Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39552029›Full record

ArticleAlcohol, clinical & experimental research2025

An online assessment of pricing for ready-to-drink alcohol products: Implications for risk and policy solutions.

Matthew E Rossheim, Kayla K Tillett, Viktor Vasilev, Cassidy R LoParco, Theresa Agwuncha, Vishaldeep K Sekhon, Edna P Mendoza, Olivia Townsend, Maria T Julian, Ryan D Treffers and 3 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Alcohol, clinical & experimental research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Matthew E RossheimCollege of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4388-5251
Kayla K TillettCollege of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3681-3009
Viktor VasilevTexas College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Cassidy R LoParcoMilken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Theresa AgwunchaCollege of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Vishaldeep K SekhonDepartment of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Edna P MendozaCollege of Public Health, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
Olivia TownsendLewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Maria T JulianCounterTools, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Ryan D TreffersPacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), Santa Cruz, California, USA.
Melvin D LivingstonRollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Michael B SiegelTufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
David H JerniganSchool of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0789-6917

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlcohol pricing policies can reduce population-level alcohol consumption. To inform these policies, it is essential to understand the price per standard alcoholic drink of the least expensive brands. This study focused on prices of ready-to-drink products because of their accessibility, popularity among young people, and market expansion in recent years.

methodsIn 2023, we systematically identified 39 retail stores selling alcohol online in Fort Worth, Texas. For each product, we recorded information regarding brand name, alcohol-by-volume (abv), liquid volume, and price (n = 10,818). Ready-to-drink products encompassed beer, malt liquor, cider, premixed cocktails, and flavored alcoholic beverages (FAB) including hard beverages (seltzer, soda, tea, lemonade), excluding wine and distilled spirits. We limited analyses to brands sold by at least three stores and deduplicated products within stores. Our analytic sample size was 3924.

resultsThe least expensive brands included the following: Four Loko, MXD Drinks Co., Steel Reserve (High Gravity Lager and Alloy Series), Hurricane High Gravity, Natural Ice, Natty Daddy, Clubtails, Sauza Agave Cocktails, Truly Extra, and Icehouse. The average abv among all products was 5.9%. Among the 20 least expensive brands, the average abv was 9.0%, and 70% were available in single-serve containers.

conclusionsThe least expensive brands of ready-to-drink alcohol products were often high abv, single-serve containers of FAB, malt liquor, or beer. Retail price assessments can strengthen the case for policy solutions, such as targeted taxes and re-classification of products, to reduce the risks posed by low-priced alcohol. The current study identifies some brands these retail assessments should include.

Indexed as

alcoholmarketingpolicyretail surveillance

Identifiers

PMID39552029
PMCPMC11740171

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.