September 28, 2016 – For the first time, trends in alcohol consumption and related mortality have been examined systematically for all countries in the WHO European Region for an extended period. A new report published by WHO/Europe, Public health successes and missed opportunities, shows that over the past 25 years, alcohol-attributable deaths in the region increased by four per cent.
“Alcohol consumption has fallen in some member states over the last decades, and resulted in fewer alcohol-attributable deaths in these countries, which shows that it is possible to change drinking patterns. However, relevant data must be available to decision-makers to initiate the most effective policies. In addition, there is still a knowledge gap among the general population about the impact of alcohol, especially on cancer. Closing this gap is important, but there is a need to go beyond passive approaches and push for preventive policies and actions,” says Dr. Jürgen Rehm, co-author of the report and Director of the Institute for Mental Health Policy and WHO Collaborating Centre based at CAMH.
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