TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluating possible intended and unintended consequences of the implementation of alcohol minimum unit pricing (MUP) in Scotland
T2 - a natural experiment protocol
AU - Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal
AU - Beeston, Clare
AU - Millard, Andrew
AU - Forsyth, Ross
AU - Deluca, Paolo
AU - Drummond, David Colin
AU - Eadie, Douglas
AU - Graham, Lesley
AU - Hilton, Shona
AU - Ludbrook, Anne
AU - McCartney, Gerry
AU - Phillips, Thomas
AU - Stead, Martine
AU - Bond, Lyndal
AU - Leyland, Alastair H.
PY - 2019/6/19
Y1 - 2019/6/19
N2 - Introduction Scotland is the first country to carry out a national implementation of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol. MUP aims to reduce alcohol-related harms, which are high in Scotland compared with Western Europe, and to improve health equalities. MUP is a minimum retail price per unit of alcohol. That approach targets high-risk alcohol users. This work is key to a wider evaluation that will determine whether MUP continues. There are three study components. Methods and analysis Component 1 sampled an estimated 2800 interviewees at a baseline and each of two follow-ups from four Emergency Departments in Scotland and Northern England. Research nurses administered a standardised survey to assess alcohol consumption and the proportion of attendances that were alcohol-related. Component 2 covered six Sexual Health Clinics with similar timings and country allocation. A self-completion survey gathered information on potential unintended effects of MUP on alcohol source and drug use. Using a natural experiment design and repeated cross-sectional audit, difference between Scotland (intervention) and North England (control) will be tested for outcomes using regression adjusting for differences at baseline. Differential impacts by age, gender and socioeconomic position will be investigated. Component 3 used focus groups with young people and heavy drinkers and interviews with stakeholders before and after MUP implementation. The focus groups will allow exploration of attitudes, experiences and behaviours and the potential mechanisms by which impacts arise. The interviews will help characterise the implementation process. Ethics and dissemination Study components 1 and 2 have been ethically approved by the NHS, and component 3 by the University of Stirling. Dissemination plans include peer-reviewed journal articles, presentations, policy maker briefings and, in view of high public interest and the high political profile of this flagship policy, communication with the public via media engagement and plain language summaries. Trial registration number ISRCTN16039407; Pre-results.
AB - Introduction Scotland is the first country to carry out a national implementation of minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol. MUP aims to reduce alcohol-related harms, which are high in Scotland compared with Western Europe, and to improve health equalities. MUP is a minimum retail price per unit of alcohol. That approach targets high-risk alcohol users. This work is key to a wider evaluation that will determine whether MUP continues. There are three study components. Methods and analysis Component 1 sampled an estimated 2800 interviewees at a baseline and each of two follow-ups from four Emergency Departments in Scotland and Northern England. Research nurses administered a standardised survey to assess alcohol consumption and the proportion of attendances that were alcohol-related. Component 2 covered six Sexual Health Clinics with similar timings and country allocation. A self-completion survey gathered information on potential unintended effects of MUP on alcohol source and drug use. Using a natural experiment design and repeated cross-sectional audit, difference between Scotland (intervention) and North England (control) will be tested for outcomes using regression adjusting for differences at baseline. Differential impacts by age, gender and socioeconomic position will be investigated. Component 3 used focus groups with young people and heavy drinkers and interviews with stakeholders before and after MUP implementation. The focus groups will allow exploration of attitudes, experiences and behaviours and the potential mechanisms by which impacts arise. The interviews will help characterise the implementation process. Ethics and dissemination Study components 1 and 2 have been ethically approved by the NHS, and component 3 by the University of Stirling. Dissemination plans include peer-reviewed journal articles, presentations, policy maker briefings and, in view of high public interest and the high political profile of this flagship policy, communication with the public via media engagement and plain language summaries. Trial registration number ISRCTN16039407; Pre-results.
KW - alcohol
KW - evaluation
KW - policy
KW - pricing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85067868731&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028482
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028482
M3 - Article
VL - 9
JO - BMJ Open
JF - BMJ Open
IS - 6
M1 - e028482
ER -