My suspicions were right! Apparently the American Medical Association (AMA) has previously reported “junk science” as fact when it comes to alcohol consumption. Thank you, Rachel R., for bringing to my attention the Op-Ed in PR Week by Greg Schneiders. It’s nice to know that folks are beginning to pick up on the truth surrounding these loosely characterized “studies.”

According to the Op-Ed, in 2001 the AMA released a “study” on college binge drinking, but again their polling methodology was flawed.

It’s a shame that the AMA didn’t use more scientific polling to conduct their studies as they are typically a credible organization that serves to improve the health of our nation. I’m shocked that when it came to underage drinking and alcohol abuse they didn’t ensure that their polling methods were more accurate.

In contrast, I thought I’d draw your attention to a study that Anheuser-Busch commissioned recently, which found that a vast majority of American drinkers ages 21 and over (94 percent), say they drink responsibly and in moderation. The survey assesses the attitudes and behaviors of American adults regarding responsible and moderate drinking and found overwhelming public support for moderation.

While we’re pleased to hear these results, what’s more important is the methodology that was applied to the survey and lends a great deal of credibility to the results. A-B partnered with Harris Interactive, a leading, reputable market research firm, widely known within that industry. The methodology was laid out in the original press release announcing the findings:

Harris Interactive conducted the telephone survey on behalf of Anheuser-Busch between March 2-6, 2006, among a nationwide cross section of 963 U.S. adults ages 21 and over (26 and over in California), of whom, 816 drink alcohol beverages. The data were weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on the basis of education, age by sex, race/ethnicity, region, household income and number of telephone lines in the household. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the overall results, as well as the results for those who drink alcohol beverages, have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.

I find it comforting when groups who conduct important studies of this nature disclose how they arrived at the results. The Harris study is a perfect example.

As I’ve said before, it’s impossible to fix a problem if the information we receive about it is a result of unscientific polls, studies that inflate the problem without evidence, or just bad data. If the AMA would apply the same ideals to alcohol that they apply to other areas of health, we could collaborate with them on finding solutions to our common challenges.

Hopefully, they’ll give Harris Interactive a call for their next study!
Cheers,
Guy