Charles Parry
Biographic Data
| ID | 246653 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Charles Parry |
| GIVEN NAMES | Charles |
| FAMILY NAME | Parry |
| SIGNATURE | PARRY C |
| AFFILIATIONS | South African Medical Research Council |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9787-2785 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 64 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 37 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 64 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The Need to Revitalise Drug Use Monitoring to Keep Pace With a More Dynamic, Digitally Enabled and Globally Connected Drug Market
Globalisation, developments in information technology, and social and demographic changes are profoundly impacting the modern world [1]. They have also resulted in an illicit drug market that is more dynamic, complex and globally connected [2]. Drug consumption patterns are rapidly changing, with synthetic drugs, controlled psychoactive substances and poly substance use all playing a greater role [3]. These developments are impacting both the nat…
From courtroom to clinic
The decriminalisation of cannabis for private use has impacted treatment demand for cannabis use and the need for specialist substance use treatment among adolescents in South Africa. Legislation and amendments thereof must consider the specific vulnerabilities associated with this population, and the recent decriminalisation of cannabis should also be further explored
Assessing progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global action plan alcohol reduction target in Sub-Saharan Africa 2010–2019
The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases calls for a 10% relative reduction in the harmful use of alcohol by 2025. We assessed progress across 45 sub-Saharan African countries between 2010 and 2019 using WHO data on alcohol per capita consumption (APC) and heavy episodic drinking (HED). Trends were analysed for both the total population and past-year drinkers, using populati…
Prioritization of methods for assessing alcohol use in emergency room settings
Limited alcohol-related injury data in hospital settings globally underscore the need for routine monitoring to inform policy formulation for injury prevention, especially in addressing violence and road traffic injuries. COVID-19 and the related alcohol sales bans in South Africa in 2020–21 brought the impact of alcohol on trauma presenting to health facilities into sharp focus and highlighted the absence of practical, cost-effective, and accura…
Competing coalitions in alcohol policymaking in Malawi
This analysis demonstrates how public health advocates successfully countered industry interference through evidence-based advocacy, community engagement, and strategic coalition-building. The Malawi case offers valuable lessons for other African countries considering similar alcohol control measures, highlighting the role of coalitions, the importance of framing alcohol regulations as public health protections, and of developing robust implement…
Epidemiology of alcohol use and alcohol use disorders among people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in Northwest Tanzania
Alcohol use disorders (AUD) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) are associated with poor health outcomes. This cross-sectional study examined current alcohol use and AUD among 300 PLHIV on ART at four HIV care centres in Northwest Tanzania. Participants' data were collected using questionnaires. Alcohol use was assessed using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Logistic regression was used to examine associations between each outc…
Alcohol, Violence, and Injury-Induced Mortality
This paper evaluates the impact of a sudden and unexpected nationwide alcohol sales ban in South Africa. We find that this policy causally reduced injury-induced mortality in the country by at least 14%. We argue that this estimate constitutes a lower bound on the true impact of alcohol on injury-induced mortality. We also document a sharp drop in violent crimes, indicating a tight link between alcohol and aggressive behavior in society. Our resu…
Perceptions of perinatal alcohol use and treatment needs in Cape Town, South Africa
Findings from this study highlight the need for an alcohol intervention programme that is innovative and tailored to the needs of women who are pregnant or postpartum. It also highlights the importance of including community-based support and partner involvement in these interventions
Adapting an evidence-based contingency management and text messaging intervention for South African perinatal women who drink
South Africa has one of the highest prevalence rates globally for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Despite this, few interventions are routinely available for countering the adverse effects of perinatal drinking. The current study used the ADAPT-ITT framework to guide the development of a behavioral intervention with remote alcohol use monitoring and provision of financial incentives contingent on alcohol abstinence for people who are pregnant a…
Effective alcohol policies and lifetime abstinence
Does Reducing Alcohol Use Among People with HIV Alleviate Psychological Distress and Symptoms of Depression? A Randomized Controlled Trial in Tshwane, South Africa
Although alcohol use is associated with depression, it is unclear if brief alcohol reduction interventions can ameliorate depression and psychological distress among people with HIV (PWH). We use data from a two-arm randomised controlled trial to examine this question. PWH on antiretroviral treatment (ART) were randomly assigned to receive a brief intervention or treatment as usual (n = 622). Screening was done with the Alcohol Use Disorders Iden…
Trauma trends during Covid ‐19 alcohol prohibition at a South African regional hospital
Benchmarking alcohol policy based on stringency and impact
This study developed a measurement tool to assess stringency and ‘on-the-ground’ impact of four key alcohol policy domains to create an alcohol policy index suitable for benchmarking alcohol policy and assessing change over time in middle- and high-income countries. It involved a collaboration between researchers in 12 diverse countries: New Zealand; Australia; England; Scotland; Netherlands; Vietnam; Thailand; South Africa; Turkey; Chile; Saint …
Did Covid-19-Related Alcohol Sales Restrictions Reduce Alcohol Consumption? Findings from a National Online Survey in South Africa
Policies intended to increase the pricing of alcohol may have the potential to reduce alcohol intake. Reducing stress and anxiety may be key to curtailing HED during emergency situations
Health trends, inequalities and opportunities in South Africa’s provinces, 1990–2019
BACKGROUND: Over the last 30 years, South Africa has experienced four 'colliding epidemics' of HIV and tuberculosis, chronic illness and mental health, injury and violence, and maternal, neonatal, and child mortality, which have had substantial effects on health and well-being. Using data from the 2019 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD 2019), we evaluated national and provincial health trends and progress towards imp…
On‐ and off‐licensed premises drinking behaviour among adults in the city of Tshwane, South Africa
A timely piece that resonates with the South African experience
The authors correctly conclude that the burden from alcohol in Canada is substantially greater than it is from COVID‐19, and thus, alcohol should be given more attention. However, they fail to mention that in some countries, with the rise in COVID‐19‐related hospital admissions, competition can occur between COVID‐19 and trauma patients for scarce hospital resources. In South Africa, this has led to the temporary banning of alcohol sales at two p…
Alcohol consumption, harms and policy developments in sub‐Saharan Africa
“Knowledge I seek because culture doesn’t work anymore … It doesn’t work, death comes”
This study highlights the need for interventions that focus on improving gogos' knowledge about sexual reproductive health in addition to providing them with the skills to talk about sex, sexuality and HIV and AIDS with children in their care
Alcohol and Tobacco Use in a Tuberculosis Treatment Cohort during South Africa’s Covid-19 Sales Bans
From these observations, we hypothesize that policies restricting alcohol and tobacco availability seem to enable some individuals to reduce their consumption. However, these appear to have little effect on the volume of AA consumed among individuals with more harmful patterns of drinking in the absence of additional behavior change interventions
Correlates of Self-Reported HIV Testing Among Patients in Specialized Substance Abuse Treatment Centers in South Africa
National, regional, and global burdens of disease from 2000 to 2016 attributable to alcohol use
BACKGROUND: Alcohol use has increased globally, with varying trends in different parts of the world. This study investigates gender, age, and geographical differences in the alcohol-attributable burden of disease from 2000 to 2016. METHODS: This comparative risk assessment study estimated the alcohol-attributable burden of disease. Population-attributable fractions (PAFs) were estimated by combining alcohol exposure data obtained from production …
Alcohol use in times of the Covid 19
Based on a literature search undertaken to determine the impacts of past public health crises, and a systematic review of the effects of past economic crises on alcohol consumption, two main scenarios—with opposite predictions regarding the impact of the current COVID‐19 pandemic on the level and patterns of alcohol consumption—are introduced. The first scenario predicts an increase in consumption for some populations, particularly men, due to di…
Moving Forward with Life”
Findings highlight the acceptability and usefulness of this MI-PST intervention for facilitating reductions in alcohol consumption among PLWH
Characteristics and Predictors of Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED) among Young People Aged 16–25
In South Africa, little is known about alcohol consumption patterns, such as drinks consumed, container size, salience of alcohol price, affordability and availability, and perceptions of alcohol policies as potential predictors of heavy episodic alcohol (HED) use among young people. This paper examines predictors of HED among young people with specific consideration given to these alcohol consumption patterns. This study conducted in the Tshwane…
Alcohol use and sexual behaviour among risky drinkers and bar and shebeen patrons in Gauteng province, South Africa
Sex, drugs, and HIV
Rapid assessment of drug use and sexual HIV risk patterns among vulnerable drugusing populations in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria, South Africa
This exploratory study examines the links between drug use and high-risk sexual practices and HIV in vulnerable drug-using populations in South Africa, including commercial sex workers (CSWs), men who have sex with men (MSM), injecting drug users (IDUs) and non-injecting drug users who are not CSWs or MSM (NIDUs). A rapid assessment ethnographic study was undertaken using observation, mapping, key informant interviews and focus groups in known 'h…
Feasibility and acceptability of a bar-based sexual risk reduction intervention for bar patrons in Tshwane, South Africa
Alcohol consumption is a recognised risk factor for HIV infection. Alcohol serving establishments have been identified as appropriate venues in which to deliver HIV prevention interventions. This paper describes experiences and lessons learnt from implementing a combined HIV prevention intervention in bar settings in one city- and one township-based bar in Tshwane, South Africa. The intervention consisted of peer-led and brief intervention counse…
Why the gap? Practice and policy in civil commitment hearings
Why the gap? Practice and policy in civil commitment hearings
The failure of civil commitment procedures to meet statutory requirements is one of the more reliable findings in the applied social sciences. Most states now require specific legal procedures and behavioral standards for involuntary hospitalization. Nonetheless, empirical studies have demonstrated that commitment hearings are rarely adversarial and clinical concerns continue to take precedence over legal issues. These findings are analyzed in th…
A Review of Psychiatric Epidemiology in Africa
The findings of 28 psychiatric epidemiological studies con ducted in Africa since the late 1960's are briefly reviewed, and problems with the use of standardised psychiatric epidemio logical instruments in Africa are explored with reference to these studies. Regardless of whether the purpose of the inves tigation is to enhance theory development or to provide service providers and policy-makers with accurate estimates of the nature and extent of …
The illegal narcotics trade in southern Africa
The current policy arena with regard to drugs in South Africa is in a state of transition. Yet the burden of harm associated with drug use and the increased usage that has accompanied our changing situation necessitate, it is argued, a comprehensive drug control strategy. The paper provides an overview of previous attempts to address the problem in South Africa and presents the case for a ‘master plan’. It outlines a wide‐ranging set of factors t…
Substance Use, Sexual Risk, and Violence
Alcohol use and sexual behaviour among risky drinkers and bar and shebeen patrons in Gauteng province, South Africa
Rapid Assessment of HIV Risk Behavior in Drug Using Sex Workers in Three Cities in South Africa
Alcohol, cannabis, and methamphetamine use and other risk behaviours among Black and Coloured South African women
Heroin Users in Cape Town, South Africa
UN reports point to a steady increase in heroin use in a number of African countries, including South Africa. South Africa also has one of the highest HIV infection prevalence rates in the world. Given the link between intravenous heroin use and HIV transmission, this study aimed to investigate HIV-related risk behaviors among heroin users in the city. A snowballing or chain referral sampling technique was used to find 239 heroin users in Cape To…
Sex, drugs, and HIV
Rapid assessment of drug use and sexual HIV risk patterns among vulnerable drugusing populations in Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria, South Africa
This exploratory study examines the links between drug use and high-risk sexual practices and HIV in vulnerable drug-using populations in South Africa, including commercial sex workers (CSWs), men who have sex with men (MSM), injecting drug users (IDUs) and non-injecting drug users who are not CSWs or MSM (NIDUs). A rapid assessment ethnographic study was undertaken using observation, mapping, key informant interviews and focus groups in known 'h…
Descriptive systematic review of sub-Saharan African studies on the association between alcohol use and HIV infection
Monitoring Alcohol and Drug Abuse Trends in South Africa (1996–2006)
This article describes the South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use project, describes selected trends in treatment demand related to alcohol and other drug (AOD) use for a 10 year period, and reflects on the utility and impact of this initiative on policy and practice. Data are collected using a standardized data collection form from over 70 specialist AOD treatment centers in six sentinel sites in South Africa every 6 months. Da…
The relation between different dimensions of alcohol consumption and burden of disease
Aims As part of a larger study to estimate the global burden of disease and injury attributable to alcohol: to evaluate the evidence for a causal impact of average volume of alcohol consumption and pattern of drinking on diseases and injuries; to quantify relationships identified as causal based on published meta‐analyses; to separate the impact on mortality versus morbidity where possible; and to assess the impact of the quality of alcohol on bu…
Associations between alcohol misuse and risks for HIV infection among men who have multiple female sexual partners in Cape Town, South Africa
The occurrence of high rates of alcohol consumption in a context of high HIV prevalence in South Africa poses a significant health challenge for this country. This paper aims to answer three questions that could further our knowledge regarding the links between alcohol use and HIV infection: (a) "Are problem drinkers more likely to have multiple concurrent partners than those who are not?"; (b) "Are condoms applied less effectively and less consi…
Opportunities for enhancing and integrating HIV and drug services for drug using vulnerable populations in South Africa
Ethnic differences in alcohol and drug use and related sexual risks for HIV among vulnerable women in Cape Town, South Africa
Findings support the need to develop and test AOD risk reduction interventions for women from both ethnic groups. In addition, findings point to the need for tailored interventions that target the distinct profiles of AOD use and AOD-related sex risks for HIV among Black African and Coloured women
Hazardous and Harmful use of Alcohol and/or Other Drugs and Health Status Among South African Patients Attending HIV Clinics
Re-examining the evidence for a total ban on alcohol advertising in South Africa
In early 2013, the minister of health announced that a draft bill, the Control of Alcoholic Beverages Bill, was ready to be presented to parliament (Wolhuter, 2013). This bill, which calls for a total ban on alcohol advertising in South Africa, has sparked massive public debate and backlash from the alcohol and advertising industries. As a counter-attack, the alcohol industry has intensified its advertising of alcohol products and commissioned a …
Alcohol Use, Working Conditions, Job Benefits, and the Legacy of the “Dop” System among Farm Workers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
This study describes alcohol consumption in five Western Cape Province communities. Cross-sectional data from a community household sample (n = 591) describe the alcohol use patterns of adult males and females, and farm workers vs. others. Data reveal that men were more likely to be current drinkers than women, 75.1% vs. 65.8% (p = 0.033); farm laborers were more likely to be current drinkers than individuals in other occupations 83.1% vs. 66.8% …
Feasibility and acceptability of a bar-based sexual risk reduction intervention for bar patrons in Tshwane, South Africa
Alcohol consumption is a recognised risk factor for HIV infection. Alcohol serving establishments have been identified as appropriate venues in which to deliver HIV prevention interventions. This paper describes experiences and lessons learnt from implementing a combined HIV prevention intervention in bar settings in one city- and one township-based bar in Tshwane, South Africa. The intervention consisted of peer-led and brief intervention counse…
Indicated Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in South Africa
In the Western Cape Province of South Africa (ZA) a subculture of binge drinking produces the highest global documented prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASD prevention research activities in ZA use the Comprehensive Prevention approach from the United States Institute of Medicine. Case management (CM) was delivered as a method of indicated prevention to empower heavy drinking pregnant women to achieve cessation or a reducti…
Sexual HIV risk among substance-using female commercial sex workers in Durban, South Africa
This study examined data collected from a sample of female sex workers (FSWs) during the first two years of a brief risk-reduction intervention for vulnerable populations that focused on substance use and HIV risk-related behaviours (2007-2009) as part of a rapid assessment and response evaluation study. In 2007, in collaboration with a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), an initiative was begun to roll out targeted harm reduction strategi…
The state of interventions to address substance-related disorders in South African workplaces
Substance abuse in South Africa is highly prevalent and continues to be a major cause of mortality and a risk factor for both communicable and non-communicable diseases. The employer costs associated with substance abuse remain high owing to rising health costs, accidents, absenteeism, and workers’ compensation claims placing the organisation and its employees at risk for harm. This article describes the status of current policy, prevention, and …
Addressing the intersection between alcohol consumption and antiretroviral treatment
BACKGROUND: At the points where an infectious disease and risk factors for poor health intersect, while health problems may be compounded, there is also an opportunity to provide health services. Where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and alcohol consumption intersect include infection with HIV, onward transmission of HIV, impact on HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) disease progression, and premature death. The levels …
Medicine (56 works) · Environmental health (45 works) · Psychiatry (30 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (25 works) · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes (23 works) · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk (21 works) · Family medicine (19 works) · Psychology (19 works) · Demography (18 works) · Psychological intervention (18 works)