Evidence Map of Interventions to Reduce Alcohol Consumption

Objective: Systematize evidence on the effect of global interventions to reduce the consumption and/or sale of alcoholic beverages. Method: Evidence map based on searches in nine bibliographic databases, including 182 studies of systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis, reviews of interventions, and reviews of reviews. The studies evaluated the effect of interventions grouped into comprehensive sets of actions: communication for behavior change; health-promoting environments; and systemic changes. Two outcomes of interest were considered: reduction in alcohol consumption and reduction in its purchase/sale. Results: A total of 207 associations between different interventions and outcomes were recorded, with emphasis on communication for behavior change (81.64%) and reduction of consumption (98.55%). Most of the associations showed a positive (40.58%), inconclusive (28.99%), or potentially positive (26.57%) effect. The main interventions with positive or potentially positive results were: a government monopoly on the sale of alcoholic beverages, control of the density of points of sale, charging a minimum price per unit, health warnings on alcoholic beverage labels, and multiple integrated interventions. Conclusion: It is hoped that this map will help public policy makers and healthcare professionals adapt experiences to their own contexts, stimulating intersectoral actions to reduce alcohol consumption.