www.alkoholpolitik.ch

In a stunning display of insensitivity and ignorance, Belvedere Vodka and singer Usher have joined with Product (Red) to launch a special edition bottle and give half its profits to „fight HIV/AIDS in Africa,“ under the misleading tagline “Helps Save Lives.” Promoting and selling booze to fight HIV/AIDS?! There are just so many things wrong with this, we can hardly decide where to start. Let’s consider the facts that are missing from this campaign:
* Product (Red) must have conveniently missed the recent news release that alcohol kills more people annually than AIDS, tuberculosis, or violence – a sobering 4% of all deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Association.
* Alcohol use is a leading factor in the spread of HIV. Alcohol consumption is associated with two major modes of HIV transmission: high-risk sexual behaviors and injection drug use. … (Source: Marin Institute, 03/09/11)

In New York City, a professor of Human Ecology from Rutgers University is taking a giant step from documenting the urban advertising landscape toward changing it. In the process, she hopes to improve the health of neighborhoods impacted by blight such as outdoor alcohol advertising. …
Dr. Naa Oyo Kwate’s research focuses on mapping urban environments and their impact on health. For example, she found that an astonishing twenty-five percent of outdoor advertising in Central Harlem was dedicated to promoting alcohol. Exposure to the alcohol ads increased black women’s chances of being a problem drinker by up to thirteen percent. … (Source: Marin Institute, 03/08/11) our Online-Comment: My compliments to that researcher. Usually scientists don’t care much what happens to their study results. But she feels responsible that there is progress.

Zwischen Gewalt in Kneipen und dem Trinkverhalten während der Happy Hour gibt es einen Zusammenhang. Das geht aus einer britischen Studie hervor. Grundlage der Untersuchung sind Daten aus Pubs und Nachtclubs in fünf britischen Städten. Demnach sind vergünstigte Preise während der Rabattzeiträume häufig für gesteigerte Aggressionen verantwortlich …
Wie die Experten im Fachmagazin “Alcohol and Alcoholism” berichten, müssten die Angestellten in Kneipen vermehrt darauf achten, dass bereits stark angetrunkene Gäste nicht noch mehr Alkohol konsumieren. So könnten sich etliche Gewaltausbrüche möglicherweise verhindern lassen. (Quelle: Google Alcohol News, 09.03.11) curado.de, 09.03.11 Kommentar: In schweizerischen Gastgewerbegesetzen ist die Abgabe von Alkohol an betrunkene Gäste verboten. Nur wird praktisch nie kontrolliert oder geahndet.

Montreal – Während Autoren in randomisierten klinischen Studien heute ihre finanziellen Beziehungen zur Pharmaindustrie offen legen müssen, gehen diese Hinweise in Meta-Analysen oft verloren, wie eine Analyse im US-amerikanischen Ärzteblatt JAMA (2011; 305: 1008-1017) zeigt.
Für die randomisierten Studien selbst gibt es mittlerweile Standards, die eine Transparenz gewährleisten. Die „Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses“ oder PRISMA fordern auch von den Autoren von Meta-Analysen, ihre eigenen Interessenkonflikte offen zu legen.
Sie müssen in den Meta-Analysen jedoch die Interessenkonflikte der randomisierten Studien nicht referieren. Es wundert deshalb nicht, dass nur 2 von 29 Meta-Analysen, die Michelle Roseman von der McGill University in Montreal überprüft hat, diesbezügliche Angaben machten, obwohl zwei Drittel der in den Meta-Analysen bewerteten Studien industriegesponsert waren. (Quelle: aerzteblatt.de, 09.03.11) unser Online-Kommentar: Die letzte kanadische Meta-Analyse über 84 ausgewählte Studien zu Alkohol und Herzkrankheiten lässt auch aus obigen Gründen zusätzliche grosse Zweifel aufkommen.

Aims The impact of alcohol on those other than the drinker is an under-researched area with important policy implications. This study is a first step in investigating relationships between exposure to heavy drinkers in respondent’s lives with measures of health status and wellbeing.
Design setting and participants A cross-sectional general population survey was carried out among 3068 New Zealand residents aged 12–80 years (response rate 64%) using an in-house computer-assisted telephone interviewing system.
Findings More than one in four of the sample had experienced someone they considered to be a heavy drinker in their environment in the past 12 months.
Conclusions: Cross-sectional data from a general population sample suggest that there is a relationship between exposure to heavy drinkers and reduced personal wellbeing and poorer health status. Exposure to heavy drinkers may have negative impacts for others. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 03/08/11) onlinelibrary.wiley.com, 03/07/11

It may seem like binge drinking is just a fact of college life, but a number of institutions of higher-education are proving otherwise. Survey data show notable drops in student binge drinking at several colleges and universities, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Feb. 16. For example:
* Alcohol-related violations dropped 3.7 percent at North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D. over two years.
* Between 2007 and 2009, „problem drinking“ fell 12 percent at the University of Pittsburgh.
* The number of Purdue students who engaged in binge drinking sank from 48 percent in 2006 to 37.3 percent in 2009.
* Frostburg State University in Maryland saw binge drinking plummet 27% over the past decade. … (Source: Join Together, 03/07/11) with our Online-Comment: It is always better to invest in prevention instead of paying for negative results. If the alcohol free offers are a success, other students will try too.

Die österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit (Ages) hat mehrere Lebensmittelprodukte analysieren lassen und festgestellt, dass in zahlreichen Kindersnacks und Lebensmitteln versteckter Alkohol enthalten ist.
Das Ergebnis der österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit überrascht und schockiert zugleich. Zahlreiche der getesteten Lebensmittelprodukte haben Alkohol enthalten, bei den Süßigkeiten seien lediglich zwei von 19 untersuchten Artikeln alkoholfrei gewesen, berichtet die Ages. (Quelle: Google Alkohol News, 08.03.11) heilpraxisnet.de, 08.03.11 – noows.de, 08.03.11 unser Online-Kommentar: Die Alkoholindustrie hat es geschafft, in die Küchen einzudringen und in allen Bereichen ihre Produkte unterzubringen. Gerade bei Desserts und Pralinen findet man nur nach intensiver Nachforschung, manchmal mit der Lupe ein Produkt ohne Alkohol. Für Eltern mit Verantwortungsgefühl eine wahre Zumutung. Es geht nicht nur um den im Lebensmittel enthaltenen Restalkohol, sondern darum, dass sich bereits Kinder an den Geschmack gewöhnen und später eher zu Alkoholkonsumenten werden.

Introducing a minimum price for alcohol in Northern Ireland is an important step in the prevention of suicide and self-harm, as well as addressing wider health and social issues the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland has said.
Dr Philip McGarry, Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Northern Ireland, welcomed the consultation into alcohol pricing launched today by Social Development Minister Alex Attwood and Health Minister Michael McGimpsey, but said the floor price must be set high enough to have a genuine impact on problem drinking. (Source: Medical News Today, 03/07/11)

A Cardiff University study has established a link between pub violence and happy hour-style drinking promotions.
The findings also show that pub staff themselves need to do more to stop heavily intoxicated customers from continuing to drink. (Source: Medical News Today, 03/07/11)

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania yesterday launched a nationwide campaign to tackle excessive drinking.The government’s initiative against irresponsible drinking has the backing of local brewers and is supported by international organisations with the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) being its major financier.
The campaign will mainly be conducted through radio programmes. The campaign, dubbed Chonde Chonde! Ulevi Noma! (Please, alcoholism is dangerous), is a six-month drive that will end in September this year.
“For example, people who drink excessively more often have unprotected sex than those who do not or those who drink responsibly. Tacaids (The Tanzania Commission for Aids) lists alcohol consumption as an important factor in HIV/Aids prevalence.”
According to the Tacaids HIV Prevention Strategy for Tanzania Mainland (2009), men who drink have an HIV prevalence rate that is three times higher than those who do not drink. The prevalence rate is twice higher among women who drink than those who don’t. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 03/08/11) thecitizen.co.tz, 03/03/11