Gender and changes in alcohol use and perceptions

Recent trends show that alcohol use has declined overall across the population across high-income countries, but appears to vary by gender and age. In Australia, males younger than 50 years have shown notable declines across any drinking, lifetime risky drinking, and single-occasion risky drinking. On the other hand, trends amongst females vary widely by age group (e.g., single-occasion risky drinking has increased in females over 40, is stable in females aged 25 to 39, and has declined rapidly in females aged 14 to 24). The drivers of these gendered trends in alcohol use are currently unclear. Research undertaken as part of this project could include:

• Reviewing existing evidence regarding gendered changes in alcohol use, reasons for using/not using alcohol, and perceptions of alcohol use.
• Assessing differences in knowledge regarding the health risks associated with alcohol.
• Investigating possible gendered trends in alcohol-related harm.

Primary supervisor: Dr Amy Peacock
Co-supervisors: Wing See Yuen

Candidate requirements:

• Masters or Honours in psychology, public health, epidemiology, biostatistics, or a related field.
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis.
• Track record of publication of peer-reviewed scientific articles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

How to Apply

For more information about this project, please contact Amy Peacock (Amy.Peacock@unsw.edu.au) or Wing See Yuen (w.yuen@unsw.edu.au).