Alcohol and Alcoholism Advance Access originally published online on December 6, 2004
Alcohol and Alcoholism 2005 40(2):132-139; doi:10.1093/alcalc/agh120
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Alcohol & Alcoholism Vol. 40, No. 2 © Medical Council on Alcohol 2005; all rights reserved
DRINKING PATTERNS AND PERSPECTIVES ON ALCOHOL POLICY: RESULTS FROM TWO ONTARIO SURVEYS
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2S1, Canada
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2S1, Canada. Tel.: +1 416 535 8501 (ext. 6895); Fax: +1 416 595 6899; E-mail: Norman_giesbrecht{at}camh.net
(Received 16 July 2004; first review notified 9 August 2004; accepted in revised form 25 October 2004)
Aims: Previous research has shown that heavier drinkers, in comparison to light drinkers or abstainers, are more likely to favour increased access to alcohol and relaxation of control policies. Often, studies have not examined whether attitudes to alcohol policies vary according to a respondent's pattern of drinking. This study examined the association between drinking variables and views on policy, using six drinking variables and six topics on alcohol policy. Methods: Data were available from two Ontario surveys conducted in 2000 and 2002, which took representative samples of adults, aged 18 and older, selected by random digit dialling, who participated in interviews over the telephone (n = 1294 and 1206, respectively). Drinking variables include drinking status, drinking frequency, usual number of drinks, typical weekly volume, frequency of 5+ drinks per occasion and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores. Six policy items were examined: alcohol taxes, warning labels, density of retail alcohol outlets, privatization of government liquor stores, alcohol advertising and consultation with health experts on decisions on alcohol policy. Logistic regression analyses included five demographic variables: gender, age, marital status, education and income. Results: Among males, there was strong support for increased access to alcohol and fewer controls over alcohol policies. This relationship, although not as strong, also emerged for frequent consumers, high volume drinkers and those with a higher AUDIT score. Conclusion: Whether it is intentional or not, government policies that tend to make alcohol more available cater to young, heavy-drinking males who possibly experience problems in connection with their drinking behaviour.
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