Another opportunity for prevention: assessing alcohol use by women attending breast screening services in Lismore, NSW

Michelle D. Daly; Megan E. Passey; Amanda J. Harvey

doi:10.1071/NB07121

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Another opportunity for prevention: assessing alcohol use by women attending breast screening services in Lismore, NSW

Michelle D. Daly ^A ^C , Megan E. Passey ^B and Amanda J. Harvey ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A North Coast Area Health Service

^B Department of Rural Health (Northern Rivers), School of Public Health, University of Sydney

^C Corresponding author: Email: Michelle.Daly@ncahs.health.nsw.gov.au

NSW Public Health Bulletin 20(6) 90-92 https://doi.org/10.1071/NB07121
Published: 24 June 2009

Abstract

Substantial epidemiological evidence supports the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer; however, information on alcohol consumption is not routinely collected by breast screening services in NSW. This study was conducted to investigate the level of self-reported alcohol use among women accessing North Coast BreastScreen in Lismore, NSW. Two hundred and sixty-four consecutive women were screened using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Their drinking status was categorised as low risk, risky or high risk. Two-thirds of the screened women (69.7%) were classified as low-risk drinkers; 9.8% as risky and 0.4% as high-risk drinkers. Although the risk of breast cancer increases with the amount of alcohol consumed, evidence suggests that even low-risk drinking is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Implications for prevention activities by breast screening services are discussed.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the staff of Lismore BreastScreen Services and the women who participated in the study.

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