Individuals' travel to alcohol outlets: The fallacy of the local bar

Abstract

IntroductionStudies relating alcohol outlet density around homes to alcohol consumption produce mixed results. One possible explanation is that people travel to outlets away from their homes. This study aims to characterise individuals' trips to outlets, describe these trip locations relative to other activities and estimate associations between alcohol outlet density and trips to outlets.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study used 2014–2018 household travel data from the Victoria Integrated Survey of Travel and Activity. We estimated the average change in the cumulative travel characteristics associated with each additional trip to bars and liquor stores, accounting for complex trips to multiple destinations. Logistic regression models estimated odds that individuals travelled to outlets in relation to outlet density in their home local government area (LGA).ResultsAmong 23,512 respondents, 378 (1.6%) travelled to any bar and 79 (0.3%) any liquor store the survey day. Bar trips added 8.2 km (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.6, 11.8) and 18.1 min (95% CI 13.6, 22.6) to cumulative travel; 41% of attended bars were co‐located in participants' home LGA. Greater bar and liquor store density within the home LGA were associated with overall trips to these outlet types.Discussion and ConclusionsIndividuals travel beyond their residential area to bars, but travel to liquor stores closer to home. Bar and liquor store density within individuals' home LGA were associated with trips to outlets. Trips to local bars in near home comprised a minority of trips to bars in this sample. Studies of retail alcohol access should account for trips to bars away from home.