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Alcohol distribution reforms and school proximity to liquor sales outlets in New Brunswick

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this project was to evaluate how changes to the sale of alcohol in New Brunswick would be distributed across urban and rural communities, and low- and high-income neighbourhoods. The study objectives were to 1 ) estimate the population living close to alcohol outlets before and after liquor distribution reforms, 2) identify communities or regions that would be more or less affected, and 3) determine whether expanding access to alcohol products would reduce school proximity to retailers.

METHODS: Data from Statistics Canada, Desktop Mapping Technologies Inc. (DMTI), and geocoded publicly available information were spatially linked and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The populations living within 499 m, 500–999 m and 1–5 km of an outlet were estimated, and the distances from schools to stores were examined by geographic characteristics and neighbourhood socio-economic status.

RESULTS: Permitting the sale of alcohol in all grocery stores throughout the province would increase the number of liquor outlets from 153 to 282 and would increase the population residing within 499 m of an outlet by 97.49%, from 19 886 to 39 273 residents. The sale of alcohol in grocery stores would result in an additional 35 liquor sales outlets being located within 499 m of schools. Low-income neighbourhoods would have the highest number and proportion of stores within 499 m of schools.

CONCLUSION: The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of considering social, economic and health inequities in the context of alcohol policy reforms that will disproportionately affect low-income neighbourhoods and youth living within these areas.

Résumé

OBJECTIFS: Ce projet visait à évaluer comment des changements au réseau de vente d’alcool du Nouveau-Brunswick se répartiraient entre les communautés urbaines et rurales et les quartiers à faible revenu et à revenu élevé. Les objectifs étaient: 1 ) d’estimer la population vivant près de points de vente d’alcool avant et après les réformes apportées à la distribution des spiritueux, 2) de repérer les communautés ou les régions les plus ou les moins touchées et 3) de déterminer si l’accès élargi aux produits alcoolisés réduirait la distance entre les écoles et les détaillants.

MÉTHODE: Les données de Statistique Canada et de DMTI et l’information géocodée publiquement disponible ont été liées spatialement et analysées à l’aide de statistiques descriptives. Les populations vivant à moins de 500 m, d’1 km et de 5 km d’un point de vente ont été estimées, et les distances entre les écoles et les magasins ont été examinées en fonction des caractéristiques géographiques et du statut socioéconomique du quartier.

RÉSULTATS: Le fait de permettre la vente d’alcool dans toutes les épiceries de la province ferait passer le nombre de points de vente de spiritueux de 153 à 282 et augmenterait de 97,49 % la population vivant à moins de 499 m d’un point de vente, soit de 1 9 886 à 39 273 habitants. La vente d’alcool dans les épiceries créerait 35 nouveaux points de vente de spiritueux situés à moins de 499 m d’une école. Les quartiers à faible revenu afficheraient le plus grand nombre et la plus grande proportion de magasins à moins de 499 m d’une école.

CONCLUSION: D’après les constatations de cette étude, il est important de tenir compte des inégalités sociales, économiques et de santé lorsque les réformes de la politique sur l’alcool toucheront démesurément les quartiers à faible revenu et les jeunes vivant dans ces quartiers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA

    Amanda K. Slaunwhite PhD

  2. Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, Victoria, BC, Canada

    Amanda K. Slaunwhite PhD

  3. School of Social and Political Science, Global Public Health Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Julie McEachern MSc

  4. Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada

    Scott T. Ronis PhD

  5. Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Paul A. Peters PhD

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  1. Amanda K. Slaunwhite PhD
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Correspondence to Amanda K. Slaunwhite PhD.

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Slaunwhite, A.K., McEachern, J., Ronis, S.T. et al. Alcohol distribution reforms and school proximity to liquor sales outlets in New Brunswick. Can J Public Health 108, e488–e496 (2017). https://doi.org/10.17269/CJPH.108.6132

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