1. Historic and current achievements of the temperance movement in the control of alcohol and its adverse health consequences.
- Author
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Dunt, David, Jiang, Heng, and Room, Robin
- Subjects
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HEALTH policy , *TEMPERANCE , *POPULATION geography , *GOVERNMENT programs , *ALCOHOL drinking , *HEALTH promotion , *ADVERSE health care events , *PUBLIC health , *COMPARATIVE studies , *GOVERNMENT regulation ,DEVELOPED countries - Abstract
The temperance movement has had substantial public health impacts. • Impacts on individual consumption, where studied, have always been positive. • Six of the nine temperance countries continue to have national or regional government stores particularly for the sale of heavily taxed spirits, with limits as well on the accessibility of alcohol. • There have been associations with other movements - most importantly women's suffrage. • There is an historical connection between the historical temperance movements and recent developments in alcohol consumption in the relevant countries. The study aims to assess firstly, the historical (pre-2000) achievements in the control of alcohol and its adverse health consequences in the nine developed countries with mass temperance movements. Currently (post-2000), it looks at achievements in developed countries more generally, including these nine countries. The study is a policy analysis conducted within an historical timeframe. This principally involves the historical impacts on government schemes regulating alcohol as well as individual alcohol consumption and its consequences. Trends since 2000 in alcohol consumption in young people in high-income temperance cultures are also examined. Substantial alcohol-related public health impacts have occurred in almost all of the nine countries, either on relevant government schemes and/or individual alcohol consumption. Regarding government schemes, five of the nine temperance countries, and in part a sixth (the US), retain government store monopoly systems, offering heavily-taxed spirits with limits on their accessibility. Impacts on individual consumption in these countries, where studied, were positive. Consumption in young people since 2000 in high income countries is lower in temperance than non-temperance countries. It is concluded that temperance culture has had substantial and enduring governmental and individual public health impacts relating to alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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