Alcohol Sales Taxes Are Associated With Reduced Preterm Birth and Low Birthweight in the United States
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Historically, alcohol taxation has been one of the best strategies to reduce drinking and related harms in the general population, and prior analyses support that increased alcohol taxes are associated with fewer harms related to drinking during pregnancy. Here, we examine how alcohol taxes are related to preterm and low birthweight births. METHOD: Birth certificate data for 101,191,080 births conceived between January 1993 and March 2019 come from the U.S. National Vital Statistics System. Outcomes were preterm birth (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Prenatal Substance Exposure Effects
Gestational Diabetes Research and Management
Child Abuse and Trauma
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
- Publisher
- Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
- Volume
- 87
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1027–1035
- Publication date
- 16 February 2026
- Language
- EN