Anderson, Peter and O'Donnell, Amy and Jané Llopis, Eva and Kaner, Eileen (2022) The impact of lower strength alcohol products on alcohol purchases: ARIMA analyses based on 4 million purchases by 69 803 households, 2015-2019. Journal of Public Health, 44, (4), e567–e577. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdac052.
External website: https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/advance-articl...
BACKGROUND: Lowering the strength of alcohol products could lead to less alcohol being bought and drunk. In its prevention White Paper, the UK Government aims to promote a significant increase in the availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol products by 2025.
METHODS: Through descriptive analysis and ARIMA modelling of >4 million alcohol purchases from 69 803 British households, we study the potential impact of lower strength alcohol products in reducing household purchases of grams of alcohol over 2015-2019. Households are divided into predominantly beer, wine or spirits purchasers.
RESULTS: Over 5 years, there were decreases in purchases of grams of alcohol within beer amongst beer-purchasing households and increases in purchases of grams of alcohol within wine and spirits amongst, respectively, wine- and spirits-purchasing households. Almost all the changes were due to beer-purchasing households buying less regular strength beer, and wine and spirits-purchasing households buying, respectively, more regular strength wine and spirits, rather than increases in purchases of no- and low-alcohol products.
CONCLUSIONS: In general, lower strength alcohol products have not contributed to British households buying fewer grams of alcohol over the 5-year follow-up period during 2015-2019.
B Substances > Alcohol
E Concepts in biomedical areas > Pharmacology and toxicology > Potency / strength
F Concepts in psychology > Motivation
MP-MR Policy, planning, economics, work and social services > Economic aspects of substance use (cost / pricing)
VA Geographic area > International
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