Availability of convenience stores and adolescent alcohol use in Taiwan: a multi-level analysis of national surveys

Abstract

The greater availability of convenience stores near a school is associated with an increased risk of alcohol use among adolescents over the previous 6 months.

The Association of Alcohol Outlet Density With Illegal Underage Adolescent Purchasing of Alcohol

“…Greater alcohol outlet densities also have been associated with greater rates of adolescent alcohol consumption. This relationship has been found to exist in Australia [11], the United States [12], Switzerland [13], Taiwan [14], and New Zealand [15]. However, the mechanism by which alcohol outlet density impacts population consumption and related harms is unclear [16], particularly for adolescent populations [12].…”

Percepção de estudantes sobre consumo de bebidas alcoólicas e drogas ilícitas

“…Other studies confirm the ease of buying alcohol in shops, and also reveal that greater availability of convenience stores near a school is associated (p = 0.04) with an increased risk of alcohol use among adolescents. (7,8) Therefore the ease of access to alcohol by minors should permeate the agenda of discussions on the development of public policies, and should be a theme for further research focused on raising awareness about the importance of age limits and establishing greater punishment for violations of legal regulations. (8) The group also highlighted the power of the media that is seen to influence and encourage the consumption of alcohol by young people, with its constant appeal, through advertisements involving happy environments and beautiful people, conveying a message of power and achievement linked to alcohol consumption.…”

“…These findings were corroborated by other studies, which indicate that the greater the use of psychoactive substances during adolescence, the higher the consumption by friends and contacts maintained within the consumer environment. (7) Friends directly influence individuals by offering alcohol, and indirectly by expecting the effects of social acceptance that come with its use. Adolescents with a lower number of friends who use alcohol and other drugs are more likely to be abstinent (p = 0.0002).…”

Commentary on Wanget al. (2013): Time to test the mechanisms of alcohol outlet density effects

“…This study by Wang et al [1] is a methodologically rigorous, well-designed contribution to this literature, finding small but significant associations between adolescent drinking prevalence and the density of convenience stores in school neighbourhoods. The careful analytical approach, large sample and use of a detailed range of compositional control variables give the reader some confidence that the associations detected are meaningful and that policy focusing on convenience stores in Taiwan may have some impact upon adolescent drinking.…”

“…Thus, while thanks to well-designed studies such as Wang et al's [1] we can be increasingly confident that rates of consumption and harm are higher in neighbourhoods with higher densities of alcohol outlets, there remains much work to be conducted on pinning down the hows and whys of these associations. This will require innovation, extending beyond epidemiological analyses of secondary data, but will greatly strengthen this growing literature, ensuring that the broad findings can be applied robustly to policies that will reduce alcoholrelated harms.…”