Measuring and Mapping Alcohol Outlet Environment Density, Clusters, and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Durham, North Carolina, 2017

Abstract

Excessive alcohol consumption is responsible for more than 95,000 deaths in the US each year (1). Policies limiting high densities of alcohol outlets (places where alcohol can be sold or consumed) can curb excessive alcohol consumption (2). Denser alcohol environments are associated with multiple chronic disease pathways (3), neighborhood-level social effects (4), and increased rates of alcohol-related morbidities and mortalities, such as from motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian injuries, and various types of violence (5).