Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption among Australian Police Officers: 1989 to 2005
| Author | Derek R. Smith |
| DOI | 10.1350/ijps.2007.9.3.274 |
| Published date | 01 September 2007 |
| Date | 01 September 2007 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
Alcohol and tobacco consumption among
Australian police officers: 1989 to 2005
Derek R. Smith
International Centre for Research Promotion and Informatics, National Institute of
Occupational Safety and Health, 6–21–1 Nagao, Tama-Ku, Kawasaki 214–8585 Japan.
Tel: +81 44 865 6111; Fax: +81 44 865 6124; email: smith@h.jniosh.go.jp
Received 11 May 2006; revised and accepted 13 September 2006
Keywords: police, alcohol, tobacco, smoking, Australia, epidemiology
Derek R. Smith
is a research scientist at the
National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health in Kawasaki, Japan. He received his BSc,
BEd, MHSc, MPH and PhD degrees from various
universities in Australia, and his DrMedSc degree
from Japan. Dr Smith has a keen interest in many
aspects of police officers’ occupational health.
A
BSTRACT
Lifestyle factors represent a significant occupa-
tional health issue for law enforcement personnel
around the world. Despite this fact, longitudinal
investigations of alcohol and tobacco consumption
trends among them are rarely undertaken, par-
ticularly on a national basis. The aim of the
current study therefore, was to examine the
changing nature of high-risk alcohol consumption
and tobacco smoking habits among a nationally
representative sample of Australian police officers,
for what appears to be the first time. Data
pertaining to law enforcement personnel were
extracted from four National Health Surveys
conducted in Australia between 1989 and 2005.
A referent group was also formulated for the same
time periods. Results from this investigation sug-
gest that the proportion of Australian police who
consume alcohol at high rates is slowly declining
in recent years. On the other hand, tobacco
consumption among them has remained relatively
stable, with around one-fifth of Australian police
still smoking in 2004–05. Law enforcement is
clearly a high-stress occupation when compared
with other jobs, and the impact of workplace
issues continues to influence lifestyle factors
beyond the work environment. This unique facet
ensures that alcohol and tobacco consumption will
remain an important occupational health issue for
police management in future years. As the reten-
tion of healthy, exper ienced law enforcement per-
sonnel is essential for the smooth functioning of
any police force, additional research and manage-
ment efforts should focus on the continued reduc-
tion of these detrimental lifestyle factors.
INTRODUCTION
Lifestyle factors represent a significant
occupational health issue for law enforce-
ment personnel around the world (Hessl,
2003; Mayhew, 2001; Smith, 2005). Among
them, high-risk alcohol consumption is
believed to be particularly important. In the
United States for example, it has been
estimated that police officers may abuse
alcohol at approximately twice the rate of
the general population (Violanti, 1999),
while another study revealed that 38 per
cent of American police sometimes drank
more than they had planned (Gershon, Lin,
& Li, 2002). Similarly, alcohol may also be
problematic for Australian law enforcement
personnel (McNeill, 1996). In one par-
ticular study, 19 per cent of Australian
police were judged to be binge drinkers and
14 per cent regular excessive drinkers
International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume 9 Number 3
Page 274
International Journal of Police
Science and Management,
Vol. 9 No. 3, 2007, pp. 274–286.
© Vathek Publishing,
1461–3557
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