The WHO has published a review that identifies
outlet density control as an effective method for reducing
alcohol-related harms.8 Similarly, in 1999, the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention review
concluded that there was a “medium” level of evidence
supporting the use of outlet density control as a means
of controlling alcohol-related harms.9 In addition, several
organizations have advocated the use of outlet
density regulation for the reduction of alcohol consumption
and alcohol-related harms. These include the
European Union (in their 2000–2005 Alcohol Action
Plan)10 and the WHO Western Pacific Region.11 The
criteria used in the WHO report are not specified and
may be expert opinion rather than systematic assessment
of the characteristics of available studies. The
SAMHSA review uses specified characteristics of included
studies in drawing conclusions; however, the
studies included are not up to date. In the present
synthesis, 14 of the studies reviewed were published
after 2000. Finally, a recent review by Livingston et
al.12 presents useful conceptual hypotheses and notes
the importance of outlet “bunching”—which the
team referred to as “clustering”— density at a more
micro level.