William C Kerr
Biographic Data
| ID | 149162 |
|---|---|
| NAME | William C Kerr |
| GIVEN NAMES | William C |
| FAMILY NAME | Kerr |
| SIGNATURE | KERR W C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Alcohol Research Group |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6612-9200 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 41 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 17 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 41 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Distinguishing High-Intensity Drinking from Heavy-Episodic Drinking Events Among Heavy-Drinking U.S. adults
INTRODUCTION: High-intensity drinking (HID) poses significant health risks, yet research on its prevalence and contextual factors, among general adult populations, remains limited. To identify intervention points among heavy drinkers, this study compared event-level factors that were associated with higher risk for HID compared to heavy episodic drinking (5+ drinks). METHODS: We surveyed 756 adults (ages 18-65) who engaged in past-year 5+ drinkin…
Limiting tobacco accessibility by transitioning tobacco sales to state alcohol stores
The TTS policy would make tobacco less accessible and reduce racial, ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in tobacco retail accessibility in most of the states examined
Restrictive and permissive alcohol policies during the Covid-19 pandemic and their association with alcohol consumption in the United States
Alcohol policies and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic were linked to both lower and higher alcohol consumption in different population subgroups. Restrictive and permissive policies had diverging associations with consumption patterns across subgroups. While effect sizes were modest, they could translate into meaningful changes in alcohol consumption at the population level, especially during prolonged times of crisis
Alcoholic beverage types consumed by population subgroups in the United States
Not Everyone Benefits Equally from Sunday Alcohol Sales Bans
At-Risk Drinking in US Adults with Health Conditions
Characteristics associated with buying alcohol to‐go and for delivery during the first year of the Covid ‐19 pandemic among a national sample of US adults
Postmortem screening of opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol among rural and urban suicide decedents
PURPOSE: Fatal suicides involving opioids are increasingly common, particularly in rural areas. As co-use of opioids with other substances contributes significantly to mortality risk, we examined whether positive screens for opioids with other substances is more prevalent among rural versus urban suicide deaths, as this could have implications for public health strategies to reduce overdose suicides. METHODS: Data from all states reporting opioid…
Estimating usual grams per day of marijuana use from purchases
Methods based on purchasing details can be used to estimate individual's marijuana quantity per occasion and total use amount per year, providing additional outcome measures for analyses of predictors of individual marijuana consumption and facilitating more detailed analyses of risks for marijuana harms
Associations of clustered health risk behaviors with diabetes and hypertension in White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American adults
Concerted efforts to address clustered risk behaviors in most US adults, particularly in racial/ethnic minority groups given the high prevalence of unhealthy clustering, are warranted
Rating the comparative efficacy of state-level cannabis policies on recreational cannabis markets in the United States
Impact of body mass and alcohol consumption on all‐cause and liver mortality in 240 000 adults in the United States
The role of alcohol use in the aetiology and progression of liver disease
Shifting patterns of disparities in unintentional injury mortality rates in the United States, 1999-2016
Objectives . To analyze changes in racial/ethnic disparities for unintentional injury mortality from 1999-2016. Methods . Mortality data are from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for all unintentional injuries, analyzed separately by injury cause (motor vehicle accidents [MVA], poisonings, other unintentional) for white, black, and Hispanic populations within four age groups: 15-19, 20-34, 35-54, 55-74 for males and for females. R…
Association between state‐level alcohol availability and taxation policies on the prevalence of alcohol‐related harms to persons other than the drinker in the USA, 2000–2015
Cigarettes smoked among daily and non-daily smokers following CVS Health’s tobacco-free pharmacy policy
The removal of tobacco products from CVS pharmacies was associated with a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked per day among non-daily smokers in metropolitan CBSAs, particularly those in which CVS had a large pharmacy market share
Subgroup trends in alcohol and cannabis co-use and related harms during the rollout of recreational cannabis legalization in Washington state
Extending the Harm to Others Paradigm
Harms attributed to others' alcohol use have been extensively studied in the US and internationally, but no studies have measured harms from others' marijuana use. We utilize data from five cross-sectional waves of a survey series with representative samples of Washington state residents conducted every 6 months from 2014 to 2016, after the legalization of adult use marijuana. Harms attributed to others' drinking and to others' marijuana use incl…
Adverse childhood events and risk of diabetes onset in the 1979 National longitudinal survey of youth cohort
ACE predicted diabetes onset among women, though this relationship was attenuated when controlling for BMI. Being overweight or obese was significantly more common among women with a history of ACE, which suggests BMI may be on the pathway from ACE to diabetes onset for women
State Policies Targeting Alcohol Use during Pregnancy and Alcohol Use among Pregnant Women 1985–2016
Trends in Adult Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking in the Early 21st‐Century United States
BACKGROUND: Recent trends in alcoholic liver disease, alcohol-related emergency room admissions, and alcohol use disorder prevalence as measured by general-population surveys have raised concerns about rising alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in the United States. In contrast, upward trends in per capita alcohol consumption have been comparatively modest. METHODS: To resolve these discordant observations, we sought to examine trends in the …
Differential Effects of Pregnancy-Specific Alcohol Policies on Drinking Among Pregnant Women by Race/Ethnicity
Purpose: Alcohol use during pregnancy is a significant public health concern. Nearly all U.S. states have enacted policies targeting alcohol use during pregnancy, but there has been little research examining their impact, particularly across racial/ethnic groups. Methods: Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and about eight state-level, pregnancy-specific alcohol policies from 1985 to 2016, the aim of this study was to e…
Marijuana Policy Opinions in Washington State Since Legalization
BACKGROUND: In 2012, voters in Washington state approved Initiative 502 (I-502) which legalized recreational marijuana use at the state level. This study examines the relationship between demographics, marijuana and alcohol use, and voting outcomes, as well as how these variables relate to (i) whether voters would still vote the same way (a reflection of satisfaction with the new policy) and (ii) the likelihood of using marijuana purchased from l…
Simultaneous Versus Concurrent Use of Alcohol and Cannabis in the National Alcohol Survey
BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most commonly used drug among those who drink, yet no study has directly compared those who use cannabis and alcohol simultaneously versus concurrently (i.e., separately) in the adult general population. Here, we assess differences in demographics, alcohol-related social consequences, harms to self, and drunk driving across simultaneous, concurrent, and alcohol-only using groups. METHODS: Secondary analyses of the 2005…
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Self-Reported Number of Drinks in 2 Hours Before Driving Becomes Impaired
Objectives. We used data on self-reported impaired driving and the number of drinks the person states he or she can have in 2 hours before impairment to evaluate predictors of individuals’ impairment thresholds by race/ethnicity. Methods. Data come from the 2000, 2005, and 2010 US National Alcohol Surveys, with oversamples of Black and Hispanic populations. We estimated negative binomial models overall, by gender, and for those who reported impai…
Alcohol-Attributable Cancer Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost in the United States
Objectives. Our goal was to provide current estimates of alcohol-attributable cancer mortality and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in the United States. Methods. We used 2 methods to calculate population-attributable fractions. We based relative risks on meta-analyses published since 2000, and adult alcohol consumption on data from the 2009 Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System, 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and 2009–2010 Natio…
Patterns of Drinking and Mortality from Different Diseases—An Overview
Alcohol has been linked to a considerable burden of disease worldwide. Recent epidemiological research has shown that dimensions of alcohol exposure other than average volume are causal in the etiology of disease. Based on a systematic, computer-assisted search, this article attempts a qualitative review of this literature. Results show that cardiovascular disease, especially ischaemic heart disease, is linked to patterns of drinking: regular and…
Improving Graduated Frequencies Alcohol Measures for Monitoring Consumption Patterns
We investigate several types of graduated frequency (GF) instruments for monitoring drinking patterns. Two studies with 12-month GF measures and daily data were used: (i) the Australian 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) (n = 24,109 aged 12+; 22,546 with GF and over 8000 with yesterday data) and (ii) a US methodological study involving a 28-day daily diary plus GF summary measures drawn from the National Alcohol Survey (NAS) (n …
Marijuana Policy Opinions in Washington State Since Legalization
BACKGROUND: In 2012, voters in Washington state approved Initiative 502 (I-502) which legalized recreational marijuana use at the state level. This study examines the relationship between demographics, marijuana and alcohol use, and voting outcomes, as well as how these variables relate to (i) whether voters would still vote the same way (a reflection of satisfaction with the new policy) and (ii) the likelihood of using marijuana purchased from l…
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Self-Reported Number of Drinks in 2 Hours Before Driving Becomes Impaired
Objectives. We used data on self-reported impaired driving and the number of drinks the person states he or she can have in 2 hours before impairment to evaluate predictors of individuals’ impairment thresholds by race/ethnicity. Methods. Data come from the 2000, 2005, and 2010 US National Alcohol Surveys, with oversamples of Black and Hispanic populations. We estimated negative binomial models overall, by gender, and for those who reported impai…
US Time Series Evidence regarding Alcohol-Related Risk of Oral Cancers and Protection against Stomach Cancers
Autoregressive integrated moving average modeling procedures are utilized on population-level mortality rates for oral and stomach cancers in relation to per capita consumption of total alcohol, beer, wine, spirits and cigarettes to estimate long-term population-level relationships between alcohol consumption series and oral and stomach cancer mortality rates, and to determine whether higher-concentration alcoholic beverages, as represented by sp…
Overlooking Terris
The authors argue that the overlooking or forgetting of a beverage-specific element of Milton Terris's classic 1967 paper linking per capita alcohol consumption with cirrhosis mortality trends sheds new light on the subsequent paradigmatic history of alcohol epidemiology. The historical standing and subsequent citation of Terris's paper are re-examined, and Terris's reasons for not reminding the alcohol epidemiology literature of this aspect of h…
Moderate alcohol use and reduced mortality risk
The majority of prospective studies on alcohol use and mortality risk indicates that abstainers are at increased risk of mortality from both all causes and coronary heart disease (CHD). This meta-analysis of 54 published studies tested the extent to which a systematic misclassification error was committed by including as ‘abstainers’ many people who had reduced or stopped drinking, a phenomenon associated with ageing and ill health. The studies j…
Patterns of Drinking and Mortality from Different Diseases—An Overview
Alcohol has been linked to a considerable burden of disease worldwide. Recent epidemiological research has shown that dimensions of alcohol exposure other than average volume are causal in the etiology of disease. Based on a systematic, computer-assisted search, this article attempts a qualitative review of this literature. Results show that cardiovascular disease, especially ischaemic heart disease, is linked to patterns of drinking: regular and…
Has alcohol been proven to be protective against coronary heart disease
US Time Series Evidence regarding Alcohol-Related Risk of Oral Cancers and Protection against Stomach Cancers
Autoregressive integrated moving average modeling procedures are utilized on population-level mortality rates for oral and stomach cancers in relation to per capita consumption of total alcohol, beer, wine, spirits and cigarettes to estimate long-term population-level relationships between alcohol consumption series and oral and stomach cancer mortality rates, and to determine whether higher-concentration alcoholic beverages, as represented by sp…
Externalities from Alcohol Consumption in the 2005 US National Alcohol Survey
A subsample (n = 2,550) of the 2005 US National Alcohol Survey of adults was used to estimate prevalence and correlates of six externalities from alcohol abuse--family problems, assaults, accompanying intoxicated driver, vehicular accident, financial problems and vandalized property--all from another's drinking. On a lifetime basis, 60% reported externalities, with a lower 12-month rate (9%). Women reported more family/marital and financial impac…
Is alcohol consumption good for you? Commentary on McIntosh
We welcome the opportunity to comment on this article and add to earlier debates published on this issue in Addiction Research and Theory (Andreasson, 2007; Fillmore et al. 2007; Holder 2007; Klats
Improving Graduated Frequencies Alcohol Measures for Monitoring Consumption Patterns
We investigate several types of graduated frequency (GF) instruments for monitoring drinking patterns. Two studies with 12-month GF measures and daily data were used: (i) the Australian 2004 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) (n = 24,109 aged 12+; 22,546 with GF and over 8000 with yesterday data) and (ii) a US methodological study involving a 28-day daily diary plus GF summary measures drawn from the National Alcohol Survey (NAS) (n …
Categorizing US State Drinking Practices and Consumption Trends
US state alcohol consumption patterns and trends are examined in order to identify groups of states with similar drinking habits or cultures. Rates of heavy drinking and current abstention and per capita apparent consumption levels are used to categorize states. Six state groupings were identified: North Central and New England with the highest consumption and heavy drinking levels; Middle Atlantic, Pacific and South Coast with moderate drinking …
Beverage-Specific Mortality Relationships in United States Population Data
Nearly all countries regulate distilled spirits differently from beer and wine. However, the scientific basis for this differential treatment has not been clearly established. This review covers beverage-specific relationships with alcohol-related mortality causes at the population level in the United States and includes a new analysis of motor-vehicle-accident mortality. Spirits were found to be more strongly related to, or the only beverage typ…
Harm Caused by Different Beverage Types—A Recurring Question
This publication is one of two thematic journal issues produced by the project Trouble per liter - The effects of policies favoring lighter beverages. The project's origins date back to March 2007, when Nordic and Russian alcohol researchers met up for a research-based alcohol policy conference in Moscow. During the meeting it became evident that, from a Russian point of view, the historic Nordic drinking trend away from a domination of distilled…
Heaviest Drinking Locations and the Most Drunk There Predict the Likelihood of Fighting and Being Assaulted
Preference for on-premise drinking affects likelihood of aggression, but how venue affects victimization by other drinkers is less studied. We investigated influence of heavy consumption in specific venues on fighting and assaults by other drinkers in the 2000 U.S. National Alcohol Survey, a representative telephone survey of adults (n = 7,612). In the prior year 4.5% current drinkers were assaulted by drinkers, while
Pressure to Reduce Drinking and Reasons for Seeking Treatment
Individuals with alcohol problems often receive pressure to change their drinking. However, when they enter treatment it is unclear how often it is because of the pressure they received or other reasons. A secondary analysis was conducted using four cross-sectional National Alcohol Surveys collected at 5-year intervals between 1995 and 2010. Treatment seekers (N = 476) were interviewed about a) all reasons for seeking treatment, b) their primary …
Alcohol-Attributable Cancer Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost in the United States
Objectives. Our goal was to provide current estimates of alcohol-attributable cancer mortality and years of potential life lost (YPLL) in the United States. Methods. We used 2 methods to calculate population-attributable fractions. We based relative risks on meta-analyses published since 2000, and adult alcohol consumption on data from the 2009 Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System, 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and 2009–2010 Natio…
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Alcohol-Related Problems
BACKGROUND: While prior studies have reported racial/ethnic disparities in alcohol-related problems at a given level of heavy drinking (HD), particularly lower levels, it is unclear whether these occur in both genders and are an artifact of racial/ethnic differences in drink alcohol content. Such information is important to understanding disparities and developing specific, targeted interventions. This study addresses these questions and examines…
Gender and social pressure to change drinking behavior
Cohort effects among women may be due to increased alcohol marketing to younger women and the changing social contexts of their drinking. Future studies should assess associations between drinking contexts, pressures, and outcomes
Simultaneous Versus Concurrent Use of Alcohol and Cannabis in the National Alcohol Survey
BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most commonly used drug among those who drink, yet no study has directly compared those who use cannabis and alcohol simultaneously versus concurrently (i.e., separately) in the adult general population. Here, we assess differences in demographics, alcohol-related social consequences, harms to self, and drunk driving across simultaneous, concurrent, and alcohol-only using groups. METHODS: Secondary analyses of the 2005…
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Self-Reported Number of Drinks in 2 Hours Before Driving Becomes Impaired
Objectives. We used data on self-reported impaired driving and the number of drinks the person states he or she can have in 2 hours before impairment to evaluate predictors of individuals’ impairment thresholds by race/ethnicity. Methods. Data come from the 2000, 2005, and 2010 US National Alcohol Surveys, with oversamples of Black and Hispanic populations. We estimated negative binomial models overall, by gender, and for those who reported impai…
Marijuana Policy Opinions in Washington State Since Legalization
BACKGROUND: In 2012, voters in Washington state approved Initiative 502 (I-502) which legalized recreational marijuana use at the state level. This study examines the relationship between demographics, marijuana and alcohol use, and voting outcomes, as well as how these variables relate to (i) whether voters would still vote the same way (a reflection of satisfaction with the new policy) and (ii) the likelihood of using marijuana purchased from l…
Trends in Adult Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking in the Early 21st‐Century United States
BACKGROUND: Recent trends in alcoholic liver disease, alcohol-related emergency room admissions, and alcohol use disorder prevalence as measured by general-population surveys have raised concerns about rising alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in the United States. In contrast, upward trends in per capita alcohol consumption have been comparatively modest. METHODS: To resolve these discordant observations, we sought to examine trends in the …
Differential Effects of Pregnancy-Specific Alcohol Policies on Drinking Among Pregnant Women by Race/Ethnicity
Purpose: Alcohol use during pregnancy is a significant public health concern. Nearly all U.S. states have enacted policies targeting alcohol use during pregnancy, but there has been little research examining their impact, particularly across racial/ethnic groups. Methods: Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and about eight state-level, pregnancy-specific alcohol policies from 1985 to 2016, the aim of this study was to e…
Adverse childhood events and risk of diabetes onset in the 1979 National longitudinal survey of youth cohort
ACE predicted diabetes onset among women, though this relationship was attenuated when controlling for BMI. Being overweight or obese was significantly more common among women with a history of ACE, which suggests BMI may be on the pathway from ACE to diabetes onset for women
State Policies Targeting Alcohol Use during Pregnancy and Alcohol Use among Pregnant Women 1985–2016
Association between state‐level alcohol availability and taxation policies on the prevalence of alcohol‐related harms to persons other than the drinker in the USA, 2000–2015
Cigarettes smoked among daily and non-daily smokers following CVS Health’s tobacco-free pharmacy policy
The removal of tobacco products from CVS pharmacies was associated with a reduction in the number of cigarettes smoked per day among non-daily smokers in metropolitan CBSAs, particularly those in which CVS had a large pharmacy market share
Medicine (37 works) · Environmental health (30 works) · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes (28 works) · Demography (26 works) · Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects (24 works) · Alcohol (21 works) · Psychology (21 works) · Poison control (16 works) · Injury prevention (15 works) · Population (14 works)