AN ACADEMIC study has found younger teens are more likely to use alcohol if they
live in an area with a lot of bottle shops.
But a local liquor store owner
has refuted the findings, pointing to parents and clubs as responsible for
setting community standards.
The study of more than 10,000 Victorian
secondary school students aged 12-17 years showed that as the number of takeaway
alcohol outlets increased in an area, the rate of underage alcohol use
increased, with the most vulnerable children aged between 12 and 14
years.
Data on Victorian Liquor Licences shows the Swan Hill Local Government
Area (LGA) has 7.3 bottle shops per 10,000 population — significantly above the
state average of 4.3.
Including pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants
(excluding temporary liquor licences) the Swan Hill LGA has 34.7 liquor outlets
per 10,000 residents, compared to the state average 25.26.
Alfred Deakin
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Dr Bosco Rowland said rural/regional areas had
higher densities of liquor stores and therefore the risk was greater for
children.
“Drinking in rural areas tends to be higher. It is not clear why,”
Dr Rowland said.
For more on this story see Friday’s edition of the Guardian (15/11/2013).
