Findings bulletins: IBA in primary care update, MUP impact on low income groups, licensing outcomes, sexual minority harms

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank: 

Review finds that brief alcohol advice in relatively normal primary care practice reduces drinking

Update of a key document forming the basis of claims that brief interventions work in ‘real-world’ settings. Combined findings from randomised trials confirm that brief advice in primary care can reduce drinking; now the issue is whether in normal practice those benefits will be realised on a grand enough scale to create public health gains.

Could low income areas experience the greatest health benefits of a minimum pricing policy?

Increases in the minimum price of alcoholic beverages in a Canadian province between 2002 and 2013 set the stage for a ‘real-world’ study of minimum unit pricing. Reductions in alcohol-related hospital admissions, particularly in lower income areas, tentatively supported the conclusion that minimum unit pricing would have a greater impact in regions with a low level of average family income, among which there tends to be a greater burden of alcohol-related harm.

From England, signs that tighter licensing policies have reduced serious alcohol-related harm

Compared to 86 local areas with unchanged policies, five areas taking a hands-on approach to enforcement saw reductions in violent and sexual crimes and alcohol-related hospital admissions. Are these changes indicative of a meaningful change in the drinking environment brought about by tighter licensing regimens?

What do we know about reducing alcohol-related harm among gay and bisexual men?

This review focuses on a cohort disproportionately burdened by ill health, yet often overlooked as subjects of substance use research and in the provision of healthcare. With an ‘alarmingly scarce’ evidence base to go on, the researchers draw parallels with the broader alcohol treatment literature, and suggest progress could be made with attention to specific theories of problem drinking for sexual minority groups.