Minimum Unit Pricing has resulted in a reduction in alcohol-related deaths (-13.4%) and hospital admissions (-4.1%), new research reveals.
The research by Public Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow, which evaluated the impact of MUP on alcohol health harms over the first two-and-half years of the policy, estimates that around 150 deaths and 400 hospital admissions were averted each year due to MUP.
Dr Grant Wyper, Public Health Intelligence Adviser at PHS, said: “The greatest reductions were seen for chronic alcohol health harms, in particular alcoholic liver disease, which were slightly offset with less certain evidence of increases in acute alcohol health harms. The findings highlight that the largest reductions were found for males, and for those living in the 40% most deprived areas, groups which are known to experience disproportionally high levels of alcohol health harms in Scotland.
“We know that those living in the most socioeconomically deprived areas in Scotland experience alcohol-specific death rates more than five times higher compared to those living in the least deprived areas. The results published today are therefore very encouraging in addressing this inequality, and the overall scale of preventable harm which affects far too many people.”
A report bringing together all MUP evaluation findings will be published in June 2023.
