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In 2016, the harmful use of alcohol has caused about 3 million deaths, or 5.3% of all deaths worldwide. Most of these deaths occur in men, concludes a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Although the report documents some positive trends in alcohol consumption – including a drastic reduction in parts of Eastern Europe – the general level of alcohol consumption and the associated burden are addiction, WHO said at a press conference.
And this level of consumption is expected to increase in the coming years, along with the associated damages, including injuries, violence and cardiovascular and other diseases.
In many parts of the world, policies are not enough to reverse these trends, Poznyak said. This means that the 10% relative reduction target of alcohol consumption proposed in the global surveillance framework for noncommunicable diseases will not be achieved.
"We clearly see a gap between the magnitude of the problem caused by the harmful use of alcohol and resources and the commitment to implement and implement cost-effective and efficient measures," he added.
WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2018 was released on September 21st.
Missing the target
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity in the world by 2030. Goals include health goals, such as reducing alcohol-related damage.
"I think that some countries will miss the target and will not advance the relevant goals for the SDGs if this issue continues to stagnate to the point we presented in our report," said Mr Poznyak.
The new document provides a comprehensive picture of the levels and patterns of alcohol consumption worldwide, the health and social consequences of harmful alcohol consumption and the actions of some of the 194 Member States of the world. WHO to reduce this burden.
In 2016, 28% of alcohol-related deaths were due to injuries such as road accidents, self-harm and violence; 21% were related to digestive disorders; and 19% were related to cardiovascular diseases. The others were linked to infectious diseases, cancers, mental disorders and other health problems.
The mortality resulting from alcohol consumption is higher than that caused by tuberculosis, HIV / AIDS and diabetes, the report says.
Other facts and figures in the report:
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Some 2.3 billion people worldwide consume alcohol, and more than half of the population consume alcohol in North America, South America, Europe, and the Western Pacific. .
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Europe has the highest per capita consumption of alcohol, although its per capita consumption has decreased by more than 10% since 2010.
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Although Europe has the highest levels of alcohol consumption, Africa bears the heaviest burden of alcohol-related illness and injury.
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World per capita consumption of alcohol is expected to increase over the next decade, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Western Pacific and the Americas.
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More than a quarter (27%) of 15-19 year olds in the world consume alcohol. Rates are highest in Europe (44%), followed by the Americas (38%) and the Western Pacific (38%).
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The total per capita consumption of alcohol among people over 15 in the world has increased from 5.5 liters of pure alcohol in 2005 to 6.4 liters in 2010 and remained at this level in 2016.
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People who drink consume on average 32.8 grams of pure alcohol per day (about two glasses of wine, a large bottle of beer or two glasses of spirits). The amount consumed is about 20% higher in Africa and 20% higher in Southeast Asia.
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People who drink have increased their consumption of alcohol since 2000 in almost all regions except Europe.
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Globally, 44.8% of total registered alcohol (that is, in official statistics) is consumed in spirits. The second most consumed type of alcohol is beer (34.3%), followed by wine (11.7%).
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Only minor changes in beverage preferences have taken place in the world since 2010. The most significant changes occurred in Europe, where the share of recorded total consumption of spirits decreased by 3% and that of wine and beer.
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Globally, an estimated 237 million men and 46 million women suffer from alcohol-related disorders, the highest prevalence in Europe and the Americas.
There are some positives in the report. For example, the prevalence of excessive episodic consumption, defined as a consumption of at least 60 grams of pure alcohol at least once a month, decreased from 22.6% in 2000 to 18.2% in 2016 However, the prevalence rate remains high among those who drink, particularly in parts of Eastern Europe and some sub-Saharan African countries.
In addition, there has been a sharp reduction in alcohol consumption and related damages in Eastern Europe, particularly in the Russian Federation.
Since 2010, the Russian government has implemented several measures, Poznyak noted. These include: setting a minimum price for spirits, including the major spirit of the country, vodka; the increase of excise taxes on alcoholic beverages; set tougher penalties for impaired driving; the ban on advertising in the media, the sale of alcohol at service stations and sponsorships of alcoholic beverages.
Global burden
However, the global burden is still huge. In the foreword of the report, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, director general of WHO, called on countries to demonstrate "political will and capacity" to achieve the SDG goals.
Some countries, besides Russia, seem to be careful. The percentage of countries with a written national alcohol policy has increased steadily since 2008. In 2016, 80 countries reported having such a policy, eight countries had sub-national policies and 11 countries had a total ban. to consume alcohol.
Most of the responding countries (97) have a maximum permissible blood alcohol level (BAC) of 0.05% or less at the wheel. In addition, 37 countries reported having a blood alcohol limit of 0.08% and 31 countries have no alcohol limit.
Almost all countries (95%) apply excise duties on alcohol, but less than half of them use other pricing strategies, such as prohibiting the sale at below-cost prices. or volume discounts.
Poznyak said at the press conference that pricing policies are among the most cost-effective options to reduce the harmful consumption of alcohol.
"Excise taxes on alcohol and other tariff measures have a significant impact on consumption levels, which is why any increase in the alcohol tax and the reduction of accessibility to alcohol alcohol would bring benefits to public health ".
He added that this type of measures is "not very popular" in some countries, "especially when alcohol consumption is deeply rooted in traditions".
However, most countries impose restrictions on beer advertising. Total bans are most common on TV and radio and are less common for the Internet and social media.
Poznyak told reporters he believed that from a public health perspective, industrial sponsorship of events such as the World Cup and the Olympics "do not work well and should be stopped. "
But it is up to FIFA (the international football body) and the International Olympic Committee to make these decisions, he said. "We are dialoguing with these entities and hope that the benefits to public health will outweigh the commercial benefits."
This is the latest in a series of WHO global status reports on alcohol. Previous reports were published in 1999, 2001, 2004, 2011 and 2014.
WHO. Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2018. Posted online September 21, 2018. Complete report
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