Balancing Alcohol’s Traditional Cultural Role with Increasing Public Health Concerns

1. Balancing Alcohol’s Traditional Cultural Role with Increasing Public Health Concerns

2. Ian M. Newman, PhD The Wesley C. Meierhenry Professor Director of Nebraska Prevention Center for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department of Educational Psychology University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA)

3. There is no doubt that beverage alcohol has the potential to contribute to significant problems for us as individuals, families, communities and countries. • There is also no doubt that customs involving alcohol use have played important roles in societies for centuries.

4. Review • Traditional, cultural roles of alcohol • Changes in public health approach to prevention • Balance between alcohol’s traditional role and preventing alcohol-related problems • Data from a community that reduced high-risk alcohol patterns

5. 3 Fundamental Issues • Alcohol use is associated with pleasure • Policies must have wide public support • Education will be an integral part of any program

6. The traditional roles of alcohol in a society

7. New (non-traditional) uses of alcohol, culturally unconstrained drunkenness to pass the time mood modification taste sociability food enhancement celebration hospitality medicine religious ceremony Traditional uses of alcohol, culturally constrained • HIGH RISK • LOW RISK

8. New Public Health • Can’t always eliminate the cause • Reduce risk • Reduce harm

9. Balancing Risks with Cultural Traditions High Risk Not a traditional use, few constraints Traditional use, culturally constrained Low Risk

10. Balancing Tradition with Risk:An Example • The Problem: How to reduce alcohol-related problems at a university Students line up to get into one of dozens of bars near university campus

11. Balancing Tradition with Risk:An Example • Community Coalition • Open, with wide involvement

12. Four Work Groups • Education and Information • Social Environment • Neighborhood relations • Policy and enforcement

13. Examples of objectives • Decrease the number of students younger than age 21 who reported drinking in bars from 21% to 16%. • Increase by 25% the number of students attending alcohol education programs. • Increase by 15% the number of alternative entertainment options available to students.

14. Results:Drinking Problems at University

15. Results • Drinking & driving by university students

16. Results: • Students who do not drink alcohol experience alcohol-related problems

17. Lessons Learned • Know the problem (good epidemiology) • A logic model • Awareness • Policy change • Enforcement • Leadership • Consistency

18. Lessons Learned, continued • Inclusive • Publicity (example)

20. Lessons Learned, continued • Evaluation

21. Balancing Alcohol’s Traditional Cultural Role with Increasing Public Health Concerns

23. Two Options • Identify high-risk patterns of alcohol use and control them • Reduce overall per capita alcohol consumption

25. Two Options • Identify high-risk patterns of alcohol use and control them • Reduce overall per capita alcohol consumption

26. Plan • Goals • Objectives • Methods and strategies • Timetable • Who is responsible for each task