.9) | 24 340 (68.5) | 16 978 (47.8) | 12 847 (36.1) | 5012 (14.1) | 3684 (10.4) | 24 069 (67.7) |
Hypertension | 358 285 (20.3) | 262 785 (73.3) | 260 050 (72.6) | 256 762 (71.7) | 183 616 (51.2) | 134 479 (37.5) | 44 646 (12.5) | 33 173 (9.3) | 254 136 (70.9) |
Diabetes | 120 744 (6.8) | 100 787 (83.5) | 100 158 (83.0) | 99 378 (82.3) | 79 211 (65.6) | 47 668 (39.5) | 16 145 (13.4) | 12 164 (10.1) | 98 451 (81.5) |
Depression | 118 644 (6.7) | 73 868 (62.3) | 72 314 (61.0) | 69 961 (59.0) | 47 499 (40.0) | 33 663 (28.4) | 15 581 (13.1) | 11 185 (9.4) | 69 083 (58.2) |
Anxiety | 80 658 (4.6) | 50 048 (62.0) | 49 111 (60.9) | 47 593 (59.0) | 31 840 (39.5) | 23 330 (28.9) | 10 158 (12.6) | 7348 (9.1) | 47 006 (58.3) |
*For the column summarising characteristics for the whole study population (ie, all adults registered in CPRD on 1st January 2018) – percentages are out of the whole study population (ie, column %s).
†For subsequent columns — which cover individuals identified through different types of alcohol-use recording — percentages represent the number of individuals recorded with the specific category of coding as a percentage of the study population in that particular stratum; that is, row percentage with denominator from study population in that stratum (eg, for all women in the study population (n=895 786), 56% (n=501 643) have a record of any Read code relating to alcohol use).
‡Alcohol status: current drinker, ex-drinker, non-drinker from Read codes.
§Alcohol status: Current drinker, ex-drinker, non-drinker from Read codes and captured through structured data areas in GP software.
¶Level of drinking: none, light, moderate, heavy drinker.
**Includes full AUDIT and short-form AUDIT-C screening.
††Level of drinking derived from: Read codes, units per week or AUDIT/AUDIT-C/FAST screening score.
AUDIT, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; BMI, body mass index; CPRD, Clinical Practice Research Datalink; GP, general practice.