The findings, which were published as part of a consultation document by the Department of Health, are the results of the first phase of an independent review.

The review looked at the effects of alcohol pricing and promotion on alcohol consumption and related harm, which included health, social and crime related harm.

The major findings from the review, which is being led by Dr Petra Meier from the University of Sheffield's School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), were as follows:

• The review found strong and consistent evidence linking the price of alcohol to the demand for alcohol


• The review also found direct evidence linking price increases to reductions in chronic and acute health harms, including cancers, stroke, accidents, injuries and violence


• Increases in alcohol advertising expenditure were also related to increased demand for alcohol, although the effect was relatively small when compared to the impact of price changes. It also found moderate but consistent evidence linking point of purchase promotions to increased consumption


• The review specifically looked for evidence on groups identified as a priority by the Government: underage drinkers, 18 to 24 year old binge drinkers and harmful drinkers of any age. Consistent evidence was found for an association between alcohol price and patterns of drinking for under 18s, binge drinkers and also harmful drinkers. Point of sales promotions and various types of advertising were also found to influence the attitudes of young people towards drinking and their levels of consumption


• The review found conclusive evidence that alcohol consumption – and especially heavy consumption – is associated with a large range of both chronic and acute harms, including cancers, stroke, accidental injuries and violence

The second phase of the study, which is ongoing, involves the modelling of the potential implications of changes to current policies, especially the impact on health, crime, workforce productivity and employment.

Dr Petra Meier said:

"Our systematic review, which looked at the findings of hundreds of existing research studies, has found very consistent evidence on the effect of alcohol pricing on alcohol consumption and related harm.

"The evidence shows that if prices increase, consumption decreases. This is worrying, given that alcohol has become increasingly affordable in the past decade, especially in supermarkets and off-licenses. To give an idea of scale, the evidence shows that a 10% price increase is associated with a 4% to 8% reduction in consumption."

A full report covering both phases of the project will be published in the autumn.

External link:

The report - Safe, Sensible, Social – consultation on further action (Sheffield Telegraph is not responsible for the content in external links)