Alcohol is responsible for 11% of male deaths and 2% of female deaths in Europe
A new study of the global burden of disease attributable
to alcohol has found that Europe has the highest level of alcohol
attributable deaths and the highest burden of disability-adjusted life
years lost (DALYs) in the world.
Alcohol accounts for 11% of deaths amongst men and 2% of
deaths amongst women in Europe, compared with a worldwide average of 6%
and 0.6% respectively. Similarly, the number of DALYs lost due to
alcohol was highest in Europe, at 17% for men and 4% for women, compared
with 7% and 1% worldwide.
This study was published in the Lancet, alongside an
investigation into the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of policies
to reduce the harm caused by alcohol. As with previous studies of a
similar nature, this study found that the most effective measures are
those that increase price and reduce availability of alcohol. There was
no evidence that school-based education programmes reduce levels of
harm, though the authors acknowledge that public information campaigns
have a role in increasing acceptance of alcohol policies.