Global Trends in Alcohol Control Policies Between 2010-2019

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Alcohol consumption is a major global risk factor for over 200 diseases and injuries.
• Significant variation exists in the adoption of alcohol-related policies worldwide.
• Tracking policy trends is crucial for understanding and improving public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update the Alcohol Preparedness Index (API) and assess global and regional alcohol policy trends from 2010 to 2019.
• To identify changes in specific policy domains, including frameworks, taxation, marketing, drink-driving, and monitoring.
• To examine correlates of changes in alcohol policy preparedness.

Main Methods:

• Utilized World Health Organization Global Health Survey data from 141 countries.
• Scored countries across five key alcohol policy domains.
• Analyzed the primary endpoint of % change in API and tested correlates using adjusted regression.

Main Results:

• The median API increased from 57.0 in 2010 to 74.8 in 2016, remaining elevated in 2019.
• Production/pricing/taxation policies saw the largest increase (27% to 78%), and monitoring/surveillance reached strong levels in 47.5% of countries.
• Larger population size was associated with less API gain, while HDI and per-capita consumption were not significant correlates.

Conclusions:

• Global alcohol policy preparedness demonstrated a notable increase from 2010 to 2019.
• Improvements were observed across multiple policy domains, suggesting progress in public health efforts.
• Further research may explore factors influencing API gains in larger populations.