Neighbourhood deprivation and access to alcohol outlets: a national study.

People living in poor areas suffer higher mortality than those in wealthy areas. Environmental factors partly explain this association, including exposure to pollutants and accessibility of healthcare. We sought to determine whether proximity to alcohol outlets varied by area deprivation in New Zealand. Roadway travel distance from each census unit to the nearest alcohol outlet was summarised according to socioeconomic deprivation for each area. Analyses were conducted by license type (pubs/bars, clubs, restaurants, off-licenses) and community urban-rural status. Strong associations were found between proximity to the nearest alcohol outlet and deprivation, there being greater access to outlets in more-deprived urban areas.

Alcohol outlet density and university student drinking: a national study.

AIMS: To examine the geographic density of alcohol outlets and associations with drinking levels and related problems among university students. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey study using geospatial data, with campus-level and individual-level analyses. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2550 students (mean age 20.2, 60% women) at six university campuses in New Zealand (63% response). MEASUREMENTS: Counts of alcohol outlets within 3 km of each campus were tested for their non-parametric correlation with aggregated campus drinking levels and related problems. Generalized estimating equations were used to model the relation between outlet counts within 1 km and 3 km of student residences and individual drinking levels/problems, with control for gender, age, ethnicity and high school binge drinking frequency, and adjustment for campus-level clustering. FINDINGS: Correlations for campus-level data were 0.77 (P = 0.07) for drinking and personal problems, and 0.31 (P = 0.54) for second-hand effects. There were consistent significant associations of both on- and off-licence outlet densities with all outcomes in student-level adjusted models. Effects were largest for 1 km densities and off-licence outlets. CONCLUSIONS: There are positive associations between alcohol outlet density and individual drinking and related problems. Associations remain after controlling for demographic variables and pre-university drinking, i.e. the associations are unlikely to be due to self-selection effects. Increasing alcohol outlet density, and particularly off-licences, may increase alcohol-related harm among university students.