AIMS: It has been suggested that the effects of @entity167 , and binge drinking in particular, contributed to the dramatic fluctuations in Russian mortality rates: rapid decline in 1985-87, slow increase in 1988-91 and sharp increase in 1992-94. To date, there have been no data available to substantiate this claim. We examine for the first time the trends in @entity167 intake and binge drinking in a Russian urban population. METHODS: Independent random samples of @entity1 and @entity1 aged 25-64 in two districts of Novosibirsk city (Western Siberia) have been examined in 1985/86 (1535 @entity1 and 1296 @entity1 ), 1988/89 (1700 @entity1 , no @entity1 ), and 1994/95 (1539 @entity1 and 1511 @entity1 ). Response rates ranged from 71% to 73%. The subjects reported frequency of drinking @entity167 , average amount of @entity167 consumed at a typical occasion, and their @entity167 intake in the week preceding the interview. Two cut-off points to define binge drinking were adopted: > or = 80 g and > or = 120 g at a single occasion. RESULTS: The proportion of @entity1 who drank at least once a week increased from 27% in 1985/86 to 38% in 1994/95; corresponding figures among @entity1 were 0.6% and 6.5%, respectively. The mean consumption of pure @entity167 at a single occasion in @entity1 was 90 g in 1985/86, 119 g in 1988/89 and 112 g in 1994/95; in @entity1 , it was 33 g in 1985/86 and 32 g in 1994/95. Between the first and the last survey, the mean weekly intake of pure @entity167 increased from 120 g to 184 g in @entity1 and from 31 g to 41 g in @entity1 . Prevalence rates of binge drinking (> or = 80 g at least once a month) in the three surveys were 36%, 52% and 51%, respectively, in @entity1 , and 0.4% in the first and 5% in the last survey among @entity1 . CONCLUSION: @entity167 consumption and prevalence of binge drinking were high in @entity1 and low in @entity1 . The frequency of binge drinking among @entity1 increased between 1985/86 and 1988/89 and remained stable between 1988/89 and 1994/95. This is not consistent with trends in mortality. Shorter-term fluctuations between surveys, however, cannot be excluded.

XXXX consumption and binge drinking in Novosibirsk, Russia, 1985-95.

@entity167 :: ('CHEBI:16236', 'Chemical') :: ['Alcohol', 'alcohol'] @entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'men']
@entity167 :: (CHEBI:16236,Chemical) :: ['Alcohol']
