The Temporal Impact of the Age Distribution on per Adult Consumption in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Temporal changes in per adult consumption of alcohol may be partially explained by changing age distributions. Data sources included official alcohol sales data, population data by age groups, and population surveys from five years in Ontario. Results showed that the population has been getting older since 1978 and that people drink less as they age. Age-standardized calculations showed that between 2.5% and 6% of the decline in per adult consumption from 1971 to 1994 was attributable to changes in age distribution. Actual per adult consumption declined by 35%, which suggests that about 7% to 17% of the observed decline was due to the changing age structure.