Activities per year
Abstract
Following the UK Chief Medical Officers’ (CMO) guidelines to moderate alcohol consumption benefits both physical and psychological health. Moderating alcohol consumption can be influenced by what we know and what we can do (capability); people around us and our physical environment (opportunity); and our beliefs, what we want, how we see ourselves, how we regulate our emotions, and our habit (motivation). To support changes since COVID-19:
● Consider the impact of alcohol supply disruption including less on-trade sales (e.g. bars and restaurants), and more off-trade sales (e.g. off-licences) with a view to helping people to follow the CMO guidelines at home.
● Consider the reopening of on-trade outlets and the impact on public health, healthcare, and on other services (including policing) and encourage following the CMO guidelines outside the home.
● Engage with key policy frameworks to help people follow the CMO guidelines including the World Health Organisation SAFER initiative. These promote the five key policy drivers, which support moderate alcohol consumption including marketing, price, drink- driving countermeasures, access to brief interventions and treatment, and restricting alcohol availability. Policies should consider alcohol-related health inequalities. For best effect, public health-oriented policy-making should be free from interference by the alcohol industry and bodies funded by the alcohol industry.
● Remind people that keeping to CMO guidelines has wide-ranging positive impacts on health and wellbeing, and communicate the risks of alcohol consumption on lung function and immunosuppression, which increases risks around COVID-19.
We recommend following the British Psychological Society’s Behavioural Science and Disease Prevention: Psychological guidance to shape any policy and/or communications strategy.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Leicester |
Publisher | British Psychological Society |
Commissioning body | British Psychological Society |
Publication status | Published - 28 Oct 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Co-Chair of the Health Behaviour and COVID-19 working group that produced these documents 4/9Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'COVID-19 Public Health Road Map: Alcohol consumption'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Activities
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Linköping University
Gillian Shorter (Visiting lecturer)
15 Jun 2021Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Research and Teaching at External Organisation
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Department of Health and Social Care (External organisation)
Gillian Shorter (Advisor)
12 Aug 2021Activity: Membership types › Membership of national or international committees and working groups
Press / Media
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Drinking in lockdown: Why are we drinking more and how can we cut back? (BBC Radio Scotland; National Radio)
23/04/2021
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Lockdown drinkers? COVID-19 and alcohol use: Policy approaches (Episode 4) (Alcohol Problem Podcast: National)
29/01/2021
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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On "Mornings with Stephen Jardine" - phone in to discuss alcohol consumption and COVID-19 and an increase in alcohol sales in Scotland (BBC Radio Scotland: National Radio)
14/10/2020
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment