Citation

Hawkins B, McCambridge J. Am. J. Public Health 2014; 104(8): 1363-1369.

Affiliation

Benjamin Hawkins and Jim McCambridge are with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2013.301858

PMID

24922137

Abstract

Corporate actors seek to influence alcohol policies through various means, including attempts to shape the evidential content of policy debates. In this case study, we examined how SABMiller engaged the think tank Demos to produce reports on binge drinking, which were heavily promoted among policymakers at crucial stages in the development of the UK government's 2012 alcohol strategy. One key report coincided with other SABMiller-funded publications, advocating measures to enhance parenting as an alternative to minimum unit pricing. In this instance, the perceived independence of an influential think tank was used to promote industry interests in tactics similar to those of transnational tobacco corporations. This approach is in keeping with other alcohol industry efforts to marginalize the peer-reviewed literature. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print June 12, 2014: e1-e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301858).

Language: en