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Alcohol Takes Heavy Toll in the Americas New PAHO report calls for urgent action to reduce consumption  Alcohol contributes to more deaths and illnesses in the Americas than any other single risk factor, including smoking and obesity, according to a new report from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The report, Alcohol and Public Health in the Americas: A Case for Action, maps out the considerable toll of alcohol on health in the PAHO region and argues that reducing alcohol consumption should be a top public health priority in the hemisphere. Alcohol kills one person every two minutes in the Americas and contributes to more than 60 health problems, from fetal alcohol syndrome to cancer, heart and liver disease, mental illness, domestic and street violence, and traffic injuries and death, according to the new report. Contrary to popular perceptions, the main problem with alcohol is not alcoholism, notes Maristela Monteiro, PAHO's top alcohol expert and author of the report. "Blaming a few problem drinkers for the health and social problems caused by alcohol is wrong and has deep policy implications. It leads to ineffective strategies for dealing with the public health impact of alcohol." The greater problem, says Monteiro, is when people drink too much in too short a time and in the wrong settings. "This happens most often among people who are not alcoholics." Alcohol is a public health problem worldwide, but the report shows that it is a bigger problem in the Americas than in most other regions of the world. Average consumption in North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean is 8.7 liters per person per year, 40 percent higher than the global average of 6.2 liters per capita. Moreover, people in the Western Hemisphere engage in more binge drinking and other hazardous consumption patterns than people in other regions. "Higher consumption, hazardous drinking patterns, a lot of young people, and the lack of effective control policies all add up to a burden of disease from alcohol that is significantly higher in the PAHO region compared with other parts of the world," says Monteiro. In most PAHO member countries, the average drinking pattern of adults qualifies as hazardous, "meaning they engage in heavy drinking, outside of meals, and in public places," Monteiro explains. The problem is worse in the region's less-developed countries and among young people. Underage drinking is a particular problem in the PAHO region, which has a large proportion of young people. Surveys show that teens in the region drink often, and their drinking leads to traffic injuries, suicide attempts, homicide and violence, sexual assault, and risky sex. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data for 2002, alcohol was a factor in at least 69,000 deaths of young people aged 15 to 29 in the Americas.  While women tend to drink less than men, their consumption has increased in recent years, and they tend to suffer disproportionate consequences, particularly as victims of domestic violence, the report notes. Women who drink are also more vulnerable to HIV and sexually transmitted infections as well as sexual abuse. In general, public health policy in PAHO member countries has failed to deal effectively with these problems. Many countries lack evidence-based policies, and those that have adopted such policies often do not enforce them well. The report notes that many popular, longstanding policies have not proven effective, such as alcohol education in schools, public service announcements promoting responsible drinking, and warning labels on bottles and in advertisements. "Those measures will not change people's behavior when the overall environment is permissive of excessive drinking, and when alcoholic beverages are available anywhere, to anyone, at any time, at a low price or free, with parental support and even encouragement," says Monteiro. In contrast, more effective policies include increased taxes on alcohol, minimum age limits for buying alcoholic beverages, lowered blood alcohol levels for driving, and restrictions on outlets and hours for alcohol sales. Also, sobriety checkpoints and random breath testing have shown positive results in Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay, and graduated licensing for new and young drivers has been successfully used in the United States and Canada. To reduce the health and social toll of alcohol, the report calls on PAHO member countries to develop a comprehensive and effective alcohol policy response based on 10 building blocks to reduce alcohol-related harm. These "building blocks" include:
The full report Alcohol and Public Health in the Americas: A Case for Action can be downloaded free of charge. Also of interest: Alcohol, Gender, Culture and Harms in the Americas (PAHO Mulitcentric Study Final Report). |
March 2008 Feature Articles: News: Announcements: New PAHO |