Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 May:33:172-80.
doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2015.02.014. Epub 2015 Apr 2.

Is local alcohol outlet density related to alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in Scottish cities?

E A Richardson  1 , S E Hill  2 , R Mitchell  3 , J Pearce  4 , N K Shortt  5
Affiliations

Is local alcohol outlet density related to alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in Scottish cities?

E A Richardson et al. Health Place. 2015 May.

Abstract

Alcohol consumption may be influenced by the local alcohol retailing environment. This study is the first to examine neighbourhood alcohol outlet availability (on- and off-sales outlets) and alcohol-related health outcomes in Scotland. Alcohol-related hospitalisations and deaths were significantly higher in neighbourhoods with higher outlet densities, and off-sales outlets were more important than on-sales outlets. The relationships held for most age groups, including those under the legal minimum drinking age, although were not significant for the youngest legal drinkers (18-25 years). Alcohol-related deaths and hospitalisations were higher in more income-deprived neighbourhoods, and the gradient in deaths (but not hospitalisations) was marginally larger in neighbourhoods with higher off-sales outlet densities. Efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm should consider the potentially important role of the alcohol retail environment.

Keywords: Alcohol outlets; Drinking; Hospitalization; Mortality; Scotland.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Alaniz M.L., Cartmill R.S., Parker R.N. Immigrants and violence: the importance of neighborhood context. Hisp. J. Behav. Sci. 1998;20:155–174.
    1. Audit Scotland . Audit Scotland; Edinburgh: 2012. Health Inequalities in Scotland.
    1. Ayuka F., Barnett R., Pearce J. Neighbourhood availability of alcohol outlets and hazardous alcohol consumption in New Zealand. Health Place. 2014;29:186–199. - PubMed
    1. Babor T., Caetano R., Casswell S., Edwards G., Giesbrecht N., Graham K., Grube J., Grunewald P., Hill L., Holder H., Homel R., Osterberg E., Rehm J., Room R., Rossow I. Oxford University Press; Oxford: 2003. Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity—Research and Public Policy.
    1. Beeston C., Geddes R., Craig N., Gordon R., Graham L., McAuley A., McCartney G., Reid G., Robinson M., Van Heelsum A. NHS Health Scotland; Edinburgh: 2014. Monitoring and Evaluating Scotland׳s Alcohol Strategy. Fourth Annual Report.

Publication types