School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2020 Jan;81(1):47-57.
Although alcohol consumption is considered a major modifiable risk factor for chronic disease, policies to reduce alcohol-related harm remain low on the Canadian policy agenda. The objective of this study was to understand support for population-level healthy public policies to reduce alcohol-related harm by assessing the attitudes of policy influencers and the public in two Canadian provinces, and by sociodemographic characteristics.
A stratified sample of the general public (n = 2,400) and a census sample of policy influencers (n = 302) in Alberta and Quebec participated in the 2016 Chronic Disease Prevention Survey, which included questions to assess support for alcohol-specific policies. Differences in levels of support were determined by calculating differences in the proportion of support for alcohol control policies, comparing groups by regional and sociodemographic characteristics. The modified Nuffield Council on Bioethics Intervention Ladder was used to assess support according to the level of individual intrusiveness.
We found that policy influencers and general public respondents were supportive of both information-based policies, with the exception of warning labels, and more restrictive policies targeting youth (e.g., enforcement). Both groups were less favorable to alcohol-specific policies that guided choice through disincentives (e.g., taxation). There were more differences in policy support by sociodemographic characteristics among the public.
For health advocates to advance policies to reduce alcohol-related harms at the population level, they will need to mobilize additional support for more intrusive, yet more effective, policy interventions. Advocacy efforts should focus on communicating the effectiveness and positive outcomes of these interventions to help garner support.
尽管饮酒被认为是慢性病的一个主要可改变风险因素，但减少与酒精相关伤害的政策在加拿大政策议程中仍然处于较低地位。本研究的目的是通过评估加拿大两个省份的政策制定者和公众对降低与酒精相关伤害的人群健康公共政策的支持程度，并结合社会人口学特征，了解对这些政策的支持情况。
在 2016 年慢性疾病预防调查中，对艾伯塔省和魁北克省的普通公众（n=2400）和政策制定者（n=302）进行了分层抽样，该调查包括评估对特定于酒精的政策的支持程度的问题。通过计算对酒精控制政策的支持率的差异来确定支持程度的差异，比较不同地区和社会人口学特征的群体。采用改良的纳菲尔德生物伦理学干预阶梯法，根据个人干预程度的高低来评估支持程度。
我们发现，政策制定者和普通公众都支持以信息为基础的政策，除了警示标签，还支持针对年轻人的更具限制性的政策（例如执法）。这两个群体对通过抑制措施（例如税收）引导选择的特定于酒精的政策不太支持。公众的社会人口学特征对政策支持的差异更大。
为了让健康倡导者在人群层面推进减少与酒精相关伤害的政策，他们需要为更具侵入性但更有效的政策干预措施争取更多支持。倡导工作应重点传达这些干预措施的有效性和积极成果，以帮助争取支持。
