TY - JOUR
T1 - The association of alcohol outlet density with illegal underage adolescent purchasing of alcohol
AU - Rowland, Bosco
AU - Toumbourou, John W.
AU - Livingston, Michael
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was partly funded by an Australian Research Council grant (LP100200755) and a Deakin Faculty Research Grant. Bosco Rowland was also supported by the Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Fellowship . Michael Livingston was supported by an NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (1053029) and by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE), an independent, charitable organization working to prevent the harmful use of alcohol in Australia. The HowRU secondary student survey was funded by the Victorian State Government Department of Education and Early Childhood Development .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine.
PY - 2015/2/1
Y1 - 2015/2/1
N2 - Purpose Although previous studies have suggested that greater community densities of alcohol sales outlets are associated with greater alcohol use and problems, the mechanisms are unclear. The present study examined whether density was associated with increased purchasing of alcohol by adolescents younger than the legal purchase age of 18 in Australia. Methods The number of alcohol outlets per 10,000 population was identified within geographic regions in Victoria, Australia. A state-representative student survey (N = 10,143) identified adolescent reports of purchasing alcohol, and multilevel modeling was then used to predict the effects for different densities of outlet types (packaged, club, on-premise, general, and overall). Results Each extra sales outlet per 10,000 population was associated with a significant increase in the risk of underage adolescent purchasing. The strongest effect was for club density (odds ratio = 1.22) and packaged (takeaway) outlet density (odds ratio = 1.12). Males, older children, smokers, and those with substance-using friends were more likely to purchase alcohol. Conclusions One mechanism by which alcohol sales outlet density may influence population rates of alcohol use and related problems is through increasing the illegal underage purchasing of alcohol.
AB - Purpose Although previous studies have suggested that greater community densities of alcohol sales outlets are associated with greater alcohol use and problems, the mechanisms are unclear. The present study examined whether density was associated with increased purchasing of alcohol by adolescents younger than the legal purchase age of 18 in Australia. Methods The number of alcohol outlets per 10,000 population was identified within geographic regions in Victoria, Australia. A state-representative student survey (N = 10,143) identified adolescent reports of purchasing alcohol, and multilevel modeling was then used to predict the effects for different densities of outlet types (packaged, club, on-premise, general, and overall). Results Each extra sales outlet per 10,000 population was associated with a significant increase in the risk of underage adolescent purchasing. The strongest effect was for club density (odds ratio = 1.22) and packaged (takeaway) outlet density (odds ratio = 1.12). Males, older children, smokers, and those with substance-using friends were more likely to purchase alcohol. Conclusions One mechanism by which alcohol sales outlet density may influence population rates of alcohol use and related problems is through increasing the illegal underage purchasing of alcohol.
KW - Adolescents
KW - Alcohol
KW - Density
KW - Purchase
KW - Underage
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84921609480&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.08.005
DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.08.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 25287986
AN - SCOPUS:84921609480
SN - 1054-139X
VL - 56
SP - 146
EP - 152
JO - Journal of Adolescent Health
JF - Journal of Adolescent Health
IS - 2
ER -
