Document Detail


Alcohol controls and violence in Nunavut: a comparison of wet and dry communities.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21329578     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine if communities in Nunavut that prohibit the importation of alcoholic beverages have less violence relative to communities that allow alcohol importation.
STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cross-sectional study based on community-level records of violent crimes known to the police.
METHODS: Violence was measured using community-level records of homicide, assault and sexual assault as reported to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 23 communities in Nunavut for the years 1986 to 2006. Crude-rate comparisons were made between wet communities (which allow alcohol importation) and dry communities (which prohibit alcohol importation) and contrasted with national rates for context.
RESULTS: Wet communities in Nunavut recorded rates of violent crime that were higher than the rates recorded by dry communities. Relative to dry communities, wet communities' overall sexual assault rate was 1.48 (95% CI = 1.38-1.60) times higher, the serious assault rate was 2.10 (95% CI = 1.88-2.35) times higher and the homicide rate was 2.88 (95% CI = 1.18-8.84) times higher. Although safer than wet communities, dry communities reported rates of violence that were higher than national rates including a serious assault rate that was double the national rate (3.25 per 1,000 vs. 1.44 per 1,000) and a sexual assault rate that was at least seven times as high as the national rate (7.58 per 1,000 vs. 0.88 per 1,000).
CONCLUSIONS: As elsewhere in the Arctic, communities in Nunavut that prohibited alcohol were less violent than those that allowed alcohol importation. Even with prohibition, dry communities recorded rates of violence much greater than the national average.
Authors:
Darryl S Wood
Related Documents :
20169008 - The effects of problem drinking and sexual risk among mexican migrant workers on their ...
2010718 - American moralism and the origin of bioethics in the united states.
11885218 - Healing the victim, the young offender, and the community via restorative justice: an i...
21138718 - Reducing heavy alcohol consumption in young restaurant workers.
7339788 - Evaluation of antibiotic usage: a comprehensive look at alternative approaches.
16393008 - Deconstructing, reconstructing, preserving paul e. meehl's legacy of construct validity.
Publication Detail:
Type:  Comparative Study; Journal Article     Date:  2011-02-17
Journal Detail:
Title:  International journal of circumpolar health     Volume:  70     ISSN:  2242-3982     ISO Abbreviation:  Int J Circumpolar Health     Publication Date:  2011 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-03-01     Completed Date:  2011-06-29     Revised Date:  2012-03-22    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9713056     Medline TA:  Int J Circumpolar Health     Country:  Finland    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  19-28     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Program in Public Affairs, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA. darrylwood@vancouver.wsu.edu
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Alcohol Drinking / legislation & jurisprudence*
Alcoholic Beverages / supply & distribution*
Arctic Regions
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Inuits*
Male
Nunavut
Retrospective Studies
Violence / prevention & control*,  statistics & numerical data
Young Adult

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Quitting a weight loss program is associated with anhedonia: preliminary findings of the Lifestyle I...
Next Document:  Influence of n-3 fatty acids on cardiac autonomic activity among Nunavik Inuit adults.