Abstract / Description of output
Background: Alcohol consumption is an increasingly important contributor to the global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals provides concrete targets for tackling the NCD burden, and Goal 10 highlights the importance of sound policies for reducing inequalites. Alcohol control policy, for one, has a critical role to play in mitigating the harmful effects of alcohol consumption, reducing inequalities in the distribution of alcohol-related harm and thus reducing the incidence and prevalence of NCDs.
Regional and Local Contexts: While the WHO European Region is on track to meet the agreed global premature mortality goal, alcohol consumption is not decreasing at a sufficient pace to achieve the overall agreed targets in the global monitoring framework for the prevention and control of NCDs. Here, we use the evolution of alcohol control policy in Estonia in the past decade as a case study of successful policy formulation and implementation. We also highlight the European action plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol 2012–2020 (EAPA)composite indicators for monitoring policy implementation.
Ways forward: The Estonian case study shows that successful policy responses in the reduction of alcohol consumption are likely to be multipronged, covering a wide range of policy areas, to have gathered support across society, from policy-makers to researchers and including parents and advocates, and to anticipate and address pressures from vested interests.The EAPA composite indicators can help countries to map the policy tools at their disposal and to track their progress both across time and relative to other countries. Future iterations of these indicators will build on the current baseline and establish a comprehensive picture of alcohol control progress in the WHO European Region.
Regional and Local Contexts: While the WHO European Region is on track to meet the agreed global premature mortality goal, alcohol consumption is not decreasing at a sufficient pace to achieve the overall agreed targets in the global monitoring framework for the prevention and control of NCDs. Here, we use the evolution of alcohol control policy in Estonia in the past decade as a case study of successful policy formulation and implementation. We also highlight the European action plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol 2012–2020 (EAPA)composite indicators for monitoring policy implementation.
Ways forward: The Estonian case study shows that successful policy responses in the reduction of alcohol consumption are likely to be multipronged, covering a wide range of policy areas, to have gathered support across society, from policy-makers to researchers and including parents and advocates, and to anticipate and address pressures from vested interests.The EAPA composite indicators can help countries to map the policy tools at their disposal and to track their progress both across time and relative to other countries. Future iterations of these indicators will build on the current baseline and establish a comprehensive picture of alcohol control progress in the WHO European Region.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 378-383 |
| Journal | Public Health Panorama |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 14 Sept 2018 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- alcohol consumption
- Estonia
- European Alcohol Action Plan
- sustainable development goals
- noncommunicable diseases