The effect of an alcohol ban on the number of alcohol-related hospital visits in Barrow, Alaska.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the impact of a change in local alcohol laws on alcohol-related hospital usage. Heavy alcohol consumption and its complications are major health problems in the Arctic. For many years, the sale of alcohol in Barrow was illegal, i.e., "damp" status. In October 1994, the residents of Barrow voted to make both the sale and importation of alcohol illegal, i.e., "dry" status. METHODS: The Public Health Service Hospital in Barrow is the only physician-staffed health care facility for 4,000 residents in Barrow, as well as for five of its seven outlying, dry villages (approximately 2,000 more residents). We retrospectively studied the number of alcohol-related outpatient visits to our hospital from November 1993 through October 1994 (the damp year), and from November 1994 through October 1995 (the dry year). The data used were from the emergency visit log in our outpatient department. RESULTS: We found a 76.5% to 93.2% decrease in alcohol-related outpatient visits when comparing corresponding months during the dry year to those during the damp year. The average overall decrease in alcohol-related outpatient visits was 84.7%. These results were highly significant with a p-value of 0.0022. We conclude that the prohibition of alcohol in remote areas can be an effective method in reducing the amount of alcohol-related health problems and can help make a healthier community.