Research agendas for alcohol policymaking in the wider world

Abstract

From comparisons of World Health Organization statistics, it is clear that people in lower-and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience more harms per litre of alcohol and different types of harms compared to those from higher-income countries (HICs). Yet studies in HICs dominate research on policies to prevent alcohol problems. The paper begins a dialogue on priorities for research in the wider world, particularly in LMICs. It reports on results of collaborative work among a group of academics to map priority areas for research relevant to LMIC. Research focus areas were identified and discussed among potential co-authors from diverse fields with relevant knowledge, with agreement reached on an initial list of seven research priority areas. Areas identified include: (1) the effects of choices (e.g., national vs. local, monopoly vs. licensing system) in organising the alcohol market; (2) involvement/separation of alcohol industry interests in decisions on public health regulation; (3) options and effectiveness of global agreements on alcohol governance; (4) choices and experience in controlling unrecorded alcohol; (5) means of decreasing harm from men’s drinking to family members; (6) strategies for reducing the effects of poverty on drinking’s role in harms; and (7) measuring and addressing key alcohol-induced LMIC health harms: infectious diseases, injuries, and digestive diseases. Potential paths ahead for such research are briefly outlined and engagement in agenda setting from a wider group of stakeholders is sought.