John Holmes to speak on no- and low-alcohol drinks in SHAAP seminar
Prof John Holmes and Prof Niamh Fitzgerald will discuss the implications of no- and low-alcohol products for public health in a free online seminar on 24 April.
The seminar forms part of the 'Alcohol Occasionals' series organised by Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and the Scottish Alcohol Research Network (SARN).
Drawing on work from the NIHR-funded project 'Evaluating and responding to the public health impact of no and low alcohol drinks: A multi-method study of a complex intervention in a complex system', John and Niamh will speak about 'No- and low-alcohol drinks: potentials and pitfalls for public health'.
About the seminar
No- and low-alcohol (no/lo) drinks have become increasingly popular with consumers in recent years and the UK Government is committed to growing the no/lo market. No/lo drinks may have substantial health benefits if used in place of standard alcoholic drinks, but public health actors are concerned about risks including surrogate marketing, policy substitution and harmful effects on vulnerable groups.
During the seminar John and Niamh will discuss the pathways to benefits or risks for public health arising from the rise in no/lo drinks in the UK; present new quantitative data on trends and social patterns in sales, purchasing and consumption of no/lo drinks; and argue for a unified public health response to no/lo drinks.
About the speakers
John Holmes is Professor of Alcohol Policy at the University of Sheffield and Director of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group. He is also co-Director of the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Addictions.
Niamh Fitzgerald is a Professor of Alcohol Policy and Director of the Institute for Social Marketing and Health at University of Stirling. She is also Deputy Director of the SPECTRUM (Shaping public health policies to reduce inequalities and harm) research consortium (2019-2024), with responsibility for impact, knowledge exchange and public engagement.
Registration
The seminar will take place online on Wednesday 24 April 2024, 12:45pm – 2pm. Visit Eventbrite to register for free.
Health inequalities and no/lo drinks the focus of upcoming webinar
Are no- and low-alcohol drinks truly a healthier alternative for everyone? PhD student Lucy Burke will explore this question in a free online session on Wednesday 5 February 2025.
SARG researchers to present at Alcohol Knowledge Exchange Workshop
Professor John Holmes and Professor Colin Angus are key contributors to the Knowledge Exchange Workshop: Alcohol Evidence in Policy and Practice taking place in Edinburgh this week.
SARG research on drinking guidelines presented in Brussels
Professor John Holmes, Director of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group, recently spoke at a European Alcohol Harm Reduction Symposium on UK drinking guidelines, the decline in youth drinking and how to communicate evidence on alcohol and cancer.
Researchers win prestigious Public Health Journal Paper of the Year Award with research on gambling advertising and public health
A team of researchers, including members of the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), has been honoured with the prestigious Public Health Journal Paper of the Year award.
You might also be interested in…
SARG success at SSA Annual Conference 2023
PhD student and SARG team member Anna Butters was awarded the prize for the best overall student poster at this year's Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) Annual Conference which took place in Newcastle in November 2023.
SARG team to present at UK Society for Behavioural Medicine Annual Scientific Meeting
Luke Wilson, Anna Butters and Maddy Henney will present on no- and low-alcohol drinks, Dry January and food insecurity.
No/Lo Project
The No/Lo Project investigates whether non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drinks can improve people's health. These drinks are beers, ciders, wines, spirits that are alcohol-free or contain a little alcohol. We call them no/lo drinks.