Monitoring Alcohol and Alcohol Related Problems in Sweden

Abstract

The Swedish National Institute of Public Health is responsible for monitoring alcohol and alcohol related problems in Sweden. Four categories of indicators have been developed and are followed. 1) Determinants of drinking, e.g. availability; these include business hours in the retail monopoly stores, number of licensed premises, and business hours. 2) Consumption indicators include alcohol sales at the retail monopoly stores in all municipalities as well as sales at licensed premises and beer sales at grocery shops and other stores. Estimates of unrecorded consumption is based on survey data. 3) Harms data include alcohol related mortality and morbidity and alcohol related crime. 4) Two indicators of prevention activity in the communities are being developed: the first is an organizational index based on the number of staff employed by the municipality to work with alcohol and drug prevention, existence of a current municipal alcohol and drug policy, number of licensed premises per 10,000 inhabitants, enforcement activity and organized cooperation with other agencies in the community, e.g. the police, NGO's, and local businesses. The second is an activity index which is based on the number of prevention activities conducted in the communities.