A University of Sheffield report, commissioned by the Department of Health to help Government Ministers decide future alcohol policy, shows that policies which lead to price increases reduce alcohol consumption and can have significant effects on reducing alcohol-related harm.
The findings, which were published today by the Department of Health, are the results of the second phase of an independent review.
As part of the review the Sheffield researchers examined the potential effects of different pricing policies on pa
tterns of alcohol consumption and the resulting impact on the nation's health, crime, absenteeism in the workplace and unemployment.
To compile the report the Sheffield team analysed over 40 separate policy scenarios, including setting minimum prices per unit of alcohol at different levels and bans on price-based promotions in off licences and supermarkets.
The research examines how policies affect alcohol purchasing and consumption by different population groups, including moderate, hazardous, harmful and underage drinkers both in the on-trade and the off-trade sectors.
Dr Petra Meier from the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), who led the research, said:
"This is the first study to integrate data on alcohol pricing and purchasing patterns, consumption and harm to answer the question of what would happen if government were to introduce different alcohol pricing policies.
"The results suggest that policies which increase the price of alcohol can bring significant health and social benefits and lead to considerable financial savings in the NHS, criminal justice system and in the workplace.
She continued:
"Our results also show that targeting price increases at cheaper types of alcohol would affect harmful and hazardous drinkers far more than moderate drinkers. Of course these heavier drinkers, by definition, buy more alcohol, but detailed analysis of data on purchasing patterns also shows that they tend to buy more of the cheaper beers, wines and spirits. The effects of price increases may incidentally be advantageous for alcohol retailers (both in off-trade and on-trade) because the estimated decrease in sales volume is more than offset by the unit price increase, leading to overall increases in revenue."
Visit the Department of Health's website for the full report
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