Prevention Work for Decreasing Excessive Use of Alcohol among Youngsters and Consequences of Alcohol

1

• Prevention Work for Decreasing Excessive Use of
  Alcohol among Youngsters and Consequences of
  Alcohol Use
• Case Finland
• Auli Sarvikivi/Alcohol Programme, Ministry of
  Social Affairs and Health
• Kloogaranna, Estonia, 14-15 September 2005

2
Alcohol Programme 2004-2007

• Government Resolution on Strategies in Alcohol
  Policy October 2003 political commitment and
  main lines of action
• Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
  responsibility for preparation,
  co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation
• Structure for mobilization
  Partnership between the
  government, municipalities, churches, NGOs,
  social partners and industry organizations

3
The impact of the changes of alcohol taxation 1st
March 2004

• The excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic
  beverages was reduced by an average of 33
• The total consumption increased in 2004 from 9.4
  litres to 10.3 litres per inhabitant (100
  alcohol) an increase of 9,6
• The documented consumption increased 6,5
• The undocumented consumption (e.g.
  homedistilled, tourist alcohol, illegal
  distilling) increased 23,5
• In 2004 tax revenue from alcohol was reduced by
  300 million euro to 1 071 million euro a
  reduction of 21.5 from year 2003

4
What Prevention and Intervention Strategies are
Effective According Studies?

• Alcohol pricing and taxation
• Regulating the availability of alcohol
• Eg Raising the minimum purchasing age and/or
  enforcing current restrictions
• Tougher regulation of alcohol promotion
• Continued emphasis on drink-driving
  countermeasures
• Modifying the drinking environment
• Providing accessible treatment and early
  intervention services
• Alcohol No Ordinary Commodity, Babor et
  al, 2003

5
Young peoples drinking

• Research on limiting alcohol availability
  demonstrates that
• Reductions in the hours and days of sale, numbers
  of alcohol outlets, and restrictions on access to
  alcohol -gt reductions in both alcohol use and
  alcohol-related problems.
• Laws that raise the minimum legal purchasing age
  reduce alcohol sales and problems among young
  drinkers.
• Regulations directed at commercial vendors who
  sell to minors and ignore other restrictions can
  be effective, if the system can suspend or revoke
  a license.
• Alcohol No Ordinary Commodity, Babor et al,
  2003
• Adults as role models
• Are the young scapegoats?
• What is cultural and economic place of alcohol?

6
Harm to children, young people and families (1/2)

• Prevention of harm from parental alcohol use
• Helping parents raise their children as a core
  task for agencies and professions that deal with
  children and young people
• Dissemination of information on alcohol related
  harm and on where to turn for help
• Prevention of domestic violence
• Ensuring resources for effective child protection

7
Harm to children, young people and families (2/2)

• Prevention of harm from alcohol use by young
  people
• Co-operation between parents, the school, youth
  work, NGOs and businesses
• Enforcement of age limits, combined with
  supportive activities directed to the young
• Restricting the advertising of alcoholic
  beverages
• Focusing school-based alcohol education on social
  norms, social skills and critical thinking about
  the media

8
Short-term risky drinking

• Harm arising from single occasions of alcohol use
• Prevention of violence and disturbance of public
  order
• Enforcement of regulations prohibiting selling
  and serving to intoxicated patrons
• Development of responsible selling and serving
  practices
• Promoting responsible hosting in work related and
  leisure time contexts
• Prevention of drink driving through traffic
  safety work, enforcement of BAC limits and
  treatment for repeat offenders
• Prevention of alcohol related home and leisure
  time accidents

9
Long-term risky drinking

• Harm arising from long-term risky drinking
• Assessing risks of alcohol use routinely in all
  patient contacts involving health status
  assessment
• Implementing brief intervention for risky
  drinkers into the routine practice of general and
  specialist health services
• Ensuring the availability, appropriateness and
  quality of addiction services
• Dissemination of information on risky drinking
  and on methods for self-assessment of risk and
  self-control of drinking

10
Reversing the trend in overall consumption

• Fairly high alcohol taxation, despite recent
  lowering
• State-controlled monopoly on retail sale of wine
  and spirits remains in place
• Licensing and control of bars, restaurants and
  retailers of beer and cider prevention of
  disturbance of public order and of harm to the
  immediate housing environment
• Support for community health promoting activities
• Influencing EU policies on alcohol taxation and
  the development of EUs public health strategy
  for alcohol

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Towards an integrated and sustainable approach to
alcohol problem prevention

• Encouraging co-operation
• Strengthening the structural framework
• Cross-sectoral work groups at local and regional
  levels
• Inter-ministerial information exchange
• Key organizations in the Alcohol Programmes
  steering and co-ordination groups
• Promoting a comprehensive approach
• Fostering clear goal setting, evaluation of
  effectiveness and continuous quality improvement

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Partnership in the Alcohol Programme

• Partnership agreement signed between the Ministry
  and each participant organization common ground
  mapped in preceding negotiations
• Each partner draws up their own action plan
  specific objectives, target groups, modes of
  action
• Self-evaluation feedback for further
  development, continuous improvement of quality
• Network of partners new opportunities or
  co-operation
• Sharing information, expertise, best practices,
  materials
• Programme logo symbolic connection between
  separate activities
• www.alkoholiohjelma.fi