Warning over Kiwi drink problem

New Zealanders 50 and over are drinking more excessively and frequently than adults in other countries, new research reveals.

A recently-released report shows New Zealand has the second highest proportion of 50-plus drinkers, compared with eight other countries – something that came as no surprise to one of the researchers.

Massey University’s Andy Towers, who worked on the study that found England to have the biggest boozers, said many New Zealanders aged 50-plus were heavy drinkers, as people adopted the English culture of excess.

‘‘I’m not surprised at all. We know from European studies that people in the United Kingdon drink a lot. We have imported the United Kingdom’s drinking culture’’.

The report, commissioned by the Health Promotion Agency, analysed data from 3200 Kiwis and more than 62,000 similarly aged adults from United States, South Africa, China, Mexico, Ghana, India, Russia and England.

Eighty-three per cent of New Zealanders indicated they drank alcohol at least once a year – the second highest after England at 87 per cent. India was the lowest at 16 per cent.

The report also showed 18 per cent of Kiwi adults regularly drink heavily.

Although China and South Africa ranked higher, at 31 per cent and 23 per cent, respectively, New Zealanders still had a high percentage of heavy drinkers, Towers said.

Heavy drinkers are identified as having five or more drinks for men and three or more for women in one sitting.

People assumed there was a youth drinking problem, but Kiwis 50-plus also had concerning drinking habits, Towers said.

Older New Zealanders were often wealthier and could afford to buy alcohol, Towers said.