Aims: This narrative review considers traditional strategies for regulating alcohol marketing and... more Aims: This narrative review considers traditional strategies for regulating alcohol marketing and their applicability to digital media. Method: Drawing on international research, case studies, and reports, we examine the applicability of (1) comprehensive or partial bans; (2) placement restrictions; (3) content restrictions; and (4) counter-advertising. Results: Comprehensive bans on advertising are generally the most effective option. A partial ban applying to digital media would make some lesser contribution to reducing exposure, but will usually simply result in the promotional budget being shifted to whichever media remain less strictly regulated. Limits on the placement of marketing have more salience for traditional media than for most digital media, which can be individualized and targeted. Content restrictions play a limited role in reducing exposure as they are not concerned with marketing volume, but with the way in which alcohol is represented. Conclusions: Although these traditional strategies have a role in regulating digital media and are applied in certain international jurisdictions, new regulatory approaches are needed. These may include the use of artificial intelligence for monitoring, transparency requirements, and privacy law rights and duties. Opportunities to regulate alcohol marketing online will need to be addressed and seized as they arise in the current volatile policy environment concerning the governance of social media.
BACKGROUND Real-time ecological momentary interventions have shown promising effects in domains o... more BACKGROUND Real-time ecological momentary interventions have shown promising effects in domains other than alcohol use; however, only few studies regarding ecological momentary interventions for alcohol use have been conducted thus far. The increasing popularity of smartphones offers new avenues for intervention and innovation in data collection. OBJECTIVE We aimed to test the efficacy of an ecological momentary intervention, comprising mobile Web-based ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) and text messaging (short message service, SMS) brief interventions, delivered during drinking events using participants’ mobile phones. METHODS We conducted a three-armed randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of a mobile Web-based ecological momentary assessment with texting feedback on self-reported alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms in young adults. Participants were enrolled from an existing observational cohort study of young adults screened for risky drinking behavio...
Introduction and AimsRestrictions introduced to reduce the spread of COVID‐19 have had major impa... more Introduction and AimsRestrictions introduced to reduce the spread of COVID‐19 have had major impacts on the living circumstances of Australians. This paper aims to provide insight into shifts in alcohol consumption and associated factors during the epidemic.Design and MethodsA cross‐sectional convenience sample of 2307 Australians aged 18 and over who drank at least monthly was recruited through social media. Respondents were asked about their alcohol consumption and purchasing in 2019 prior to the epidemic plus similar questions about their experiences in the month prior to being surveyed between 29 April and 16 May 2020.ResultsReports of average consumption before (3.53 drinks per day [3.36, 3.71 95% confidence interval]) and during (3.52 [3.34, 3.69]) the pandemic were stable. However, young men and those who drank more outside the home in 2019 reported decreased consumption during the pandemic, and people with high levels of stress and those who bulk‐bought alcohol when restrict...
The gambling industry has grown into a global business in the 21st century. This has created the ... more The gambling industry has grown into a global business in the 21st century. This has created the need for a new emphasis on problem prevention. This article highlights the core themes of the book Setting Limits: Gambling, Science and Public Policy, taking a broad view of the consequences of gambling for society as a burden on health, well‐being and equality. The book covers the extent of gambling and gambling‐related problems in different societies and presents a critical review of research on industry practices, policy objectives and preventive approaches, including services to people suffering from gambling and its consequences. It discusses the developments in game characteristics and gambling environments and provides evidence on how regulation can affect those. Effective measures to minimize gambling harm exist and many are well supported by scientific evidence. They include restrictions on general availability as well as selective measures to prevent gamblers from overspending...
This overview reviews the establishment and evolution of the Centre for Social Research on Alcoho... more This overview reviews the establishment and evolution of the Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs (SoRAD). It outlines its current organisation and updated research direction, and discusses SoRAD’s future challenges and opportunities. SoRAD was established at Stockholm University to strengthen and support Swedish social science research on alcohol and drugs. It became active in 1999, and quickly grew in research efforts and reputation, while experiencing setbacks around 2006 and 2017. In 2018 SoRAD merged with the Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), to form a new Department of Public Health Sciences. In its new suit, SoRAD acts as a research centre within the teaching department. The research activities on alcohol and other drugs and gambling behaviour and problems may be categorised into four main areas: social epidemiology; subcultures and social worlds of use and heavy use; policy formation, implementation and societal responses; and societal and other collective...
AimsTo model the effects of a range of alcohol pricing policies on alcohol consumption in subpopu... more AimsTo model the effects of a range of alcohol pricing policies on alcohol consumption in subpopulation groups (e.g. alcohol consumption pattern, and age and income groups) in Australia.DesignWe used estimated price elasticities to model the effects of proposed pricing policies on consumption for 11 beverage categories among subpopulation groups.SettingAustralia.ParticipantsA total of 1789 adults (16+ years) who reported they purchased and consumed alcohol in the 2013 Australian International Alcohol Control Study, an adult population survey.MeasurementsMean and percentage changes in alcohol consumption were estimated for each scenario across subgroups. The policy scenarios evaluated included: (1) increasing the excise rate 10% for all off‐premise beverages; (2) replacing the wine equalization tax with a volumetric excise rate equal to the current spirits tax rate; (3) applying a uniform excise tax rate to all beverages equal to the current sprits tax rate and a 10 or 20% increase i...
BACKGROUND Recent research has investigated the utility of mobile phone-delivered interventions f... more BACKGROUND Recent research has investigated the utility of mobile phone-delivered interventions for reducing risky single occasion drinking (RSOD, also known as binge drinking). In the past five years, focus has been placed on Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI), which aim to deliver intervention content in correspondence to real-time assessments of behaviour (also known as Ecological Momentary Assessments; EMA). OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess the effect of a tailored, mobile phone-delivered Ecological Momentary Intervention (MIDY) on young people's risky single occasion drinking behaviour. METHODS We will use a three-armed randomised controlled trial design to determine the impact of MIDY on peak consumption of alcohol among young people. A list of mobile telephone numbers for random digit dialling will be generated and researchers will telephone potential participants and screen for eligibility. Participants will be randomized into 1 of 3 intervention groups. For 6 w...
Evaluations of alcohol policy changes demonstrate that restriction of trading hours of both '... more Evaluations of alcohol policy changes demonstrate that restriction of trading hours of both 'on'- and 'off'-licence venues can be an effective means of reducing rates of alcohol-related harm. Despite this, the effects of different trading hour policy options over time, accounting for different contexts and demographic characteristics, and the common co-occurrence of other harm reduction strategies in trading hour policy initiatives, are difficult to estimate. The aim of this study was to use dynamic simulation modelling to compare estimated impacts over time of a range of trading hour policy options on various indicators of acute alcohol-related harm. An agent-based model of alcohol consumption in New South Wales, Australia was developed using existing research evidence, analysis of available data and a structured approach to incorporating expert opinion. Five policy scenarios were simulated, including restrictions to trading hours of on-licence venues and extensions...
Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire), Jan 13, 2018
This study aims to measure the prevalence rates and patterns of help-seeking behavior as a conseq... more This study aims to measure the prevalence rates and patterns of help-seeking behavior as a consequence of being harmed by drinkers in five Asian countries (India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Thailand). A total of 9832 respondents aged 18-65 years from the WHO/ThaiHealth Collaborative Project were surveyed between 2012 and 2014 about their experiences of being negatively affected due to another's drinking, and whether and where they sought help, focusing on four adverse aspects of harms from others' drinking. The prevalence of seeking help from any source in the past year due to harm from others' drinking ranged from 7% to 20%. The most common service used by those who were affected by other people's drinking was asking for help from friends, followed by calling the police and using health-related services. The largest proportion of help-seeking was among those reporting property harm, followed by those being harmed physically and sexually by drinkers. Given a wid...
Adolescent alcohol consumption has been in decline across many high-income countries since the ea... more Adolescent alcohol consumption has been in decline across many high-income countries since the early to mid-2000s. This is a significant public health trend, with few documented examples from history where such a global downward shift in alcohol consumption has occurred primarily among the adolescent segment of the population. In this commentary we describe the nature and breadth of the trend; reflect on the environmental, social and policy factors that have been proffered; and argue that to adequately understand and support the maintenance of these trends, three important methodological considerations are needed for future research. Firstly, longitudinal panel and qualitative studies are needed to complement and inform continuing cross-sectional research. Secondly, a collaborative cross-cultural approach is needed to contextualise the international scale of the trend and thirdly, future research must be situated within a historical and generational perspective to understand decline...
Risky drinking is a significant public health issue in young Australian adults. Brief interventio... more Risky drinking is a significant public health issue in young Australian adults. Brief interventions are one of few effective methods of reducing risky drinking but are time and cost intensive; innovative methods of delivery are therefore of interest. Mobile phones offer new opportunities to collect data and intervene during risky drinking events. Mobile phones have successfully been used for delivery of alcohol-related brief interventions and data collection but not in combination with or during drinking events. This pilot study will investigate the efficacy of an ecological momentary intervention (EMI), with combined ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and brief intervention delivered by mobile phones to young adults during risky drinking events. We will use a 3-armed randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of the intervention for reducing peak single occasion drinking. Our sample is recruited from an observational cohort study of young, risky drinkers. Participan...
Cannabis use is common in North America, especially among young people, and is associated with a ... more Cannabis use is common in North America, especially among young people, and is associated with a risk of various acute and chronic adverse health outcomes. Cannabis control regimes are evolving, for example toward a national legalization policy in Canada, with the aim to improve public health, and thus require evidence-based interventions. As cannabis-related health outcomes may be influenced by behaviors that are modifiable by the user, evidence-based Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG)-akin to similar guidelines in other health fields-offer a valuable, targeted prevention tool to improve public health outcomes. To systematically review, update, and quality-grade evidence on behavioral factors determining adverse health outcomes from cannabis that may be modifiable by the user, and translate this evidence into revised LRCUG as a public health intervention tool based on an expert consensus process. We used pertinent medical search terms and structured search strategies, to se...
Aims: This narrative review considers traditional strategies for regulating alcohol marketing and... more Aims: This narrative review considers traditional strategies for regulating alcohol marketing and their applicability to digital media. Method: Drawing on international research, case studies, and reports, we examine the applicability of (1) comprehensive or partial bans; (2) placement restrictions; (3) content restrictions; and (4) counter-advertising. Results: Comprehensive bans on advertising are generally the most effective option. A partial ban applying to digital media would make some lesser contribution to reducing exposure, but will usually simply result in the promotional budget being shifted to whichever media remain less strictly regulated. Limits on the placement of marketing have more salience for traditional media than for most digital media, which can be individualized and targeted. Content restrictions play a limited role in reducing exposure as they are not concerned with marketing volume, but with the way in which alcohol is represented. Conclusions: Although these traditional strategies have a role in regulating digital media and are applied in certain international jurisdictions, new regulatory approaches are needed. These may include the use of artificial intelligence for monitoring, transparency requirements, and privacy law rights and duties. Opportunities to regulate alcohol marketing online will need to be addressed and seized as they arise in the current volatile policy environment concerning the governance of social media.
BACKGROUND Real-time ecological momentary interventions have shown promising effects in domains o... more BACKGROUND Real-time ecological momentary interventions have shown promising effects in domains other than alcohol use; however, only few studies regarding ecological momentary interventions for alcohol use have been conducted thus far. The increasing popularity of smartphones offers new avenues for intervention and innovation in data collection. OBJECTIVE We aimed to test the efficacy of an ecological momentary intervention, comprising mobile Web-based ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) and text messaging (short message service, SMS) brief interventions, delivered during drinking events using participants’ mobile phones. METHODS We conducted a three-armed randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of a mobile Web-based ecological momentary assessment with texting feedback on self-reported alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms in young adults. Participants were enrolled from an existing observational cohort study of young adults screened for risky drinking behavio...
Introduction and AimsRestrictions introduced to reduce the spread of COVID‐19 have had major impa... more Introduction and AimsRestrictions introduced to reduce the spread of COVID‐19 have had major impacts on the living circumstances of Australians. This paper aims to provide insight into shifts in alcohol consumption and associated factors during the epidemic.Design and MethodsA cross‐sectional convenience sample of 2307 Australians aged 18 and over who drank at least monthly was recruited through social media. Respondents were asked about their alcohol consumption and purchasing in 2019 prior to the epidemic plus similar questions about their experiences in the month prior to being surveyed between 29 April and 16 May 2020.ResultsReports of average consumption before (3.53 drinks per day [3.36, 3.71 95% confidence interval]) and during (3.52 [3.34, 3.69]) the pandemic were stable. However, young men and those who drank more outside the home in 2019 reported decreased consumption during the pandemic, and people with high levels of stress and those who bulk‐bought alcohol when restrict...
The gambling industry has grown into a global business in the 21st century. This has created the ... more The gambling industry has grown into a global business in the 21st century. This has created the need for a new emphasis on problem prevention. This article highlights the core themes of the book Setting Limits: Gambling, Science and Public Policy, taking a broad view of the consequences of gambling for society as a burden on health, well‐being and equality. The book covers the extent of gambling and gambling‐related problems in different societies and presents a critical review of research on industry practices, policy objectives and preventive approaches, including services to people suffering from gambling and its consequences. It discusses the developments in game characteristics and gambling environments and provides evidence on how regulation can affect those. Effective measures to minimize gambling harm exist and many are well supported by scientific evidence. They include restrictions on general availability as well as selective measures to prevent gamblers from overspending...
This overview reviews the establishment and evolution of the Centre for Social Research on Alcoho... more This overview reviews the establishment and evolution of the Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs (SoRAD). It outlines its current organisation and updated research direction, and discusses SoRAD’s future challenges and opportunities. SoRAD was established at Stockholm University to strengthen and support Swedish social science research on alcohol and drugs. It became active in 1999, and quickly grew in research efforts and reputation, while experiencing setbacks around 2006 and 2017. In 2018 SoRAD merged with the Centre for Health Equity Studies (CHESS), to form a new Department of Public Health Sciences. In its new suit, SoRAD acts as a research centre within the teaching department. The research activities on alcohol and other drugs and gambling behaviour and problems may be categorised into four main areas: social epidemiology; subcultures and social worlds of use and heavy use; policy formation, implementation and societal responses; and societal and other collective...
AimsTo model the effects of a range of alcohol pricing policies on alcohol consumption in subpopu... more AimsTo model the effects of a range of alcohol pricing policies on alcohol consumption in subpopulation groups (e.g. alcohol consumption pattern, and age and income groups) in Australia.DesignWe used estimated price elasticities to model the effects of proposed pricing policies on consumption for 11 beverage categories among subpopulation groups.SettingAustralia.ParticipantsA total of 1789 adults (16+ years) who reported they purchased and consumed alcohol in the 2013 Australian International Alcohol Control Study, an adult population survey.MeasurementsMean and percentage changes in alcohol consumption were estimated for each scenario across subgroups. The policy scenarios evaluated included: (1) increasing the excise rate 10% for all off‐premise beverages; (2) replacing the wine equalization tax with a volumetric excise rate equal to the current spirits tax rate; (3) applying a uniform excise tax rate to all beverages equal to the current sprits tax rate and a 10 or 20% increase i...
BACKGROUND Recent research has investigated the utility of mobile phone-delivered interventions f... more BACKGROUND Recent research has investigated the utility of mobile phone-delivered interventions for reducing risky single occasion drinking (RSOD, also known as binge drinking). In the past five years, focus has been placed on Ecological Momentary Interventions (EMI), which aim to deliver intervention content in correspondence to real-time assessments of behaviour (also known as Ecological Momentary Assessments; EMA). OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess the effect of a tailored, mobile phone-delivered Ecological Momentary Intervention (MIDY) on young people's risky single occasion drinking behaviour. METHODS We will use a three-armed randomised controlled trial design to determine the impact of MIDY on peak consumption of alcohol among young people. A list of mobile telephone numbers for random digit dialling will be generated and researchers will telephone potential participants and screen for eligibility. Participants will be randomized into 1 of 3 intervention groups. For 6 w...
Evaluations of alcohol policy changes demonstrate that restriction of trading hours of both '... more Evaluations of alcohol policy changes demonstrate that restriction of trading hours of both 'on'- and 'off'-licence venues can be an effective means of reducing rates of alcohol-related harm. Despite this, the effects of different trading hour policy options over time, accounting for different contexts and demographic characteristics, and the common co-occurrence of other harm reduction strategies in trading hour policy initiatives, are difficult to estimate. The aim of this study was to use dynamic simulation modelling to compare estimated impacts over time of a range of trading hour policy options on various indicators of acute alcohol-related harm. An agent-based model of alcohol consumption in New South Wales, Australia was developed using existing research evidence, analysis of available data and a structured approach to incorporating expert opinion. Five policy scenarios were simulated, including restrictions to trading hours of on-licence venues and extensions...
Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire), Jan 13, 2018
This study aims to measure the prevalence rates and patterns of help-seeking behavior as a conseq... more This study aims to measure the prevalence rates and patterns of help-seeking behavior as a consequence of being harmed by drinkers in five Asian countries (India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Lao PDR and Thailand). A total of 9832 respondents aged 18-65 years from the WHO/ThaiHealth Collaborative Project were surveyed between 2012 and 2014 about their experiences of being negatively affected due to another's drinking, and whether and where they sought help, focusing on four adverse aspects of harms from others' drinking. The prevalence of seeking help from any source in the past year due to harm from others' drinking ranged from 7% to 20%. The most common service used by those who were affected by other people's drinking was asking for help from friends, followed by calling the police and using health-related services. The largest proportion of help-seeking was among those reporting property harm, followed by those being harmed physically and sexually by drinkers. Given a wid...
Adolescent alcohol consumption has been in decline across many high-income countries since the ea... more Adolescent alcohol consumption has been in decline across many high-income countries since the early to mid-2000s. This is a significant public health trend, with few documented examples from history where such a global downward shift in alcohol consumption has occurred primarily among the adolescent segment of the population. In this commentary we describe the nature and breadth of the trend; reflect on the environmental, social and policy factors that have been proffered; and argue that to adequately understand and support the maintenance of these trends, three important methodological considerations are needed for future research. Firstly, longitudinal panel and qualitative studies are needed to complement and inform continuing cross-sectional research. Secondly, a collaborative cross-cultural approach is needed to contextualise the international scale of the trend and thirdly, future research must be situated within a historical and generational perspective to understand decline...
Risky drinking is a significant public health issue in young Australian adults. Brief interventio... more Risky drinking is a significant public health issue in young Australian adults. Brief interventions are one of few effective methods of reducing risky drinking but are time and cost intensive; innovative methods of delivery are therefore of interest. Mobile phones offer new opportunities to collect data and intervene during risky drinking events. Mobile phones have successfully been used for delivery of alcohol-related brief interventions and data collection but not in combination with or during drinking events. This pilot study will investigate the efficacy of an ecological momentary intervention (EMI), with combined ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and brief intervention delivered by mobile phones to young adults during risky drinking events. We will use a 3-armed randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of the intervention for reducing peak single occasion drinking. Our sample is recruited from an observational cohort study of young, risky drinkers. Participan...
Cannabis use is common in North America, especially among young people, and is associated with a ... more Cannabis use is common in North America, especially among young people, and is associated with a risk of various acute and chronic adverse health outcomes. Cannabis control regimes are evolving, for example toward a national legalization policy in Canada, with the aim to improve public health, and thus require evidence-based interventions. As cannabis-related health outcomes may be influenced by behaviors that are modifiable by the user, evidence-based Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG)-akin to similar guidelines in other health fields-offer a valuable, targeted prevention tool to improve public health outcomes. To systematically review, update, and quality-grade evidence on behavioral factors determining adverse health outcomes from cannabis that may be modifiable by the user, and translate this evidence into revised LRCUG as a public health intervention tool based on an expert consensus process. We used pertinent medical search terms and structured search strategies, to se...
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