ObjectivesThis study examined the association between alcohol consumption trajectory and deaths due to cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and all-cause mortality in Thailand.DesignData were obtained from a Thai prospective cohort study with more than 30 years of follow-up (n=1961).SettingAll participants resided in Bangkok and its vicinity.ParticipantsEmployees from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand aged between 35 and 54 years old were randomly selected.Main outcome measuresExposure was alcohol consumption trajectory over the study period from 1985 to 2012. The main outcomes were all-cause mortality, and deaths due to cancer and CVDs recorded in national vital registries between 2002 and 2015. Cox’s proportional hazard regression was used to determine the associations between alcohol consumption trajectory and each outcome adjusting for sample characteristics, health behaviours and health conditions.ResultsFrom a total of 59 312 person years, 276 deaths were observed. Compared with drinkers who drank occasionally or most occasional over their lifetime, consistent regular or mostly consistent-regular drinkers had higher rates of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.53; 95% CI 1.09 to 2.16) and cancer mortality (HR: 2.05; 95% CI 1.13 to 3.74). The study did not find a significant association between trajectory of alcohol consumption and deaths due to CVDs.ConclusionsRegular drinking of alcohol increased risk for all-cause and cancer mortality. Effective interventions should be implemented to reduce number of regular drinkers in order to saves life of individuals.

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Implementation of effective alcohol control policies is a global priority. However, at the global and national levels, implementing effective policies is still challenging, as it requires commitment from multiple stakeholders. This review provides a synthesis of barriers and facilitators to implementing effective alcohol control policies. We conducted a scoping review from two main databases: Scopus and Web of Science, and the grey literature from the World Health Organization’s website. We included any studies investigating barriers and facilitators to implementing four effective policies: Alcohol pricing and taxation, control of physical availability, alcohol marketing control, and drink-driving policy. Articles published between 2000 and 2021 were included. The search yielded 11,651 articles, which were reduced to 21 after the assessment of eligibility criteria. We found five main barriers: resource constraint; legal loopholes; lack of evidence to support policy implementation, particularly local evidence; low priority of policy implementation among responsible agencies; and insufficient skills of implementers. Facilitators, which were scarce, included establishing monitoring systems and local evidence to support policy implementation and early engagement of implementing agencies and communities. We recommend that national governments pay more attention to potential barriers and facilitators while designing alcohol control regulations and implementing effective policies.

BackgroundPricing policies have been proven to be effective in reducing tobacco consumption. However, studies investigating the effectiveness of pricing policies across different types of tobacco products and socioeconomic status (SES) groups are limited, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries.ObjectiveThis study aimed to quantify the price elasticity of demand for different types of cigarettes across different SES groups.MethodsThis study used data from a nationally representative survey in Thailand conducted in 2017 and included current smokers aged at least 15 years. To quantify the price elasticity of demand for cigarette consumption, a two-part model was employed for five different types of cigarettes: domestic and imported manufactured cigarettes with a low and high price, and roll-your-own cigarettes. Personal income was used to determine SES.ResultsPrice elasticity of demand for cigarettes exists for all types of cigarettes. The price elasticity of demand for manufactured and roll-your-own cigarettes was −0.49 (p<0.05) and −0.32 (p<0.05), respectively. People who smoked domestic manufactured cigarettes were more responsive to price change than those who smoked imported manufactured cigarettes. Low-income smokers of manufactured and roll-your-own cigarettes were more responsive to price change than those with high income.ConclusionSmokers with a low income were more responsive to price change than those with higher income. The effectiveness of pricing policy in reducing demand for manufactured cigarettes was greater in domestic cigarettes than imported ones.