Prevalence Of Alcohol-related Harm Research Articles

Subgroup trends in alcohol and cannabis co-use and related harms during the rollout of recreational cannabis legalization in Washington state

BackgroundThe US state of Washington legalized recreational cannabis in 2012; how this impacted the co-use of cannabis and alcohol in the population overall and among key subgroups has not been examined. The aim of this study is to investigate changes in patterns of alcohol- and cannabis use and alcohol-related harms during the rollout of retail recreational cannabis stores. MethodsData come from six cross-sectional samples recruited between January 2014-October 2016 via Random Digit Dial procedures (N = 5492). Survey-weighted multivariable regression adjusting for gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, employment, marital status, cannabis use, and survey year were used for statistical analyses. ResultsIn the sample overall, no significant changes were observed in any alcohol use measures between 2014–2016, while the prevalence of cannabis use significantly (P < 0.05) increased from 25.0% to 31.7%, the prevalence of alcohol-related harms at home significantly decreased from 2.1% to 1.0%, and the prevalence of alcohol-related financial harms decreased from 1.5% to 0.8%. Both women and men significantly increased any cannabis use, while women also experienced significantly fewer alcohol-related harms at home and financial harms over time, and increases in the prevalence of cannabis users/non-drinkers. Those 18–29 years old significantly reduced the number of drinking days and overall volume in the past 30 days, and those 30–49 years old significantly decreased alcohol-related harms at home and financial harms. Those 50+ years old significantly increased any cannabis use and simultaneous use of cannabis and alcohol. Non-cannabis users slightly decreased average number of drinks/day, and cannabis users significantly decreased alcohol-related financial harms. ConclusionsBetween 2014–2016, the years during and immediately following the introduction of legal recreational cannabis stores in Washington state, there were no significant changes in cannabis and alcohol co-use or overall alcohol consumption. The only significant changes in the sample overall were an increase in any cannabis use and decreases in alcohol-related harms at home and alcohol-related financial harms.

Population-based studies on alcohol-related harm in Spain

Based on the review of scientific papers and institutional reports on the subject and analysis of some secondary data, we assess the alcohol-related harm in Spain between 1990 and 2011. In 2011 they could be attributable to alcohol, 10% of the total mortality of the population aged 15-64, and about 30% of deaths due to traffic accidents. Among the population aged 15-64 years at least 0.8% had alcohol use disorders, an additional 5% could have harmful alcohol consumption that would need clinical evaluation, and about 20% had had some acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) in the last year. The AAI accounted for approximately 0.5-1.1 % of hospital emergency visits. Social costs of alcohol could represent 1% of gross domestic product. The prevalence of alcohol-related harm was significantly higher in men than women, with a male/female ratio greater than three for alcohol-related mortality and serious injuries, and this situation has hardly changed in the last 20 years. Alcohol-related harm has followed a downward trend, except for AAI. In 1990-2011 the standardized mortality rates related to alcohol decreased by half. Large gaps in knowledge and uncertainties on alcohol-related harm in Spanish population, clearly justify the institutional support for the research in this field and the implementation of a comprehensive monitoring system.

Dealing with Alcohol-related problems in the Night-Time Economy: A Study Protocol for Mapping trends in harm and stakeholder views surrounding local community level interventions

BackgroundThis project will provide a comprehensive investigation into the prevalence of alcohol-related harms and community attitudes in the context of community-based interventions being implemented to reduce harm in two regional centres of Australia. While considerable experimentation and innovation to address these harms has occurred in both Geelong and Newcastle, only limited ad-hoc documentation and analysis has been conducted on changes in the prevalence of harm as a consequence, leaving a considerable gap in terms of a systematic, evidence-based analysis of changes in harm over time and the need for further intervention. Similarly, little evidence has been reported regarding the views of key stakeholder groups, industry, government agencies, patrons or community regarding the need for, and the acceptability of, interventions to reduce harms. This project will aim to provide evidence regarding the impact and acceptability of local initiatives aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms.Methods/DesignThis study will gather existing police data (assault, property damage and drink driving offences), Emergency Department presentations and Ambulance attendance data. Further, the research team will conduct interviews with licensed venue patrons and collect observational data of licensed venues. Key informant interviews will assess expert knowledge from key industry and government stakeholders, and a community survey will assess community experiences and attitudes towards alcohol-related harm and harm-reduction strategies. Overall, the project will assess: the extent of alcohol-related harm in the context of harm-reduction interventions, and the need for and acceptability of further intervention.DiscussionThese findings will be used to improve evidence-based practice both nationally and internationally.Ethical ApprovalThis project has been approved by Deakin University HREC.

Observational and methodological issues in a multi-agency community-based intervention to reduce excessive drinking

This article describes the methodology and observational data from a project that sought to, first, investigate the prevalence of alcohol related harm and alcohol misuse in Cardiff's night-time economy and, second, deliver a targeted server training intervention to premises identified as at risk of misselling alcohol. The bulk of the work is centred on a novel breathalyser survey of drinkers conducted on one Saturday and one Friday each month for 12 months. Due to its novelty in a UK context and the potential value of objective alcohol misuse data, the survey provided important insights into appropriate methodologies for surveying night time economies as well as unique insights into the nature of alcohol misuse.

On the Verge of EU Membership: Alcohol Cultures in the Baltic Sea Region in a European Perspective

As several former East Bloc countries now become EU members, we will be witnessing the merger between quite diverse social, economic, and political cultures—including the encounter between divergent drinking patterns and alcohol policies. In 2000, a survey was carried out in six EU countries as part of the European Comparative Alcohol Study in which respondents were asked about drinking habits and other alcohol-related issues. Several of these questions were also used in a survey in the Baltic republics and Poland in 2001, thereby providing an opening for comparisons across the traditional east–west divide in Europe. This article provides a broad outline of the main findings in the comparison between the two groups of countries as European integration enters its next phase. The main focus is on frequency of drinking, prevalence of alcohol-related harms, and attitudes toward alcohol policy. Although country comparisons are at the center of attention, gender differences are also highlighted.

Alcohol Consumption and the Experience of Adverse Consequences—A Comparison of Six European Countries

This paper describes prevalence rates of self-reported experiences of alcohol-related problems in six Western European countries and examines how self-reported consumption of alcohol is associated with the likelihood of experiencing these problems. Of particular interest is to assess whether alcohol is more strongly associated with the likelihood of experiencing adverse consequences in Northern Europe than in countries in Central and Southern Europe. Data on self-reported volume of drinking and binge drinking and of experiences of various alcohol-related problems from a general population survey undertaken in Finland, Sweden, Germany, the UK, France and Italy during the spring of 2000 were analyzed. The number of respondents was about 1,000 men and women (ages 18–64) in each country. In the assessment of the link between drinking and harm, results showed that the overall prevalence of alcohol-related harm was highest in Finland and the UK and lowest in Southern Europe. A general positive association was found between volume of drinking and problems, although some country differences were observed. The risk curve analysis also revealed that problems occurred at fairly low drinking levels. In the multivariate logistic regression analyses, the volume of drinking and a measure of binge drinking were both statistically significant predictors of most problems in most countries. A major conclusion is that both volume of drinking and binge drinking are important determinants of the risk of experiencing adverse consequences from drinking in all six European countries.