ArticlePLOS global public health2022
Benchmarking alcohol policy based on stringency and impact: The International Alcohol Control (IAC) policy index.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- The role of alcohol control policy on the level of alcohol consumption in member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 2000-2022: identifying trends and country clusters for further analyses.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Policy monitoring indexes targeting non-communicable diseases: protocol for a scoping review.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Support for Alcohol Control Policies Among US Alcohol Consumers.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Comparing alcohol policy environments in high-income jurisdictions with the International Alcohol Control Policy Index.Drug and alcohol review · 2025Article
- Investigating Indicators to Assess and Support Alcohol Taxation Policy: Results From the International Alcohol Control (IAC) Study.International journal of health policy and management · 2025Article
- Using the International Alcohol Control (IAC) policy index to assess effects of legislative change in Aotearoa New Zealand.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Effective alcohol policies are associated with reduced consumption among demographic groups who drink heavily.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2023Article
- Effective alcohol policies and lifetime abstinence: An analysis of the International Alcohol Control policy index.Drug and alcohol review · 2023Article
- Quantitative tools and measurements for assessing the implementation of regulatory policies in reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harms: A scoping review.Drug and alcohol review · 2023Article
- Correction: Benchmarking alcohol policy based on stringency and impact: The International Alcohol Control (IAC) Policy Index.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
22 authors at 13 institutions in 11 countries.
Funding
Abstract
This study developed a measurement tool to assess stringency and 'on-the-ground' impact of four key alcohol policy domains to create an alcohol policy index suitable for benchmarking alcohol policy and assessing change over time in middle- and high-income countries. It involved a collaboration between researchers in 12 diverse countries: New Zealand; Australia; England; Scotland; Netherlands; Vietnam; Thailand; South Africa; Turkey; Chile; Saint Kitts and Nevis and Mongolia. Data on the four most effective alcohol policy domains (availability, pricing policy, alcohol marketing, drink driving) were used to create an alcohol policy index based on their association with alcohol per capita consumption (APC) of commercial (recorded) alcohol. An innovation was the inclusion of measures of impact along with the stringency of the legislation or regulation. The resulting International Alcohol Control (IAC) Policy Index showed a very high negative correlation (-0.91) with recorded APC. Greater affordability of alcohol, an impact measure taking into account prices paid and countries' Gross Domestic Product, was predictive of higher APC (-0.80). Countries in which more modes of alcohol marketing are legally allowed and used had higher APC. Legislation on outlet density and drink driving predicted APC whereas trading hours did not. While stringency and impact measures varied between domains in terms of relationship with APC, overall, there was a strong correlation between impact and stringency (0.77). The IAC Policy Index, which includes measures of policy stringency and 'on-the-ground' impacts in relation to four key policy areas, was found to be strongly associated with commercial alcohol consumed in a number of diverse country settings. It showed a larger relationship than previous indices that include more policy dimensions. The index provides a relatively simple tool for benchmarking and communication with policy makers to encourage a strong focus on uptake of these four most effective alcohol policies.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.