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.