title: The Public Health Responsibility deal: has a public-private partnership brought about action on alcohol reduction?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Public Health Responsibility Deal (RD) in England is a public-private partnership involving voluntary pledges between industry, government and other organizations, with the aim of improving public health. This paper aims to evaluate what action resulted from the RD alcohol pledges.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed publically available data on organizations' plans and progress towards achieving key alcohol pledges of the RD. We assessed the extent to which activities pledged by signatories could have been brought about by the RD, as opposed to having happened anyway (the counterfactual), using a validated coding scheme designed for the purpose.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Progress reports were submitted by 92% of signatories in 2013 and 75% of signatories in 2014, and provided mainly descriptive feedback rather than quantifiable performance metrics. Approximately 14% of 2014 progress reports were identical to those presented in 2013. Most organizations (65%) signed pledges that involved actions to which they appear to have been committed already, regardless of the RD. A small but influential group of alcohol producers and retailers reported taking measures to reduce alcohol units available for consumption in the market. However, where reported, these measures appear to involve launching and promoting new lower-alcohol products rather than removing units from existing products.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The RD is unlikely to have contributed significantly to reducing alcohol consumption, as most alcohol pledge signatories appear to have committed to actions that they would have undertaken anyway, regardless of the RD. Irrespective of this, there is considerable scope to improve the clarity of progress reports and reduce the variability of metrics provided by RD pledge signatories.
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Cécile
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6663-7379
authors: C
authors: Knai
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Petticrew
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Mary Alison
authors: MA
authors: Durand
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Courtney
authors: C
authors: Scott
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Lesley
authors: L
authors: James
authors: University Lewisham Hospital, London, UK.
authors: Anushka
authors: A
authors: Mehrotra
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Eastmure
authors: Policy Innovation Research Unit, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Nicholas
authors: N
authors: Mays
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages / Q000032:analysis; D000431:Ethanol / Q000032:analysis; D019649:Food Industry; D006040:Goals; D006076:Government; D006284:Health Plan Implementation; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D040541:Marketing; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011356:Product Labeling; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011634:Public Health; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships; D012941:Social Responsibility; D000066608:Underage Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Alcohol; evaluation; pledge; public health; public-private partnership; voluntary agreement