Alcohol use and binge drinking among US men, pregnant and non-pregnant women ages 18-44: 2002-2017

Background: Drinking during pregnancy dropped sharply in the U.S. in the 1980s. More recent time trends in adult drinking and binge drinking in men, non-pregnant and pregnant women have not been directly compared. Methods: Using logistic regression and National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2002-2017 data on any drinking and 2002-2014 data on binge drinking, trends in men, non-pregnant and pregnant women were compared. Analyses of any drinking included 470,309 participants (221,344 men; 236,197 non-pregnant women; 12,768 pregnant women); of binge drinking, 379,379 participants (178,869 men; 189,923 non-pregnant women; 10,587 pregnant women). Results: In all participants, drinking decreased (62.2%-60.3%). Among adults ages 18-20, drinking decreased in men, non-pregnant women, and pregnant women (- 18.4%; - 11.1%; - 5.3%), as did binge drinking (- 11.8%; - 5.6%; -3.7%). Among adults ages 21-44, drinking increased in non-pregnant women (+ 2.3%), and decreased in men and pregnant women (- 2.6% and -3.3%), while binge drinking increased in non-pregnant women ( + 2.7%), but not in pregnant women (- 1.8%) or men (0.0%). Conclusions: Drinking increased in U.S. women ages 21-44, but not those who were pregnant. Increases in women and continuing high rates in men indicate the need for better public health efforts. Divergent trends in men, non-pregnant, and pregnant women ages 21-44 suggest differential influences on drinking. Continued low rates in pregnant women are encouraging, but maintaining public health messages about drinking during pregnancy and innovative efforts to prevent such drinking are needed. Different results in ages 18-20 and 21-44 highlight the importance of developmental stages in drinking.