Gender focus of target groups for alcohol health promotion strategies in New Zealand

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Abstract
This paper examines issues of gender equity in relation to choice of target groups for alcohol health promotion strategies. Previous research had established a segment of male drinkers, labelled ‘Young Heavy-drinking Men’, who were an appropriate target group for alcohol health promotion activities, such as mass-media advertising. The current study used multivariate cluster analysis to identify a segment of female drinkers who might also have been considered an appropriate target group. The analysis was based on the responses of 754 New Zealand women aged 14–65 years. The identified segment, labelled ‘Young Heavy-drinking Women’, accounted for 12% of the female drinkers, 30% of female consumption and 54% of the problems resulting from women's own drinking. In determining whether limited resources should focus on the male or female target group, a number of issues were considered. The men's segment contained more drinkers, and accounted for considerably more of the total alcohol consumption and the alcohol-related problems. They also accounted for a greater proportion of those who were interested in drinking less, and who might therefore be supported by media campaigns encouraging moderate drinking. There were some data from the survey to suggest that considerably more women were experiencing harmful effects from men's drinking, than men were from women's drinking; thus there would be some benefit to women from a focus on male drinking. It was concluded that this benefit to women, on top of the other evidence supporting a male target group, would make it difficult, on the basis of the available data, to argue for a change away from the male target group.

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