Abstract:
BACKGROUND : The availability of alcohol in society is known to increase the risk of a range of negative health outcomes.
OBJECTIVES : The aim of this research is to determine if there is a spatial association between tuberculosis and alcohol outlets in
Mamelodi, South Africa. We also aim to examine whether the socio-economic characteristics of the neighbourhood in which an
alcohol outlet was located was related to the magnitude of tuberculosis in the immediate vicinity of the alcohol outlet.
METHODS : Location quotient analysis is used to compare the extent of tuberculosis within a series of buffer intervals (100m,
200m, 300m) immediately surrounding alcohol outlets with tuberculosis across the township of Mamelodi as a whole.
RESULTS : The density of tuberculosis around alcohol outlets in Mamelodi at all buffer distances was found to be substantially
higher than across the township as a whole. These findings indicate that the risk of tuberculosis in Mamelodi is higher around
alcohol outlets. Alcohol outlets located in more deprived areas of Mamelodi were significantly associated with higher density of
tuberculosis relative to alcohol outlets located in more affluent neighbourhoods.
CONCLUSION : Despite alcohol outlets forming an integral part of the urban landscape in townships in South Africa, they may
facilitate the transmission of tuberculosis.
