Capita Alcohol Consumption (capita + alcohol_consumption)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Influence of psychotherapist density and antidepressant sales on suicide rates

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2009
N. D. Kapusta
Objective:, Antidepressant sales and suicide rates have been shown to be correlated in industrialized countries. The aim was to study the possible effects of psychotherapy utilization on suicide rates. Method:, We assessed the impact of antidepressant sales and psychotherapist density on suicide rates between 1991 and 2005. To adjust for serial correlation in time series, three first-order autoregressive models adjusted for per capita alcohol consumption and unemployment rates were employed. Results:, Antidepressant sales and the density of psychotherapists in the population were negatively associated with suicide rates. Conclusion:, This study provides evidence that decreasing suicide rates were associated with both increasing antidepressant sales and an increasing density of psychotherapists. The decrease of suicide rates could reflect a general improvement in mental health care rather than being caused by antidepressant sales or psychotherapist density alone. [source]


Alcohol control policies and alcohol consumption by youth: a multi-national study

ADDICTION, Issue 11 2009
Mallie J. Paschall
ABSTRACT Aims The study examined relationships between alcohol control policies and adolescent alcohol use in 26 countries. Design Cross-sectional analyses of alcohol policy ratings based on the Alcohol Policy Index (API), per capita consumption and national adolescent survey data. Setting Data are from 26 countries. Participants Adolescents (aged 15,17 years) who participated in the 2003 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) or national secondary school surveys in Spain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Measurements Alcohol control policy ratings based on the API; prevalence of alcohol use, heavy drinking and first drink by age 13 based on national secondary school surveys; per capita alcohol consumption for each country in 2003. Analysis Correlational and linear regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between alcohol control policy ratings and past 30-day prevalence of adolescent alcohol use, heavy drinking and having first drink by age 13. Per capita consumption of alcohol was included as a covariate in regression analyses. Findings More comprehensive API ratings and alcohol availability and advertising control ratings were related inversely to the past 30-day prevalence of alcohol use and prevalence rates for drinking three to five times and six or more times in the past 30 days. Alcohol advertising control was also related inversely to the prevalence of past 30-day heavy drinking and having first drink by age 13. Most of the relationships between API, alcohol availability and advertising control and drinking prevalence rates were attenuated and no longer statistically significant when controlling for per capita consumption in regression analyses, suggesting that alcohol use in the general population may confound or mediate observed relationships between alcohol control policies and youth alcohol consumption. Several of the inverse relationships remained statistically significant when controlling for per capita consumption. Conclusions More comprehensive and stringent alcohol control policies, particularly policies affecting alcohol availability and marketing, are associated with lower prevalence and frequency of adolescent alcohol consumption and age of first alcohol use. [source]


Alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis mortality with and without mention of alcohol,the case of Canada

ADDICTION, Issue 9 2003
Mats Ramstedt
ABSTRACT Aims, To analyse post-war variations in per capita alcohol consumption in relation to gender-specific liver cirrhosis mortality in Canadian provinces and to assess the extent to which alcohol bears a different relation to cirrhosis deaths with mention of alcohol (alcoholic cirrhosis) compared to cirrhosis deaths without mention of alcohol (non-alcoholic cirrhosis). Data and method, Annual liver cirrhosis mortality rates by 5-year age groups were converted into gender-specific and age-adjusted mortality rates. Outcome measures included total cirrhosis,the conventional measure of liver cirrhosis,alcoholic cirrhosis and non-alcoholic cirrhosis. Per capita alcohol consumption was measured by alcohol sales and weighted with a 10-year distributed lag model. A graphical analysis was used to examine the regional relationship and the Box,Jenkins technique for time-series analysis was used to estimate the temporal relationship. Findings, Geographical variations in alcohol consumption corresponded to variations in total liver cirrhosis and particularly alcoholic cirrhosis, whereas non-alcoholic cirrhosis rates were not associated geographically with alcohol consumption. In general, for all provinces, time-series analyses revealed positive and statistically significant effects of changes in alcohol consumption on cirrhosis mortality. In Canada at large, a 1-litre increase in per capita consumption was associated with a 17% increase in male total cirrhosis rates and a 13% increase in female total cirrhosis rates. Alcohol consumption had a stronger impact on alcoholic cirrhosis, which increased by fully 30% per litre increase in alcohol per capita for men and women. Although the effect on the non-alcoholic cirrhosis rate was weaker (12% for men and 7% for women) it was nevertheless statistically significant and suggests that a large proportion of these deaths may actually be alcohol-related. Conclusions, Some well-established findings in alcohol research were confirmed by the Canadian experience: per capita alcohol consumption is related closely to death rates from liver cirrhosis and alcohol-related deaths tend to be under-reported in mortality statistics. [source]


Alcohol and mortality: methodological and analytical issues in aggregate analyses

ADDICTION, Issue 1s1 2001
Thor Norström
This supplement includes a collection of papers that aim at estimating the relationship between per capita alcohol consumption and various forms of mortality, including mortality from liver cirrhosis, accidents, suicide, homicide, ischaemic heart disease, and total mortality. The papers apply a uniform methodological protocol, and they are all based on time series data covering the post-war period in the present EU countries and Norway. In this paper we discuss various methodological and analytical issues that are common to these papers. We argue that analysis of time series data is the most feasible approach for assessing the aggregate health consequences of changes in population drinking. We further discuss how aggregate data may also be useful for judging the plausibility of individual-level relationships, particularly those prone to be confounded by selection effects. The aggregation of linear and curvilinear risk curves is treated as well as various methods for dealing with the time-lag problem. With regard to estimation techniques we find country specific analyses preferable to pooled cross-sectional/time series models since the latter incorporate the dubious element of geographical co-variation, and conceal potentially interesting variations in alcohol effects. The approach taken in the papers at hand is instead to pool the country specific results into three groups of countries that represent different drinking cultures; traditional wine countries of southern Europe, beer countries of central Europe and the British Isles and spirits countries of northern Europe. The findings of the papers reinforce the central tenet of the public health perspective that overall consumption is an important determinant of alcohol-related harm rates. However, there is a variation across country groups in alcohol effects, particularly those on violent deaths, that indicates the potential importance of drinking patterns. There is no support for the notion that increases in per capita consumption have any cardioprotective effects at the population level. [source]


Per capita alcohol consumption and liver cirrhosis mortality in 14 European countries

ADDICTION, Issue 1s1 2001
Mats Ramstedt
Aim. To estimate the effects of changes in per capita alcohol consumption on liver cirrhosis mortality rates in various demographic groups across 14 western European countries. Method. Yearly changes in gender- and age-specific mortality rates from 1950 to 1995 were analysed in relation to corresponding yearly changes in per capita alcohol consumption, employing the Box-Jenkins technique for time series analysis. Country-specific estimates were pooled into three regions: northern, central and southern Europe. Measurements. Cirrhosis mortality data for 5-year age groups were converted into gender-specific mortality rates in the age groups 15 +, 15-44, 45-64 and 65 + and expressed as the number of deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. Alcohol sales were used to measure aggregate consumption, which were calculated into consumption (litres 100% alcohol) per year per inhabitant over 14 years of age and weighted with a 10-year distributed lag model. Findings. The country-specific analyses demonstrated a positive and statistically significant effect of changes in per capita consumption on changes in cirrhosis mortality in 13 countries for males and in nine countries for females. The strongest alcohol effect was found in northern Europe, due mainly to a large effect in Sweden. Moreover, when different age groups were analysed significant estimates were obtained in 29 of 42 cases for males and in 20 of 42 cases for females. Most of the non-significant estimates were found in older age groups. Conclusions. The results suggest clearly that a change in the overall level of drinking as a general rule affect cirrhosis mortality in different drinking cultures as well as among different demographic groups. Moreover, the findings correspond with what is expected from the collectivity theory of drinking cultures. [source]


Alcohol consumption and overall accident mortality in 14 European countries

ADDICTION, Issue 1s1 2001
Ole-Jørgen Skog
Aims. To evaluate the effects of changes in aggregate alcohol consumption on overall accident mortality in 14 western European countries after 1950, and to compare traditional beer, wine, and spirits countries with respect to the impact of alcohol. Design, setting and participants. The countries were sorted into three groups - traditional spirits countries of northern Europe, traditional beer countries of central Europe and wine countries of southern Europe. Gender- and age-specific annual mortality rates were analysed in relation to per capita alcohol consumption, utilizing the Box-Jenkins technique for time series analysis. All series were differenced to remove long-term trends. The results of the analyses in individual countries were pooled within each group of countries to increase the statistical power. Measurements. Overall accident mortality data for 5-year age groups were converted to gender and age specific mortality rates in the age groups 15-29, 30-49 and 50-69 years. Rates were age adjusted within groups. Data on per capita alcohol consumption were converted to consumption per inhabitant 15 years and older. Findings. The analyses demonstrated a statistically significant and positive relationship between changes in aggregate alcohol consumption in all three groups of countries. The estimated effect parameter was larger in northern Europe than in central Europe, and smallest in southern Europe. Conclusion. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that accident mortality rates are influenced by per capita alcohol consumption in southern, central and northern Europe. However, alcohol appears to play a larger role in northern Europe than in southern Europe. [source]