College of Human Medicine, Division of Public Health, Michigan State University, 200 East 1st Street, Flint, MI, 48502, USA.
Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Mental Health, Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, Johns Hopkins University, 624 N. Broadway St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
J Urban Health. 2020 Aug;97(4):568-582. doi: 10.1007/s11524-020-00453-7.
Alcohol outlet oversaturation often exacerbates negative public health outcomes. Recently, Baltimore City passed an extensive zoning rewrite ("TransForm Baltimore") that sought to give local government and residents a tool to reduce alcohol outlet oversaturation through land use regulation. The present investigation evaluated the outlet and neighborhood characteristics of stores impacted by two components of TransForm Baltimore: (1) a requirement that taverns licensed for on-premise consumption in addition to off-premise, carryout sales generate at least 50% of their business from on-premise sales, and (2) a requirement to close, repurpose, or relocate all package stores (i.e., off-premise alcohol outlets) that have been operating as "non-conforming" in residential zones since 1971. Research assistants visited every off-premise alcohol outlet in the city (n = 685) to complete an observational assessment. Approximately 77% (n = 530) of these off-premise alcohol outlets were open, including 292 taverns and 238 package stores. t tests and chi-square tests were used to compare neighborhood characteristics (neighborhood disadvantage, median household income, and racial segregation) of sham taverns (i.e., taverns with less than 50% space dedicated for on-premise sales that were primarily operating as a package store) and non-conforming package stores. Of the 292 taverns accessible during the study, the remainder were chronically closed (n = 130); 24 (8.2%) were deemed sham taverns. Sham taverns were more likely to be located in communities with more economic disadvantage and lower median household income (t test; p < 0.05). Compared to taverns, a lower proportion of sham taverns had visible dance floor space, patrons drinking, and menus available (chi-square test; p < 0.001). There were 80 residentially zoned, non-conforming alcohol outlets. These non-conforming alcohol outlets were disproportionately distributed in predominately poor and African American communities (t test; p < 0.05). As compared to conforming alcohol outlets, more non-conforming alcohol outlets sold sex paraphernalia and healthy foods (chi-square test; p < 0.05). With active enforcement, TransForm Baltimore offers the opportunity for local government and residents to improve public health and increase health equity in vulnerable and marginalized neighborhoods.
酒精销售点过度饱和往往会加剧负面的公共卫生后果。最近，巴尔的摩市通过了一项广泛的分区重写（“Transform Baltimore”），旨在通过土地使用法规，为地方政府和居民提供一种工具，以减少酒精销售点过度饱和的问题。本研究评估了受 Transform Baltimore 两个部分影响的商店的销售点和社区特征：(1) 要求除了外卖和外带销售外，还允许在店内消费的酒馆至少 50%的销售额来自店内销售；(2) 要求所有自 1971 年以来一直作为“不合规”在住宅区内经营的酒类专卖店（即酒类外卖店）关闭、重新定位或搬迁。研究助理访问了该市的每个酒类外卖店（n=685）以完成观察性评估。约 77%（n=530）的酒类外卖店营业，包括 292 家酒馆和 238 家酒类专卖店。使用 t 检验和卡方检验比较了（i）伪装酒馆（即主要作为酒类专卖店经营，店内销售面积不足 50%的酒馆）和（ii）不合规酒类专卖店的邻里特征（邻里劣势、家庭中位数收入和种族隔离）。在研究期间可访问的 292 家酒馆中，其余的长期关闭（n=130）；24 家（8.2%）被认定为伪装酒馆。伪装酒馆更有可能位于经济劣势较大、家庭中位数收入较低的社区（t 检验；p<0.05）。与酒馆相比，伪装酒馆的舞池空间、顾客饮酒和菜单可见的比例较低（卡方检验；p<0.001）。有 80 家位于住宅区内的酒类专卖店不合规。这些不合规的酒类专卖店不成比例地分布在以贫困人口和非裔美国人为主的社区（t 检验；p<0.05）。与合规的酒类专卖店相比，更多的不合规酒类专卖店销售性用具和健康食品（卡方检验；p<0.05）。通过积极执法，Transform Baltimore 为地方政府和居民提供了一个机会，以改善弱势和边缘社区的公共卫生和增加健康公平。
