The World Health Organisation is concerned about the limited impact of health policies in reducing alcohol-related diseases. According to a new study published on Wednesday 4 September, these diseases caused 291,100 deaths in 2016 in the EU+ (Twenty-Eight plus Norway and Switzerland).
"Alcohol consumption has decreased in many European countries, but progress has stalled. Decision makers must implement strategies that we know are effective, such as increasing prices, limiting availability (of drinks) and banning advertising," said Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
The 'Status report on alcohol consumption, harm and policy responses in 30 European countries 2019', which uses data collected from 2010 to 2016, shows that alcohol consumption has not decreased despite the commitments made by States under the European action plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol 2012−2020. On average, adults (aged 15 and over) drink the equivalent of 2 bottles of wine per week. However, when abstinent and former drinkers are removed from the data sample, it appears that adults drink more than 3 bottles of wine per week. Heavy episodic drinking is also a problem, notes the WHO. Of the total population, 30.4% of respondents reported having consumed 60 grams or more of pure alcohol on a single occasion in the last 30 days. This harmful consumption pattern is particularly problematic for men (47.4%) compared to women (14.4%) and is particularly widespread in the Baltic States, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg.
In conclusion, the WHO underlines that the poor implementation of marketing and pricing policies is of particular concern, as they are among the most effective measures. However, States seem to be opting more for awareness and commitment, drink–driving policies and surveillance "which are the easiest to implement and are perceived as facing the least resistance", it points out.
The report is available at: http://bit.ly/2lZbYi8 (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)