Hazardous alcohol use and alcohol-related harm in rural and remote communities: a scoping review

Erik Loewen Friesen, MSc; Jacob Bailey, BHSc; Sarah Hyett, MSc; Sina Sedighi, BScN; Mitchell Lennox de Snoo, MSc; Kenneth Williams, MSc; Rebecca Barry, MSc; Anders Erickson, BSc; Farid Foroutan, PhD; Peter Selby, ProfMD; Laura Rosella, PhD; Paul Kurdyak, ProfPhD

The Lancet Public Health (Feb 2022)

Hazardous alcohol use and alcohol-related harm in rural and remote communities: a scoping review

Erik Loewen Friesen, MSc,
Jacob Bailey, BHSc,
Sarah Hyett, MSc,
Sina Sedighi, BScN,
Mitchell Lennox de Snoo, MSc,
Kenneth Williams, MSc,
Rebecca Barry, MSc,
Anders Erickson, BSc,
Farid Foroutan, PhD,
Peter Selby, ProfMD,
Laura Rosella, PhD,
Paul Kurdyak, ProfPhD

Affiliations

Erik Loewen Friesen, MSc: Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada; Correspondence to: Mr Erik Loewen Friesen, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto M5T 3M6, ON, Canada
Jacob Bailey, BHSc: Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Sarah Hyett, MSc: Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Sina Sedighi, BScN: Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Mitchell Lennox de Snoo, MSc: Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Kenneth Williams, MSc: Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Rebecca Barry, MSc: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
Anders Erickson, BSc: Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Farid Foroutan, PhD: Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Peter Selby, ProfMD: Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
Laura Rosella, PhD: Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON, Canada
Paul Kurdyak, ProfPhD: Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada; ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 7, no. 2
pp. e177 – e187

Abstract

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Summary: Alcohol use is a major risk factor for death and disease worldwide and alcohol-related harms appear to be more prevalent in rural and remote, relative to urban, communities. This Review synthesised international research on rural–urban disparities in hazardous and harmful alcohol use and risk factors for these outcomes within rural and remote communities. 280 studies from 49 countries were included in the Scoping Review. Most studies (60%) found rural, relative to urban, residence to be associated with an increased likelihood of hazardous alcohol use or alcohol-related harm. This proportion increased between 1990 and 2019 and varied by country, age group, and outcome type, being highest in Australia, among young adults, and for more severe alcohol-related harms, such as drink driving and alcohol-related suicide. Improved public health strategies to reduce the burden of alcohol use in rural communities are required but their efficacy will depend on how well they are tailored to the unique needs of the region they are implemented in.

Published in The Lancet Public Health

ISSN: 2468-2667 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Medicine: Public aspects of medicine
Website: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/issue/current

About the journal