Global concentration of high risk product industries: Implications for alcohol control policies

The concept of corporation-induced diseases and epidemics associated with dangerous consumer products has a long history in tobacco control, but little attention has been devoted to the application of this concept to an understanding of the public health response to the social and health problems associated alcohol misuse. This paper applies an epidemiological cascade framework to an analysis of the causal mechanisms accounting for health problem epidemics associated with the increasing availability of alcohol products in Africa, Latin America and the United Kingdom. The concentration of the beer and spirits industries has resulted in the application of common strategies to increase alcohol availability, affordability and attractiveness. These strategies include aggressive marketing activities, new product designs, lobbying against evidence-based policies, strategic partnerships with NGOs and academics, scientific research programs, use of legal action and donations to stop public health measures, promotion of marketing self-regulation schemes and corporate social responsibility projects. Implications for research, theory and public health policy are discussed. Research needs to apply new qualitative methods and quasi-experimental research designs to the analysis of corporate strategies. Theory testing needs to apply new research methods to the evaluation of corporation-induced disease and the effectiveness of alcohol control policies.