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City-based action to reduce harmful alcohol use: Review of reviews

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Peter Anderson

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

© 2018 Anderson P et al.Background: The World Health Organization global strategy on alcohol called for municipal policies to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. Yet, there is limited evidence that documents the impact of city-level alcohol policies. Methods: Review of reviews for all years to July 2017. Searches on OVID Medline, Healthstar, Embase, PsycINFO, AMED, Social Work Abstracts, CAB Abstracts, Mental Measurements Yearbook, Health and Psychosocial Instruments, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, International Political Science Abstracts, NASW Clinical Register, and Epub Ahead of Print databases. All reviews that address adults, without language or date restrictions resulting from combining the terms ("review" or "literature review" or "review literature" or "data pooling" or "comparative study" or "systematic review" or "meta-analysis" or "pooled analysis"), and "alcohol", and "intervention" and ("municipal" or "city" or "community"). Results: Five relevant reviews were identified. Studies in the reviews were all from high income countries and focussed on the acute consequences of drinking, usually with one target intervention, commonly bars, media, or drink-driving. No studies in the reviews reported the impact of comprehensive city-based action. One community cluster randomized controlled trial in Australia, published after the reviews, failed to find convincing evidence of an impact of community-based interventions in reducing adult harmful use of alcohol. Conclusions: To date, with one exception, the impact of adult-oriented comprehensive community and municipal action to reduce the harmful use of alcohol has not been studied. The one exception failed to find a convincing effect. We conclude with recommendations for closing this evidence gap.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Anderson P, Jane-Llopis E, Hasan OSM, Rehm J

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: F1000Research

Year: 2018

Volume: 7

Print publication date: 05/03/2018

Online publication date: 29/01/2018

Acceptance date: 02/04/2016

Date deposited: 23/07/2018

ISSN (print): 2046-1402

ISSN (electronic): 1759-796X

Publisher: Faculty of 1000 Ltd

URL: https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.13783.2

DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.13783.2

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