Citation

Kavanagh AM, Kelly M, Krnjacki L, Thornton L, Jolley D, Subramanian S, Turrell G, Bentley RJ. Addiction 2011; 106(10): 1772-1779.

Affiliation

The Centre for Women's Health Gender and Society, School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Victorian Public Health Training Scheme, School of Public Health, La Trobe University, VIC, Australia. Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, VIC, Australia. School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, VIC, Australia. Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Population Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, U.S.A. Faculty of Health, School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, QLD, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03510.x

PMID

21615583

Abstract

Aim  To assess the association between access to off-premises alcohol outlets and harmful alcohol consumption. Design, Setting, Participants  Multilevel study of 2334 adults aged 18 to 75 years from 49 census collector districts (the smallest spatial unit in Australia at the time of survey) in metropolitan Melbourne. Measurements  Alcohol outlet density was defined as the number of outlets within a one-kilometre road network of respondents' homes and proximity was the shortest road network distance to the closest outlet from their home. Using multilevel logistic regression we estimated the association between outlet density and proximity and four measures of harmful alcohol consumption: drinking at levels associated with short-term harm at least weekly and monthly; drinking at levels associated with long-term harm and frequency of consumption. Findings  Density of alcohol outlets was associated with increased risk of drinking alcohol at levels associated with harm. The strongest association was for short-term harm at least weekly (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.04-1.16). When density was fitted as a categorical variable, the highest risk of drinking at levels associated with short-term harm was when there were eight or more outlets (short-term harm weekly: OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.22-4.54 and short-term harm monthly: OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.07-3.04). We found no evidence to support an association between proximity and harmful alcohol consumption. Conclusions  The number of off-premises alcohol outlets in a locality is associated with the level of harmful alcohol consumption in that area. Reducing the number of off-premises alcohol outlets could reduce levels of harmful alcohol consumption.

Language: en