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Kansas Value:
Percentage of adults who reported binge drinking (four or more [females] or five or more [males] drinks on one occasion in the past 30 days) or heavy drinking (eight or more [females] or 15 or more [males] drinks per week)
Kansas Rank:
Additional Measures:
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Appears In:
Percentage of adults who reported binge drinking (four or more [females] or five or more [males] drinks on one occasion in the past 30 days) or heavy drinking (eight or more [females] or 15 or more [males] drinks per week)
US Value: 18.4%
Top State(s): Utah: 13.6%
Bottom State(s): North Dakota: 23.9%
Definition: Percentage of adults who reported binge drinking (four or more [females] or five or more [males] drinks on one occasion in the past 30 days) or heavy drinking (eight or more [females] or 15 or more [males] drinks per week)
Data Source and Years(s): CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2024.
Excessive alcohol consumption comes with short- and long-term risks. Short-term risks include:
Long-term risks include:
Death rates from alcohol-related causes increased significantly between 2000 and 2019. An estimated 140,000 people die every year from alcohol-related causes, making it the fourth-leading preventable cause of death in the United States, behind tobacco and poor diet/physical inactivity. Excessive drinking is responsible for an average of 261 deaths per day, which is equal to 2.8 million years of potential life lost per year. Excessive alcohol use cost the U.S. a total of $249 billion in 2010.
According to America’s Health Rankings data, the prevalence of excessive drinking is higher among:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that certain individuals abstain from alcohol consumption altogether, including anyone younger than 21 and those who are pregnant. For those who do drink, consuming alcohol in moderation can reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes. More detailed recommendations for moderate drinking are provided by the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that clinicians screen adults for unhealthy alcohol use and provide behavioral counseling interventions when appropriate. The CDC provides a free, evidence-based Alcohol Screening Tool to identify individual barriers to and motivators for drinking less.
Some evidence-based strategies to reduce excessive drinking and related health and social costs include:
Healthy People 2030 has multiple alcohol-related goals, including:
Esser, Marissa B., Sarra L. Hedden, Dafna Kanny, Robert D. Brewer, Joseph C. Gfroerer, and Timothy S. Naimi. “Prevalence of Alcohol Dependence Among US Adult Drinkers, 2009–2011.” Preventing Chronic Disease 11 (November 20, 2014): 140329. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.140329.
Esser, Marissa B., Adam Sherk, Yong Liu, Timothy S. Naimi, Timothy Stockwell, Mandy Stahre, Dafna Kanny, Michael Landen, Richard Saitz, and Robert D. Brewer. “Deaths and Years of Potential Life Lost From Excessive Alcohol Use — United States, 2011–2015.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 69, no. 39 (October 2, 2020): 1428–33. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6939a6.
Kanny, Dafna, Robert D. Brewer, Jessica B. Mesnick, Leonard J. Paulozzi, Timothy S. Naimi, and Hua Lu. “Vital Signs: Alcohol Poisoning Deaths - United States, 2010-2012.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 63, no. 53 (January 9, 2015): 1238–42.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4646044/.
Naimi, Timothy S., Leslie E. Lipscomb, Robert D. Brewer, and Brenda Colley Gilbert. “Binge Drinking in the Preconception Period and the Risk of Unintended Pregnancy: Implications for Women and Their Children.” Pediatrics 111, no. 5 Pt 2 (May 2003): 1136–41.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12728126/.
Planalp, Colin, Caroline M. Au-Yeung, and Tyler N. A. Winkelman. “Escalating Alcohol-Involved Death Rates: Trends and Variation across the Nation and in the States from 2006 to 2019.” State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), April 2021. https://www.shadac.org/sites/default/files/publications/Alcohol-Involved-Deaths/AID-4.21-SHADAC-Brief.pdf.
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.” Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, December 2020. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf.
World Health Organization. “Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2018.” Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, September 27, 2018. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565639.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.