Researchers awarded funding to explore alcohol consumption

Media Release | 12 December 2024

Torrens University Australia is pleased to announce that its researchers have been awarded a $768,000 grant under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project scheme to conduct a groundbreaking study titled ‘From Oppression to Hope: Reducing Heavy Drinking Among Midlife Women.’

Research leads to positive social change

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research, Professor Kerry London, highlighted the significance of the funding, noting its potential for creating real-world impact in critical areas of public health and social wellbeing.

“As a forward-thinking and innovative institution, Torrens University is committed to research that not only addresses pressing social challenges but also fosters positive change in our communities," said Professor London.

Research funded by the ARC’s National Competitive Grants Programs generates substantial returns, with every dollar of research funding producing an estimated $3.32 in economic impact.

Social pressures and entrenched gender stereotypes shape heavy drinking

New times call for new gender-responsive approaches to alcohol consumption. Rather than focus on the drinking habits of individual women, this research will explore the ways women's social roles and entrenched gender stereotypes are drivers of heavy drinking. They will understand the ways that changes to women’s environments and conditions of daily living might increase their capacities to reduce alcohol.

Dr Belinda Lunnay explained, "alcohol reduction strategies typically task individuals with changing their behaviour yet tend to overlook the contexts of consumption, like the times and places where alcohol is consumed, the ways alcohol products are marketed and are readily available, and the ways heavy drinking is normalised”.

“Our research aims to shift the focus from ‘fixing’ women to understanding how a mix of social and regulatory changes might foster environments that enable women to disrupt heavy drinking practices,” said Dr Lunnay.

Hope can build on sober curious movement

Professor Paul Ward, Director of the Research Centre for Public Health, Equity and Human Flourishing (PHEHF) at Torrens University said, “the project will engage four distinct groups of women who drink heavily and explore how community-level actions and policy levers for change offer them hope for changing their drinking patterns”.

Dr Lunnay emphasied that the popularity of the sober curious movement, recognisable in the market for non-alcoholic beverages and alcohol-free events, is a unique opportunity for public health because it shows the social acceptability of heavy drinking is changing.

“Now is the perfect time for our research to build on this momentum to investigate what women think about the gendered, social, political and cultural drivers of alcohol consumption,” she said.

“Our study will see women’s input to develop alcohol reduction approaches focused on environmental changes and building hope for reducing drinking. Our aim is to reduce feelings of personal failure or scrutiny women experience when they find reductions difficult.”

Alcohol consumption is a public health concern

Professor Ward acknowledged that alcohol consumption remains a major public health issue in Australia, contributing to numerous health problems and costing the nation $6.8 billion annually.

Midlife women (ages 45-64) are drinking at rates higher than previous generations, while we are witnessing reductions among other populations such as young people. This trend is concerning as it is linked to increased health risks such as breast cancer, with approximately 10% of breast cancers attributable to alcohol consumption,” he said.

“This research will allow targeted disinvestment in approaches that are limited in reducing alcohol harms. It will provide a template for social change where reduced drinking becomes feasible, increasing the potential for disease prevention.”

Media contact details: Dr Belinda Lunnay and Professor Paul Ward are available for interviews. Please contact media.enquiries@torrens.edu.au.