Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, FL 32611-8210, USA.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2009 Nov;33(11):1973-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2009.01036.x. Epub 2009 Aug 31.
Many population studies find that alcohol prices are inversely related to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems, including among college students and young adults. Yet, little is known about the "micro-level" effects of alcohol price on the behavior of individual consumers in natural drinking settings such as college bars. Therefore, we assessed patron's cost per gram of ethanol consumed at on-premise drinking establishments and its association with intoxication upon leaving an establishment.
On 4 consecutive nights during April 2008, data were collected from 804 patrons exiting 7 on-premise establishments in a bar district located adjacent to a large university campus in the southeastern United States. Anonymous interview and survey data were collected as well as breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) readings. We calculated each patron's expenditures per unit of ethanol consumed based on self-reported information regarding the type, size, number, and cost of consumed drinks.
A multivariable model revealed that a 10-cent increase in cost per gram of ethanol at on-premise establishments was associated with a 30% reduction in the risk of exiting an establishment intoxicated (i.e., BrAC > or = 0.08 g/210 l).
The results are consistent with economic theory and population-level research regarding the price elasticity of alcoholic beverages, which show that increases in alcohol prices are accompanied by less alcohol consumption. These findings suggest that stricter regulation of the drink discounting practices of on-premise drinking establishments would be an effective strategy for reducing the intoxication levels of exiting patrons.
许多人群研究发现，酒精价格与酒精消费和与酒精相关的问题呈反比关系，包括在大学生和年轻人中。然而，对于酒精价格对个体消费者在自然饮酒环境（如大学酒吧）中的行为的“微观层面”影响知之甚少。因此，我们评估了在场所内饮酒场所中消费者每克乙醇的消费成本及其与离开场所时醉酒的关系。
在 2008 年 4 月的 4 个连续晚上，从美国东南部一个毗邻大型大学校园的酒吧区的 7 个场所中，收集了 804 名离开场所的消费者的数据。收集了匿名访谈和调查数据以及呼气酒精浓度（BrAC）读数。我们根据关于所消费饮料的类型、大小、数量和价格的自我报告信息，计算了每位消费者每单位乙醇的消费支出。
多变量模型显示，场所内每克乙醇的成本增加 10 美分，醉酒离开场所的风险降低 30%（即 BrAC >或= 0.08 g/210 l）。
这些结果与关于酒精饮料价格弹性的经济理论和人群研究一致，表明酒精价格的上涨伴随着酒精消费的减少。这些发现表明，更严格地管制场所内的饮料折扣做法将是减少离开场所的消费者醉酒程度的有效策略。
