The opinion of adolescents and adults on Dutch restrictive and educational alcohol policy measures

Abstract

This article appeared in a journal published by Elsevier. The attached copy is furnished to the author for internal non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the authors institution and sharing with colleagues.Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. a b s t r a c tObjectives: The main objective of this study is to explore the opinion of 16-22-year olds on alcohol policy measures compared to the opinion of adults older than 22 years. Methods: Data was collected in 2008 by using a Dutch panel. This panel was based on a representative probability of households with 8280 members of 16 years and older. The study had a cross-sectional design and questionnaires were filled out through internet.Results: According measures related to the availability of alcohol, the 16-18-and 19-22-year olds are significantly more negative about these policy measures than the respondents older than 22 years. Educational measures were more popular than restrictive availability measures among all three groups, and the opinions of the groups differed significantly from each other. Own alcohol use seemed to be the main predictor for the opinion on restrictive availability measures. Conclusions: The 16-22-year olds are more negative regarding restrictive availability measures and educational measures than adults older than 22 years, and the restrictive availability measures are less popular than the educational measures among the adolescents.

Which alcohol control strategies do young people think are effective?

“…Policies directed toward curbing excessive consumption and irresponsible service have greater public support than do policies that affect all drinkers [12][13][14]. It is perhaps not surprising that support for strategies that restrict availability tends to be lower among people who drink more [10,[13][14][15][16][17][18]. Greater support for alcohol control strategies is expressed by women and older people [9,10,[16][17][18].…”

‘Maybe they should regulate them quite strictly until they know the true dangers’: a focus group study exploring UK adolescents’ views on e-cigarette regulation

“…Whether adolescents' support of e‐cigarette regulation is equally high in legislatures with weaker tobacco control laws remains to be explored. Thirdly, in accordance with previous studies which have shown that the views on regulation of consumers of addictive substances differ by respondents' characteristics 12, 13, 23, we conducted a basic analysis of differences in opinions with regard to smoking status and e‐cigarette use. More detailed analyses accounting for correlations between other socio‐economic variables and adolescent opinions on e‐cigarette regulation remain outstanding.…”

“…Public opinion on, and acceptance of, existing and future public policies matter because levels of acceptability and support can critically affect policy effectiveness 12. Reviewing the opinion of target populations increases the chances of success of public health policy 13, and high levels of public support can enhance compliance 14. US research suggests that political decision makers are disposed to act in accordance with public opinion 15, possibly with a view to increasing their chances of re‐election 12.…”

“…A better understanding of public opinion on e‐cigarette policies is crucial, as it can inform framing of, and communication about, existing and prospective policy initiatives, thereby increasing the acceptability of effective regulation 12, 13. Following good practice, the Scottish Government, the UK Department of Health, the Welsh Government and the European Commission held consultations aimed at gathering public opinion on e‐cigarette regulation.…”

“…Following good practice, the Scottish Government, the UK Department of Health, the Welsh Government and the European Commission held consultations aimed at gathering public opinion on e‐cigarette regulation. Strikingly, responses from organizations representing children and adolescents and individual representatives of this target group were largely absent from the consultations, indicating that the views of young people themselves have been insufficiently considered in this policy debate 13, 17. This paper explores adolescents’ perceptions of, and opinions about, e‐cigarette regulation.…”