Format
Book
Publication Date
Published by / Citation
Alcohol Focus Scotland
Original Language

English

Country
United Kingdom
Keywords
alcohol
Scotland
alcohol outlet density
alcohol harms

Alcohol Outlet Availability and Harm in Scotland

Key Findings

Across the whole of Scotland, neighbourhoods with the highest alcohol outlet availability had significantly higher rates of alcohol-related health harm and crime.

  • Alcohol-related death rates in neighbourhoods with the most alcohol outlets were double those in neighbourhoods with the least.
  • Alcohol-related hospitalisation rates in neighbourhoods with the most alcohol outlets were almost double those in neighbourhoods with the least.
  • Crime rates were more than four times higher in neighbourhoods with the most alcohol outlets as compared to the least.
  • Alcohol outlet availability was found to be related to health and crime outcomes for both on-sales and off-sales outlets, and in both urban and rural local authorities.
  • The relationships between availability and harm were found even when other possible explanatory factors, such as age, sex, urban/rural status and levels of income deprivation, had been taken into account.
  • There were 40% more alcohol outlets in the most deprived neighbourhoods than in the least deprived neighbourhoods.
  • From 2012 to 2016, the total number of alcohol outlets in Scotland increased by 472 to 16,629 (11,522 on-sales outlets and 5,107 off-sales outlets). This increase was driven by an increase in off-sales outlets.