Title: Alcohol Policy 101
1Alcohol Policy 101
- Norman Giesbrecht
- Senior Scientist
- Research Division
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
- norman_giesbrecht_at_camh.net
- Janet McAllister
- Project Consultant
- Education Health Promotion Division
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
- janet_mcallister_at_camh.net
-
2Topics
- What is alcohol policy?
- What is the relationship between health promotion
alcohol policy? - Why have alcohol policies?
- Who makes alcohol policies and implements them?
- Which policies have been shown to be effective?
- What are recent examples from Ontario
- What are public views on alcohol policy?
- What are some challenges and conclusions?
31. What are alcohol policies?
- Authoritative decisions made by governments and
other leaders through laws, rules and
regulations. - Alcohol policies can be directed at
- individuals
- populations (such as underage drinkers or
pregnant women) - organizations and health care systems.
4 What are alcohol policies?
-
- Policies may involve the implementation of a
specific strategy with regard to alcohol problems
(e.g., increase alcohol taxes). - Policies may involve the allocation of resources
that reflect priorities with regard to prevention
or treatment efforts. - Policies that unintentionally increase harm
should also be examined, in order to provide
insight into the public health risks associated
with ill-advised policy decisions.
5Setting the Policy Agenda
- Alcohol policies have been implemented throughout
history to minimize the effects of alcohol on the
health and safety of the population. - All policies begin with a perceived problem. How
that problem is defined, its social and political
importance relative to other pressing issues and
competing interests determines the policy
response.
6A Definition of Alcohol Policy
- What governments institutions choose to do or
not to do about alcohol the conditions that
contribute to its misuse.
72. Health Promotion and Policy
- Definition The process of enabling people (and
- communities) to increase control over and
(thereby) - to improve, their health (The Ottawa Charter
for - Health Promotion (WHO, 1986)
- Domains of determinants of health (CIHR)
- Social economic environment
- Physical environment
- Personal health practices
- Individual capacity coping skills
- Health services
8Health Promotion Actions(Ottawa Charter)
- Build Healthy Public Policy
- Strengthening community action
- Create supportive environments
- Advocate
- Mediate
- Enable
- Reorient
9Alcohol Policy and Health Promotion
- Alcohol Policy primarily affects
- social environment (social norms)
- physical environment (accessibility, safety)
- economic environment (alcohol sales)
103. Why Have Alcohol Policies?
- Damage, disease, social disruption and death
associated with alcohol - Population level damage requires population level
interventions
11(Babor et al. 2003)
12Evidence of the damage from alcohol
- Drinking-related events and conditions have been
linked with trauma, chronic conditions, social,
workplace and family disruption and associated
with other social problems. - The evidence is well established for liver
cirrhosis and drinking and driving, but in other
areas, such as cancer, it is not widely known.
13Evidence of the damage from alcohol
- WHO international projects, provide recent
evidence of the risks and damage associated with
alcohol consumption - Alcohol Public Policy Project (Babor et al.
2003) and - Global Burden of Disease Project (e.g. Rehm et a.
2003).
14Major alcohol-related health conditions
contributing to morbidity and mortality
- Cancers head and neck, gastrointestinal tract,
liver cancer, and female breast cancer. - Neuropsychiatric conditions alcohol-dependence
syndrome, alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety
disorder, organic brain disease. - Cardiovascular conditions ischaemic heart
disease, cerebrovascular disease.
15Major alcohol-related health conditions
contributing to morbidity and mortality
continued
- Gastrointestinal conditions alcoholic liver
cirrhosis, cholelithiasis, pancreatitis. - Maternal and perinatal conditions low birth
weight, intrauterine growth retardation. - Acute toxic effects alcohol poisoning.
- Accidents road and other transport injuries,
fall, drowning and burning injuries, occupational
and machine injuries. - Self-inflicted injuries suicide.
- Violent deaths assault injuries.
Source Babor et al. (2003, p. 64) and Gutjahr et
al. (2001)
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18Burden of disease in 2000 attributable to alcohol
by development status of region and sex
High mortality developing region High mortality developing region High mortality developing region Low mortality developing regions Low mortality developing regions Low mortality developing regions Developed regions Developed regions Developed regions World World World
(AFR-D, AFR-E, AMR-D, EMR-D, SEAR-D) (AFR-D, AFR-E, AMR-D, EMR-D, SEAR-D) (AFR-D, AFR-E, AMR-D, EMR-D, SEAR-D) (AMR-B, EMR-B, SEAR-B, WPR-B) (AMR-B, EMR-B, SEAR-B, WPR-B) (AMR-B, EMR-B, SEAR-B, WPR-B) (AMR-A, EUR-A, EUR-B, EUR-C, WPR-A) (AMR-A, EUR-A, EUR-B, EUR-C, WPR-A) (AMR-A, EUR-A, EUR-B, EUR-C, WPR-A) World World World
M F Both M F Both M F Both M F Both
Total DALYs (000s) 420711 412052 832763 223181 185316 408497 117670 96543 214213 761562 693911 1455373
Alcohol 2.6 0.5 1.6 9.8 2.0 6.2 14.0 3.3 9.2 6.5 1.3 4.0
19Global mortality burden (deaths in 1000s)
attributable to alcohol by major disease
categories - 2000
20Global burden of disease (DALYs in 1000s)
attributable to alcohol by major disease
categories - 2000
21Development status patterns of
alcohol-attributable disorder ( of total in 1000
DALYs)
develop ing coun tries developed countries world
EMR-D, SEAR-D AFR-DE, AMR-D AMR-B, EMR.B, DEAR-B, WPR-B AMR-A, EUR-A, WPR-A EUR-BC
Perinatal conditions 0.5 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2
Cancers 2.6 7.0 9.1 10.5 3.4 7.2
Mental disorders 29.8 23.5 39.7 72.1 22.1 37.6
Cardiovascular dis. 15.1 6.1 8.9 -19.6 16.4 6.8
Other non-communic-able diseases 5.1 8.3 7.3 10.0 8.6 7.8
Unintentional injuries 38.4 38.1 23.4 19.9 33.5 28.3
Intentional injuries 8.5 16.4 11.5 7.1 16.0 12.1
Total alc.-rel. DALYs 5966 7199 25,519 7897 11,742 58,323
Total DALYS 458,601 364,117 409,688 115,863 96,911 1,445,169
of GBD alc.-related 1.3 2.0 6.2 6.8 12.1 4.0
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23Impact of Alcohol in Ontario
- 29 of major injury hospitalisations in 2000/01
were alcohol-related (CIHI) - 39 of preventable water-related deaths involved
alcohol 1996-2000 (Lifesaving Society) - 31 of suicide deaths involved alcohol / other
drugs (SmartRisk)
24Alcohol Our Society
- Costs
- 7.5 billion annually in Canada (CCSA, 1992)
- Lost productivity, law enforcement costs and
health care services.
25Interim Conclusions
- Alcohol is associated with a number of acute
events and chronic conditions - Current international estimates are likely low
because they do not take into account social
consequences - Nevertheless the estimated global burden of
death, disease and disability from alcohol is
just about equal to tobacco - In some countries is the highest of 25 risk
factors examined - It is expected that this burden will increase if
our interventions and policies do not become more
effective
Sources Room Rehm (2004) Rehm et al. 2003
264. Who makes alcohol policy?
- Federal and provincial laws often establish the
legislative framework regarding alcohol - Alcohol issues have increasingly become the
concern of health professionals - The mass media can have a significant influence
on the policy debate - The alcoholic beverage industry and related
groups involved in for-profit production are
often key players (e.g., self-regulation)
27Regulating Alcohol Promotion in Ontario
- Internationally,
- e.g. Trade agreements GATT add full
- Federally,
- e.g. Canadian Code of Advertising Standards
- Provincially
- e.g., Liquor Licence Control Act Liquor Control
Board of Ontario Alcohol Gaming Commission of
Ontario
28Alcohol Policy in Ontario
- Key Groups (Ontario)
- - Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario
Liquor Control Board of Ontario - - The Beer Store Wine Council of Ontario
- - Hospitality Associations
- - Ministries of Consumer Business
Services Economic Development and Trade
Finance Health Long-Term Care
Transportation
29Alcohol Policy in Ontario
- Key groups ( Canada)
- CRTC
- ASC, Consumer Response Council
- Canadian Heritage
- Department of Justice Canada
- Health Canada
30Local Policy Development
- MUNICIPALITIES
- Municipal Alcohol Policies
- Zoning
- Enforcement
31Local Policy Development
- INSTITUTIONS/GROUP
- Workplaces
- School / campus
- Community halls centres
- Charity Groups
- Sports Associations
32Tools for Action
- Research
- Lobbying
- Community mobilization
- Media advocacy
33Opportunities for Action
- Local policy development
- New partnerships
- Broader policy focus
34Opportunities for Action
- NEW PARTNERSHIPS
- Injury prevention community
- Community/safety/ratepayers groups
- Ethno-racial communities
- Progressive corporations/institutions
- National international groups
35 Part 5 What are alcohol policy options? Which
have been shown to be most effective in either
reducing alcohol consumption or
drinking-related harm?
36Evidence of Effective Alcohol Policies
- In controlling the damage from alcohol, the most
effective health promotion interventions are
alcohol policies that focus on population-level
interventions e.g. access to alcohol, drinking
contexts and drinking-related behaviours. - This evidence has been recently been summarized
by Babor et al. (2003)
37Alcohol, No Ordinary CommodityResearch and
Public Policy
- Thomas Babor Linda Hill
- Raul Caetano Harold Holder
- Sally Casswell Ross Homel
- Griffith Edwards Esa Österberg
- Norman Giesbrecht Jürgen Rehm
- Kathryn Graham Robin Room
- Joel Grube Ingeborg Rossow
- Paul Gruenewald
- Assisted by
- Cees Coos, Maristela Monteiro, Shakar Saxena,
Maggie Brady, Therese Reitan, Jacek Moskoliwicz
Published by Oxford University Press in 2003
38Prevention and Intervention Strategies Evaluated
- Hundreds of studies were reviewed by the
- project team of 15 persons and the
- 31 interventions -- grouped as follows --
- were examined and evaluated
39Prevention and Intervention Strategies Evaluated
- Regulating Physical Availability - e.g. days,
hours of sale, legal drinking age - Pricing and Taxation
- Altering the Drinking Context e.g. server
intervention, training, bar policies, etc. - Education and Persuasion e.g. mass media
counter-advertising campaigns, warning labels
and signs, school-based education programs
40Prevention and Intervention Strategies
Evaluatedcontinued
- Regulating Alcohol Promotion e.g. controls on
alcohol advertising, advertising guidelines, bans - Drinking-Driving Countermeasures e.g. lower
blood alcohol levels, random road-side spot
checks - Treatment and Early Intervention
41Ratings of 31 Policy-relevant Prevention
Strategies and Interventions
- Evidence of Effectivenessa the quality of
scientific information - Breadth of Research Supporta quantity and
consistency of the evidence - Tested Across Culturesa, e.,g. countries,
regions, subgroups - Cost to Implement and Sustainb monetary and
other costs - aRating Scale 0, , , , (?)
- b Rating Scale Low, Moderate, High
42Results of Evaluation
- Based on extensive review of the evidence and
scoring of the 31 interventions on each of the 4
criteria noted above, the following 10 best
practices were identified by the research team
43Best Practices
- Minimum legal purchase age
- Government monopoly of retail sales
- Restriction on hours or days of sale
- Outlet density restrictions
- Alcohol taxes
- Sobriety check points
- Lowered BAC limits
- Administrative license suspension
- Graduated licensing for novice drivers
- Brief interventions for hazardous drinkers
44Pricing and Taxation
- People increase their drinking when prices are
lowered, and decrease their consumption when
prices rise. - Heavy or problem drinkers are no exception to
this rule. - Economic studies demonstrate that increased
alcoholic beverage taxes and prices are related
to reductions in alcohol-related problems. - Alcohol taxes are thus an attractive instrument
of alcohol policy because they can be used both
to generate direct revenue and to reduce
alcohol-related harm. - The most important downside to raising alcohol
taxes is smuggling and illegal in-country alcohol
production.
45Pricing and Taxation in Ontario
- Complex structure
- Federally
- Excise Act Adds excise duty to spirits, wine
and beer at set rates. - Provincially
- PST on manufactured goods services is 8, 10
for beverage alcohol in licenced establishments,
12 in retail stores - 2004 budget added volume levies/wine levies /
brewers basic fees
46Regulating Physical Availability
- Reductions in the hours and days of sale, numbers
of alcohol outlets, and restrictions on access to
alcohol are associated with reductions in both
alcohol use and alcohol-related problems. - Laws that raise the minimum legal purchasing age
reduce alcohol sales and problems among young
drinkers. - Government-owned alcohol outlets (i.e.,
off-premise monopoly systems) can limit alcohol
consumption and alcohol-related problems - Extreme restrictions (e.g., total prohibition)
can lower drinking and reduce alcohol problems,
but often have adverse side effects, such as the
criminality associated with illicit markets
47Regulating Physical Availability in Ontario
- Liquor Licence Act
- Hours of Service 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. (New Years
Eve 3 a.m.) - Legal Drinking Age 19
- Liquor Control Board of Ontario
- Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario
48Modifying the Drinking Context
- Enforcement of serving regulations can be highly
effective in reducing serving to intoxication - Community mobilization can be extremely powerful
but is costly to implement and typically not
sustained over time - Well-delivered training programs for bar staff
have been shown to have immediate effects both on
serving and aggression but require policy
enforcement for continuing effects
49Drinking-Driving Countermeasures
- Consistently produce long-term problem reductions
of between 5 and 30 - Deterrence-based approaches, using innovations
such as Random Breath Testing, yield few arrests
but substantial accident reductions - The persistent delinquency of some impaired
drivers should not detract from the enormous
achievements of recent decades
50Drinking-Driving Countermeasures in Ontario
- Federally
- -Criminal Code of Canada Blood Alcohol Level
.05 - Provincially
- - Zero BAC for first (minimum) 20 months
(graduated licencing) - - Licence suspension ignition interlock
51Education and Persuasion
- School-based alcohol education programs have been
found to increase knowledge and change attitudes
toward alcohol and other substances, but do not
change actual use - Approaches that address values clarification,
self-esteem, general social skills, and
alternatives approaches that provide activities
inconsistent with alcohol use (e.g., sports) are
equally ineffective - Programs that include both resistance skills
training and normative education (which attempts
to correct adolescents tendency to overestimate
the number of their peers who drink) have modest
effects that are short-lived unless accompanied
by ongoing booster sessions -
52Education and Persuasion
- Programs that include both individual-level
education and family- or community-level
interventions may not be sufficient to delay the
initiation of drinking, or to sustain a small
reduction in drinking beyond the operation of the
program - Despite their good intentions, Public Service
Announcements are an ineffective antidote to the
high-quality pro-drinking messages that appear
much more frequently as paid advertisements in
the mass media - Although a significant proportion of the
population reports seeing counter-advertising
warning labels, research indicates that exposure
produces no change in drinking behavior
53Summary Education and Persuasion Strategies
- The impact of education and persuasion programs
tends to be small at best - When positive effects are found, they do not
persist - Among the hundreds of studies, only two show
significant lasting effects (after 3 years), and
the significance of these is questionable when
reanalyzed -
- If educational approaches are to be used, they
should be implemented within the framework of
broader environmental interventions that address
availability of alcohol
54Regulating Alcohol Promotion
- Findings suggest that while the restrictions have
not achieved a major reduction in drinking and
related harms in the short-term, countries with
greater restrictions on advertising have less
drinking and fewer alcohol-related problems - Self-regulation on advertising by the beverage
alcohol industry tends to be fragile and largely
ineffective
55Regulating Alcohol Promotion in Ontario
- Federally
- Canadian Code of Advertising Standards
- Provincially
- Liquor Licence Control Act
56Treatment and Early Intervention
- Exposure to any treatment is associated with
significant reductions in alcohol use and related
problems - Behavioural treatments are likely to be more
effective than insight-oriented therapies -
- There is no consistent evidence that intensive
inpatient treatment provides more benefit than
less intensive outpatient treatment, but
inpatient treatment is indicated for persons with
certain problem profiles - Brief interventions have shown the strongest
evidence of effectiveness as general prevention
strategies
576. Examples of Provincial Alcohol Policy
- Taxes on alcohol
- Mandatory Server Training
- Closing Hours of Bars
- Density of Licensed Establishments
- Reduction of BAC
- Driving and Drinking for young drivers
- Standardized regulations related to alcohol
- workplace issues
- Advertising guidelines and controls
-
-
58Examples of Municipal Alcohol-Related Policies
- Licensing
- Zoning
- Transportation
- Patios
- Street Vendors
- Noise by-law
- Littering and public annoyance
59Other Avenues for Alcohol Policy Development
- Community Organisations (snowmobile association,
- church, sports group)
- Post secondary institutions residence etc.
- Workplace- social functions, fit to work
- Bars/Licensed Restaurants- internal policies
- Retail Stores- marketing and selling practices
-
60Environmental Supports
- Coalition building
- Media advocacy
- Alcohol accords
- Cleanliness and appearance
- Lighting
- Physical set up of licensed establishments
- Police scheduling and coverage
- RIDE programs
- Enforcement
61Part 7.What are public views on alcohol policies?
62Per Adult Rate of Official Sales in Litres of
Absolute Alcohol
Statistics Canada Control Sale of Alcoholic
Beverages
63Per Adult Rate of Official Sales Litres of
Absolute Alcohol by Beverage
Statistics Canada Control Sale of Alcoholic
Beverages
64Percent aged 15 supporting alcohol controls,
Canada, 1989 1994
Ns 11,634 in 89 12,155 in 1994
65Percent aged 15 supporting alcohol controlsby
gender, Canada, 1989 1994
Ns 11,634 in 89 12,155 in 94
66Percent aged 15 supporting alcohol controlsby
region of Canada, 1994
N 12,144
67Canada, 1989 and 1994Surveys
- Based on 11,634 respondents in 1989 and 12, 155
in 1994 - Sampled by province, respondents aged 15 and
older - The next table shows odds ratios for logistic
regressions on alcohol policy measures by year,
gender, age and drinking pattern
68Policy Item Taxes increase Hours decreased Age raised No Corner Sales Govt ads increased Warning labels Prevent service to drunks
Yr 94 vs 89 0.76 0.84 0.58 0.67 0.55 0.74 0.60
Female vs male 1.35 1.49 1.35 2.58 1.58 1.77 1.48
Age 15-19 vs 35-44 0.74 0.77 0.32 1.12 0.90 1.31 0.50
20-34 vs 35-44 0.73 0.73 1.10 1.10 0.95 0.97 0.81
55 vs 35-44 0.88 0.98 1.66 1.12 0.74 1.07 0.83
Abstain. vs other drinkers 3.60 3.40 1.63 2.49 1.45 1.81 0.86
Freq. High-max vs other drinker 0.32 0.40 0.67 0.48 0.56 0.62 0.61
Source Giesbrecht Kavanagh, 1999, p.12, Table 2
69National Surveys 1989 1994 Main Findings
- Support declined for all policies over 5 yr
interval - Support more likely among women than among men
- Variation by age but not a consistent general
pattern - Abstainers more likely to support controls
compared to other drinkers - Frequent/high maximum drinkers less likely to
support controls compared to other drinkers
70Ontario Surveys
- Sources Ontario sample of National Alcohol and
Drug Survey Ontario samples of U.S. Warning
Label Project provincial surveys sponsored by
the Addiction Research Foundation the Centre
for Addiction Mental Health - Representative samples of adults selected by
random digit dialing - Ns varied by year from 1,034 to 2,721
- Results based on adults aged 20 and older
71Percent aged 20 supporting increased taxes on
alcohol, Ontario, 1989-2000
72Percent aged 20 supporting shorter store hours
or opposed to corner store sales, Ontario,
1989-2003
73Percent aged 20 supporting a ban on alcohol ads
on TV or ban on sponsorship by alcohol producers,
Ontario, 1989 - 2001
74Percent aged 20 supporting warning labels or
increased counter-advertising, Ontario, 1989-2001
75Percent aged 20 supporting an increase in
preventing service to drunken customers, Ontario,
1989-2001
76Percent against privatizationby total sample and
gender, Ontario,1999 2002
Ns 1,288 in99 1,206 in 02
77Percent against privatization of government
stores,by age, Ontario, 1999 2002
Ns 1,288 in 99 1,206 in 02
78Percent against privatizationby drinking
pattern, Ontario, 1999 2002
Ns 1,288 in 99 2,002 in 02
79Conclusions
- There is support for a number of control
measures, but it has declined - Majority of respondents support interventions
with low impact (e.g.warning labels) and also
modest potential (e.g.server intervention) - However a minority support interventions with
demonstrated potential in reducing damage e.g.,
higher taxes on alcohol and fewer outlets - Less support among males and frequent/heavier
drinkers
80Questions
- Is there an interaction between increased
marketing and extensive retailing of alcohol and
declining support for controls? - What is the basis for the strong support for
government liquor stores and opposition to corner
store sales - Prevention agenda?
- Fear of losing current modernized and customer
friendly government retailing system? - Both?
- Why have per adult sales increased in recent
years?
81Part 8.What are challenges and conclusions?
82Challenges
- Much of government alcohol policy-making is still
based mainly on commercial agendas - The associations between increasing alcohol
distribution and promotion and alcohol-related
damage are typically not considered when policy
decisions are made. - Ongoing challenge is that of having research and
epidemiological findings provide a stronger basis
for priorities in service and practice
83Challengescontinued
- Higher priority needs to be given to the more
effective interventions alcohol policies. - Opportunities for synergistic combinations of
interventions and effective partnerships need to
be further explored and effective partnerships
developed. - A current challenge is that of getting alcohol on
the agenda e.g. governments see alcohol as a
risk factor re chronic disease prevention. - The relevant lessons from other arenas, e.g. the
tobacco control experiences, provide a useful
guide for developing and implementing effective
alcohol policies.
84Conclusions
- Alcohol policies can be effective at both the
community level and the national level. - Policies can be targeted at the general
population, at high-risk drinkers, and at people
already experiencing alcohol-related problems. - Alcohol policies rarely operate independently or
in isolation from other measures. Complementary
system strategies that seek to restructure the
total drinking environment are more likely to be
effective than single strategies. - Full-spectrum interventions are needed to achieve
the greatest population impact.
85References Resource Material
- Babor, T. et al. (2003) Alcohol No Ordinary
Commodity. Research and Public Policy. Oxford
Oxford University Press. - Centre for Addiction Mental Health (2004)
Alcohol Policy Framework for Reducing
Alcohol-Related Problems. - Centre for Addiction Mental Health (2004)
Position Paper Retail Alcohol Monopolies and
Regulation Preserving the Public Interest. - Centre for Addiction Mental Health (2004)
Strategies to Prevent Community Alcohol-Related
Problems Bar Areas - Giesbrecht, N. et al. (2001) Trends in public
opinion on alcohol policy measures Ontario
1989-1998. Journal of Studies on Alcohol vol 62
142-149. - Gutjahr E. et al. (2001) The relation between
average alcohol consumption and disease an
overview. European Addiction Research 7 117-127. - Rehm, J. et al. Alcohol as a risk factor for
global burden of disease. European Addiction
Research, vol. 9, no. 4 157-164. - Room R. J. Rehm (2004) Alcohol-related global
burden of disease. Presentation at the Research
Society on Alcoholism, Vancouver 26-30 June 2004.
86Contact Information
- Norman Giesbrecht
- Senior Scientist
- Research Division
- Centre for Addiction Mental Health
- 33 Russell Street
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2S1
- 416 535-8501 ext. 6895
- Fax 416 595-6899
- Email norman_giesbrecht_at_camh.net
87Contact Information
- Janet McAllister
- Project Consultant
- Education and Health Promotion Division
- 171 Queens Avenue, Suite 330
- London, Ontario N6A 5J7
- 519 433-3171
- Fax 519 433-2722
- Email janet_mcallister_at_camh.net