Heterogeneity of definitions and measurements of binge drinking in research on adolescents and young adults

Introduction: Binge drinking is a widespread health compromising behaviour among adolescents and young adults and is one of the leading causes of mortality and injuries among this population. The definitions and measurement methods of binge drinking are heterogeneous but constitute a crucial component in the literature on associated factors related to binge drinking. This study focused on how binge drinking is defined and measured in the literature exploring its associated risk factors among adolescents and young adults.Methods: The databases PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Social Care were searched for articles published be-tween 1 January 2006 and 30 April 2020 using 3 concepts: binge drinking; risk or protective factors; and ad-olescents/young adults with respective key words. Data were extracted on the main characteristics of studies and the parameters of binge drinking measurements.Results: 173 studies were included, mostly cross-sectional (61 %) and longitudinal (38 %). Only 23 % of the studies explicitly referred to a standardised definition of binge drinking even though 76 % of the studies used a consensual threshold of 5 drinks or more for men. A lower threshold for women was applied in 26 % of the studies. Recall periods ranged between 2 weeks and 1 year in 85 % of the studies and only 16 % presented binge drinking in terms of frequency and/or quantity of drinks.Conclusion: Our results highlight the heterogeneity in the definitions and measurements of binge drinking, raising concerns for meaningful comparisons between studies focused on factors associated with the behaviour. The scientific community needs to be aware of these variations and address the gap of poor stratification and in-consistencies in binge drinking reporting.

Automated summary

This study examines the definitions and measurements of binge drinking in the literature and finds heterogeneity and variations, raising concerns for meaningful comparisons between studies on factors associated with this behavior.