PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

European countries differ in their drinking styles – what is yours?

European countries differ in their drinking styles – what is yours?
2024-06-25
(Press-News.org) A new study of drinking patterns across Europe from 2000 to 2019 shows that drinking occurs in stable, beverage-specific clusters that seem to be partly determined by geography.  The study was published today by the scientific journal Addiction.

The study identified six drinking patterns in Europe in 2019:

Wine-drinking countries: France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Sweden.  Characterized by the highest consumption of wine, lowest consumption of beer and spirits, and lowest overall alcohol consumption. High beer/low spirit drinking countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain.  Characterized by high consumption of beer, relatively low consumption of spirits, and the highest consumption abroad.  High beer/binge drinking countries: Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Characterized by high overall alcohol consumption, with the highest consumption of beer and high prevalence of heavy episodic drinking.  High spirit drinking countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.  Characterized by the highest consumption of spirits but also high beer consumption, resulting in the highest overall alcohol consumption, but lowest wine consumption and low binge drinking – instead regular high consumption. High spirit drinking/high lifetime abstinence countries: Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Cyprus.  Characterized by the lowest prevalence of drinkers (and highest prevalence of lifetime abstainers), but high and regular consumption of spirits.  Countries with high prevalence of current and binge drinking: Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Malta.  Characterized by the highest prevalence of drinkers and binge drinking. Looking back almost 20 years, the same overall clusters were in place from 2000 to 2019, with two-thirds of the countries staying in the same cluster for all measurements.

The study found significant associations between drinking patterns and alcohol-attributable deaths and health harm (measured in terms of ‘disability-adjusted life years’: the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability, or early death).  Countries with high consumption of spirits and/or high prevalence of binge drinking -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Cyprus -- had the highest average alcohol-attributable deaths and health harm.

Co-author Dr. Jürgen Rehm comments: “Europe’s distinct drinking patterns seem to be deeply rooted in culture and are therefore difficult to change. Since drinking patterns are strongly associated with burden of disease and mortality, we must find ways to change the patterns which characterize the clusters with the highest alcohol-attributable burden. Alcohol policies for this change are available and should be considered by all European countries, as the overall level of drinking is still high in this region.”

-- Ends –

For editors:

This paper is available online as a Open Access publication (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16567) or you may request a copy from Jean O’Reilly, Editorial Manager, Addiction, jean@addictionjournal.org.

To speak with co-author Dr. Jürgen Rehm, please contact him at the University of Toronto by email (jtrehm@gmail.com).

To speak with lead author Dr Daniela Correia, please contact her at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe by email (dcorreia@who.int)

Full citation for article: Correia D, Manthey J, Neufeld M, Ferreira-Borges C, Olsen A, Shield K, and Rehm J. Classifying national drinking patterns in Europe between 2000 and 2019: A clustering approach using comparable exposure data. Addiction. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16567

Primary funding: EU4Health under Contribution Agreement no. SANTE/2022/SI2.883729 (Addressing alcohol harm - capacity building, raising awareness and implementation of best practices in the Union). JR and KDS were in part supported by a contract by the WHO from the WHO/PAHO Collaboration Centre.  JR was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR FRN 477887). 

Declaration of interests: None. Carina Ferreira-Borges, Maria Neufeld, and Aleksandra Olsen are staff members of the World Health Organization; Daniela Correia, Jürgen Rehm, Jakob Manthey, and Kevin Shield served as consultants to the WHO and other health organizations. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed herein and these do not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policy of the WHO. 

Addiction (www.addictionjournal.org) is a monthly international scientific journal publishing peer-reviewed research reports on alcohol, substances, tobacco, gambling, editorials, and other debate pieces. Owned by the Society for the Study of Addiction, it has been in continuous publication since 1884.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
European countries differ in their drinking styles – what is yours?

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Children born underweight are at increased risk of disease if they develop obesity

2024-06-25
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen discover a link between birthweight and the risk of health complications from obesity during childhood. The findings highlight the need for prevention and treatment approaches for children with obesity who were born with a lower birth weight. Hundreds of millions of people live with obesity, which is normally measured as a higher-than-optimal body mass index (BMI). While an elevated BMI increases the risk of a range of cardiometabolic diseases and is responsible for around five million deaths a year according to the World Health Organization, not everyone is equally at risk. Scientists at the ...

New research questions safety of cannabidiol for pregnant women

New research questions safety of cannabidiol for pregnant women
2024-06-25
Vienna, Austria: Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the active ingredients in cannabis, is thought to be safe as it does not cause a “high”. Increasing numbers of pregnant women take CBD, believing that it can help alleviate symptoms such as morning sickness, insomnia, anxiety and pain.   However, research presented today (Tuesday) at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum 2024 [1,2], suggests that it may affect offspring. Two studies in mice have shown that gestational exposure to CBD alters the behaviour of offspring and also affects the nerve cells (neurons) in the insular cortex (IC) ...

Scientists can now detect antibiotics in your fingerprints – aiding the fight against drug-resistant TB

2024-06-25
A fingerprint may soon be all a doctor needs to check whether tuberculosis patients are taking their antibiotics – thanks to a new study led by the University of Surrey.    Scientists successfully detected the drugs in finger sweat – and with almost the same accuracy as a blood test.    Professor Melanie Bailey, an analytical chemist and co-author of the study from the University of Surrey, said:    “Up until now, blood tests have been the gold standard for detecting drugs in somebody’s ...

Heart disease model puts cells to work

2024-06-25
By Leah Shaffer Using animals to study heart disease doesn’t always translate well to human health outcomes, and human heart cells available for research don’t work outside the human body.  “You can’t keep them alive, much less function outside of the person for long enough to study these processes,” said Nathaniel Huebsch, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. Huebsch is studying cells with a mutation that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease that can set off heart failure ...

Positive emotion skills combat burnout among health care workers

2024-06-24
Intervention improved well-being in workers who were highly stressed by the job Health care worker burnout was on the rise before COVID-19 and continues today Addressing significant structural barriers in U.S. health care ‘needs to be a top priority’ Easily accessible individualized solutions also are needed to boost well-being in stressed health-care workers CHICAGO --- The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated already rising rates of burnout among American health care workers. A new Northwestern University study found learning and practicing skills that increase positive emotion like gratitude, mindful awareness and self-compassion ...

Partridge receives Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award

Partridge receives Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award
2024-06-24
Bill Partridge, a recently retired distinguished researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was recognized by DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office, or VTO, for leading world-class research in transportation throughout his 25-year career. His expertise has guided the development of advanced diagnostic tools that enabled next-generation engines and emissions control systems. Partridge was presented the Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award during the VTO Annual Merit Review held on June 3, 2024, in Washington, D.C. He was nominated for the award by the VTO Decarbonization of Offroad, Rail, Marine ...

ACP offers recommendations to support LGBTQ+ health care equity

2024-06-24
Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 24 June 2024      Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet       @Annalsofim      Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.      ----------------------------      1. ...

Survey shows aspirin use remains high among older adults, despite risks

2024-06-24
Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 24 June 2024      Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet       @Annalsofim      Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also ...

New research shows why you don’t need to be perfect to get the job done

2024-06-24
When neuroscientists think about the strategy an animal might use to carry out a task – like finding food, hunting prey, or navigating a maze – they often propose a single model that lays out the best way for the animal to accomplish the job. But in the real world, animals – and humans – may not use the optimal way, which can be resource intensive. Instead, they use a strategy that’s good enough to do the job but takes a lot less brain power.   In new research, Janelia scientists set out to better ...

Detection and genetic analysis of songling virus in Haemaphysalis concinna near the China-North Korea Border

2024-06-24
https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.15212/ZOONOSES-2024-0004 Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Songling virus (SGLV) is a spherical, enveloped, fragmented, negative-stranded RNA virus belonging to the genus Orthonairovirus in the Nairoviridae family. SGLV is transmitted by ticks and can cause disease in humans. This study identified and characterized SGLV in Haemaphysalis concinna ticks collected in 2023 in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture (China) near the China-North Korea border.   A real-time quantitative ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Older adults with Parkinson’s disease have increased brain amyloid without dementia

Deep learning model estimates cancer risk of lung nodules

Study reveals how different messages motivate people to take conservation actions

SwRI, UT San Antonio collaboration uses machine learning to detect pre-ignition in hydrogen engines

A new way to produce ammonia more efficiently

Kennesaw State secures grant to build community of AI educators

Impact of decline in rescue breathing on child survival in Japan

High-status producers have the support to radically shift their artists’ image, while mid-status producers follow trends

High-performance electrode material that withstands seawater!

Targeted delivery of microRNA sponge short-hairpin RNA via VIR-inspired biotechnical vector: Enhancing cancer therapy

When politics drives entrepreneurial innovation

FAU researchers show adopting healthy habits can improve cognitive decline

Outstanding postdoctoral researchers honored with 2025 Blavatnik Regional Awards for Young Scientists

Fly through Gaia’s 3D map of stellar nurseries

Precision targeting of the centromedian nucleus in drug-resistant epilepsy highlighted in brain network disorders

Better understanding of bitter taste receptors: An AlphaFold3-based structure study

Artificial intelligence spots hidden signs of depression in students’ facial expressions

UT San Antonio astronomy professor awarded for advancements in planetary science

‘Internal alarm system’ harnesses immune system against cancer

Stem cell transplant for stroke leads to brain cell growth and functional recovery in mice

Cleveland Clinic study shows greater long-term benefits of bariatric surgery compared to GLP-1 medicines

Revised diagnostic criteria for vascular cognitive impairment and dementia—The VasCog-2-WSO criteria

The ATREIDES program in search of lost exo-Neptunes

Ancient crop discovered in the Canary Islands thanks to archaeological DNA

Placental research may transform our understanding of autism and human brain evolution

Mapping the Universe, faster and with the same accuracy

Study isolates population aging as primary driver of musculoskeletal disorders

Designing a sulfur vacancy redox disruptor for photothermoelectric and cascade‑catalytic‑driven cuproptosis–ferroptosis–apoptosis therapy

Recent advances in dynamic biomacromolecular modifications and chemical interventions: Perspective from a Chinese chemical biology consortium

CRF and the Jon DeHaan Foundation to launch TCT AI Lab at TCT 2025

[Press-News.org] European countries differ in their drinking styles – what is yours?