Mindaugas Štelemėkas, Ingrida Jaselskytė, Vaida Liutkutė, Aurelijus Veryga

Abstract

Harmful use of alcohol is causing many negative effects, and it is essential to continuously analyze the burden of alcohol in countrywide and international studies. Alcohol is attributable to more than 50 health conditions, which may be partly or fully caused by alcohol.
Methods. The aim of the study was to evaluate the change of prevalence of fully alcohol attributable conditions during the period of 2006-2011. The research was performed in collaboration with the State Mental Health Center, and the analysis was based on the summarized prevalence rate data originally received from the Lithuanian morbidity database SVEIDRA. The analysis covers the prevalence data based on 20 fully alcohol attributable conditions.
Results. In 2007 the prevalence of fully alcohol attributable conditions reached its peak. In 2008 and 2009 it had declined, and in 2010 and 2011 it had started to rise again. The close links may be drawn between prevalence of alcohol attributable conditions and overall alcohol consumption in Lithuania. In 2007 the significant toughening of alcohol control policy has been introduced that came into effect in 2008 and 2009, and resulted into the decline of alcohol consumption. In 2006-2011 the prevalence of fully alcohol attributable conditions was in average 4 times higher among men than among women, and reached its peak in people between 45 and 54 years old.

Article in Lithuanian

Keyword(s): alcohol, prevalence rate, alcohol control
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2013.114
Full TextPDF

Back