Effects of communities, neighborhoods and stores on retail pricing and promotion of beer.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines how communities, neighborhoods and stores influence retail pricing and promotion of beer.


METHODS
In the year 2000, trained field staff conducted observations in 2,024 retail alcohol stores in 160 communities throughout the contiguous United States. Based on a nationally representative sample of schools, we selected communities defined by the school's catchment area, or the vicinity from which the majority of students are drawn. We randomly selected off-sale alcohol retail establishments from a complete list of stores likely to sell tobacco or alcohol in the selected communities. Beer price and promotions are based on observations of Miller and Budweiser beer brands in the stores. Neighborhoods are defined by the store's census block. We used cross-sectional, hierarchical regression models and mixed methods procedures to analyze data.


RESULTS
Community, neighborhood and store characteristics were related to beer price; however, only community and store characteristics were predictive of beer promotions.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the pricing and promotion of beer vary systematically by some characteristics of communities, neighborhoods and stores, but not significantly by the number of young people populating a neighborhood. In addition, pricing and promotion of Budweiser and Miller beers, in particular, do not appear to target racial minority populations. Because of the significant effect of store characteristics, public health agencies and advocates might focus prevention efforts on collaborations with liquor control agencies to reduce variations in pricing and promotion of beer, which ultimately encourage risky drinking behaviors. Further studies are needed to examine the effects of pricing and promotion on alcohol-related social problems.
Alcohol Epidemiology Program, University of Minnesota, 1300 South 2nd Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454, USA. harwood@epi.umn.edu
Eileen M
EM
Harwood
Darin J
DJ
Erickson
Lindsey E A
LE
Fabian
Rhonda
R
Jones-Webb
Sandy
S
Slater
Frank J
FJ
Chaloupka
D000293:Adolescent; D000329:Advertising / Q000191:economics*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D001515:Beer / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D040541:Marketing / Q000191:economics*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012940:Social Problems / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States