Change and continuity in Finnish drinking in the 21st century

Aim: Alcohol consumption and policy in Finland have undergone a variety of changes in the two last decades. In several cases, trends in both consumption and policy have shifted direction when moving from the first decade of the 21st century to the second one. The aim of the overview is to summarise the trends. Data: The overview draws on results primarily from the cross-sectional Finnish Drinking Habits Survey (FDHS) in 2000, 2008 and 2016, and also from the whole series including altogether seven separate data collections carried out every eight years from 1968 to 2016 and mainly covering Finns aged 15–69 years. Response rates show a falling trend (78% in 2000, 74% in 2008 and 60% in 2016). The overview also makes use of data collected within the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) and, for the elderly, the National FinSote study carried out by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Results: After an all-time high of 12.7 litres of pure alcohol per capita 15 years and over in 2007, total consumption of alcohol had decreased by 21% by the year 2019. Underage drinking has decreased ever since the millennium shift. Older people’s drinking has continued increasing or levelled out. Along with reduced total consumption, heavy episodic drinking (HED) has also decreased, but the differences between manual and white-collar workers in HED have continued to grow. Drinking alcoholic beverages with meals has also declined since 2008. Liberal and restrictive alcohol policy measures have alternated. Conclusions: Finnish drinking culture seems to change at a slow pace; several typical drinking habits have remained unchanged.

Download Full-text

Trends in older people’s drinking habits, Sweden 2004–2017

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs ◽

10.1177/1455072520954336 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 459-469 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jonas Raninen ◽

Neda Agahi

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Consumption ◽

Age Groups ◽

Older Age ◽

Heavy Episodic Drinking ◽

Steady Increase ◽

Birth Cohorts ◽

Total Consumption ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Drinking Habits ◽

Drinking Occasion

Aims: To examine if and how the drinking habits of older people aged 60–79 years in Sweden have changed during 2004–2017, with a specific focus on age groups and gender. Data and measures: A Swedish, nationally representative, repeated cross-sectional telephone survey covering the years 2004–2017 ( n = 225,134) was used. Four aspects of alcohol consumption were investigated: proportion of alcohol consumers, frequency of drinking, amount per drinking occasion, and prevalence of heavy episodic drinking. Results: Three of the four measures investigated showed increases in alcohol consumption in the older age groups, particularly among women. Proportion of alcohol consumers, frequency of drinking and prevalence of heavy episodic drinking during the past month increased in most older age groups among both women and men, while the average amount per drinking occasion remained stable. Thus, total consumption in older age groups has increased over time, since the proportion of drinkers and the frequency of drinking has increased. Increases were particularly marked among women and in the age groups 70–74 and 75–79 years. In age groups below 60 years, these measures showed either declines or stability. Conclusions: There has been a steady increase in alcohol consumption across all the older age groups studied, which implies that the changing drinking habits are not isolated only to certain birth cohorts. Instead there seems to be a continuous shift in older people’s drinking habits which can be expected to continue. However, these increases are from very low levels, and older people’s drinking is still at modest levels. Public health implications must be studied further.

Download Full-text

In fear of a reversal back to the spirits-drinking era — the 2004 decrease of Finnish alcohol taxes in public discourse

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs ◽

10.2478/v10199-012-0005-z ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 57-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Matilda Hellman ◽

Thomas Karlsson

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Public Discourse ◽

Point Of View ◽

Alcohol Policy ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Health Concern ◽

Drinking Patterns ◽

Policy Debate ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

Total Consumption

Aims The study investigates how the dissimilar tax reductions for different alcoholic beverages (spirits, wine and beer) were debated during the large tax decrease on alcoholic beverages in Finland in 2004. Design and Data The material comprises parliamentary proceedings and discussions, as well as daily press items (=105) from 2003–2004. Content analyses, both quantitative and qualitative, were performed. Results The parliament's discussion on the unequal treatment of different beverage types concerned mostly the overall framing of a public health perspective, differencing between consumption of “spirits” and “non-spirits”. The mass media framed the question mostly from the industry's point of view. Neither a clear support of the total consumption model (excluding specification of beverage sort), nor a strong liberalisation model for alcohol policy were expressed in the materials. Varying stances were merely motivated within a paradigm of “changing drinking patterns”. Conclusions The differing treatment of different beverage types, especially the large reductions in spirits taxes, was crystallised as the fundamental public health concern surrounding the decision to lower alcohol taxes. In the end of the article the authors ask whether the lack of clear stances other than the drinking pattern framing could imply that the Finnish alcohol policy debate has become more heterogeneous, neutralised or resigned in its basic nature.

Download Full-text

An Ultra-Processed Food Dietary Pattern Is Associated with Lower Diet Quality in Portuguese Adults and the Elderly: The UPPER Project

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13114119 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 4119

Author(s):

Milena Miranda de Moraes ◽

Bruno Oliveira ◽

Cláudia Afonso ◽

Cristina Santos ◽

Duarte Torres ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diet Quality ◽

Latent Class ◽

Age Groups ◽

The Elderly ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Sweetened Beverages ◽

Daily Diet ◽

Activity Survey

This study aimed to identify dietary patterns (DPs) and their associations with sociodemographic factors and diet quality in Portuguese adults and the elderly. Cross-sectional data were obtained from the National Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (2015–2016), with two non-consecutive dietary 24 h recalls. Food items were classified according to the NOVA system and its proportion (in grams) in the total daily diet was considered to identify DPs by latent class analysis, using age and sex as concomitant variables. Multinomial logistic and linear regressions were performed to test associations of DPs with sociodemographic characteristics and diet quality, respectively. Three DPs were identified: “Traditional” (higher vegetables, fish, olive oil, breads, beer and wine intake), “Unhealthy” (higher pasta, sugar-sweetened beverages, confectionery and sausages intake) and “Diet concerns” (lower intake of cereals, red meat, sugar-sweetened and alcoholic beverages). “Unhealthy” was associated with being younger and lower intake of dietary fiber and vitamins and the highest free sugars and ultra-processed foods (UPF). “Diet concerns” was associated with being female and a more favorable nutrient profile, but both DPs presented a higher contribution of UPF than the “Traditional” DP. These findings should be considered for the design of food-based interventions and public policies for these age groups in Portugal.

Download Full-text

Alcohol Misuse Among Young Adults in Northern Italy

Safety ◽

10.3390/safety5020031 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 31 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Raimondo Maria Pavarin

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Young People ◽

Alcohol Misuse ◽

Target Population ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Northern Italy ◽

Heavy Episodic Drinking ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Cross Sectional

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of heavy episodic drinking (HED), consumption patterns, protective and risk behaviours and motivations in a sample of young Italians with recent alcohol use. Design: Cross-sectional study. The target population was young people (18–29 years) living in the metropolitan area of Bologna (Northern Italy). A mixed study design with quantitative and qualitative instruments was used. Findings: Four focus groups were held; 500 young people were interviewed. The results show ample alcohol misuse among youths and highlight a process of normalization of excess-oriented practices. Following single episodes of HED, almost all the interviewees experienced health problems or negative consequences in the fields of relations and social commitments. A particular group of habitual alcohol drinkers (frequent and repeated misuse) were identified with a high likelihood of encountering problematic situations and stated that their motivation for their last episode of HED was boredom and the search for psychoactive effects. From the current focus, it can be seen that those who take large quantities of alcoholic beverages do so to reach a state of inebriation. Young adults seem to be well-informed as to the psychoactive properties of alcoholic beverages and are aware of the related risks. Originality/value: A gradual loss of traditional references in the alcohol culture emerges among Italian youths. Future studies targeted at the cultural aspects of alcohol misuse are needed.

Download Full-text

Use of alcohol in the elderly: transcultural validation of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test – Geriatric Version (MAST-G)

Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP ◽

10.1590/s0080-623420140000400011 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 649-656 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marcia Yumi Kano ◽

Manoel Antônio dos Santos ◽

Sandra Cristina Pillon

Keyword(s):

Internal Consistency ◽

Screening Test ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Study Data ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test ◽

The Mean

Objective: To evaluate the internal consistency of the version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test – Geriatric Version (MAST-G) instrument, translated and adapted for Brazil. Method: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire, the ICD-10 and the MAST-G, following the steps of translation and cultural adaptation. One hundred eleven elderly in the city of São Carlos, SP, Brazil were interviewed. Results: The mean age of those interviewed was 70 years, with 45% men and 55% women, with the mean education of three years; 92% resided with family; 48% of the subjects consumed alcoholic beverages. The MAST-G presented a good level of reliability, with Cronbach’s α = 0.7873, and good levels of sensitivity and specificity with a cutoff score of five positive responses. Conclusion: The Brazilian version of the MAST-G presented internal consistency values similar to the original English version,showing it to be adequate for use in the national context.    

Download Full-text

The Beverage Alcohol Concentration at Intake and Estimated Blood Alcohol Concentrations

Nordisk Alkoholtisdkrift (Nordic Alcohol Studies) ◽

10.1177/145507259601301s10 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 13 (1_suppl) ◽

pp. 43-50

Author(s):

Jussi Simpura ◽

Pirjo Paakkanen ◽

Heli Mustonen ◽

Leena Metso ◽

Kalervo Kiianmaa

Keyword(s):

Blood Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Concentration ◽

Alcohol Policy ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Supporting Evidence ◽

Blood Alcohol ◽

Policy Debate ◽

Alcohol Content ◽

Drinking Habits ◽

Actual Strength

Belief in differential health risks for different alcoholic beverages continues despite a relative lack of supporting evidence, and continues to influence alcohol policy debate both in Finland and elsewhere. The present data from a survey of Finnish drinking habits conducted in 1992 suggest that the central issue is not the actual strength of the beverage itself but rather the solution at intake and the amount of alcohol imbibed. The results are based on a one week survey of all occasions on which alcohol was consumed from a general population survey of drinking habits. Spirits are diluted almost two times out of three when spirits are taken. The data indicate that the median alcohol content of spirits at intake was about 13 percent of volume: i.e. on half of the occasions when spirits were imbibed, the actual alcohol content was not higher than that of unfortified wines. Beer and wine were rarely diluted, white spirits and rum were almost always diluted, whereas cognac and liqueurs were taken unmixed. The data also provide a basis for estimating the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reached on each drinking occasion. There was hardly any correlation between the BAC and the actual alcohol concentration of the beverages imbibed. More detailed analyses showed mixed results. Drinking to intoxication (estimated BAC < 20 mM) was more likely with those spirits that are typically diluted than those drunk straight, but a higher percentage of the spirit intake in general occurred on such intoxicating occasions than was reported for other beverages. Older respondents reported that the primary beverage used when drinking to intoxication was spirits, but younger ones said beer. The results are only for Finland, but show little basis here for the traditional tripartite (beer, wine, spirits) division of beverages in prevention of alcohol-related harm.

Download Full-text

New narratives, new narrators? Alcohol and alcohol policies in the Swedish press during the 1990s

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs ◽

10.1177/145507250001700211 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 63-79

Author(s):

Börje Olsson

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Problems ◽

The State ◽

Alcohol Policy ◽

Total Consumption ◽

Drinking Habits ◽

Alcohol Policies ◽

Daily Press ◽

Swedish Society ◽

Alcohol Issue ◽

The Individual

During the years around 1990, several policy and economic events occurred which had significant effects on the Swedish society. In this context, critique against the welfare state grew and the traditional roles of the state and the individual were challenged. The legitimacy and efficiency of Swedish alcohol policy was also called into question. The article describes and analyses how portrayals of alcohol, alcohol problems and alcohol policies have changed during the 1990s in the Swedish press. Despite the growth of media like television and the Internet, the daily press must still be considered an important source of information and also an active constructor of reality. The analysis is based on different samples of press articles during the studied period. Special attention is paid to different actors/narrators, their argumentation and how they perceive the individual and the state as legitimate actors and controllers of our drinking habits. The analysis shows that the dominant restrictive alcohol discourse, based on the total consumption model, public health perspectives and universal and restrictive alcohol policy measures, gradually has been challenged by a liberal discourse in which individual freedom, market liberalism and consumer perspectives are put forward as guiding principles for alcohol policies. A ‘sensible drinking’ perspective has seriously weakened the traditional perspective where alcohol- related problems have been situated as the legitimate foundation for policies. Finally, the ongoing redefinition of the alcohol issue also has made it possible for new narrators, for instance, business representatives, to take part in and significantly influence the alcohol discourse.

Download Full-text

HUBUNGAN PENGETAHUAN, SIKAP, DUKUNGAN SUAMI DENGAN KESIAPAN WANITA MENGHADAPI MENOPAUSE DI RW 08 CIBEBER CIMAHI SELATAN

Testing Hearing ◽

10.35907/bgjk.v13i1.189 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 33-38

Author(s):

Damai Yanti

Keyword(s):

21St Century ◽

Significant Relationship ◽

The Elderly ◽

P Value ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Measurement Design ◽

Chi Square Test ◽

Husband Support ◽

The Relationship

Background, in Indonesia most women experience menopause around the age of 50 years, and in some women menopause can take place at around 40 years of age or no later than 60 years (Soehartono, 2010). Until the end of the 21st century there were around 18,000,000-20,000,000 elderly, which is a significant number and requires serious attention. In Indonesia, it is the responsibility of the elderly to take care of them. The purpose of this study was to find out how the relationship between husband support and women's readiness to face menopause. The method used in this study was an analytical survey. The measurement design is carried out in a cross-sectional manner, namely a research design by measuring or observing at the same time (one time). The research was conducted at RW 8 Cibeber, South Cimahi. The study was conducted in January - August 2020. The population in this study were all mothers aged 45-59 years who lived in RW 8 Cibeber, Cimahi Selatan, totaling 163 people. Results of the analysis of the relationship between husband's support and readiness, there were 28 (44%) of 40 people whose husband's support was not supported with readiness in the unprepared category, while 7 (11%) of 23 people whose readiness were in the unprepared category. The results of the Chi-square test obtained a p value of 0.003, which means that there is a significant relationship between husband's support and women's readiness to face menopause. The conclusion in this study is that women's knowledge about menopause has a significant relationship with women's readiness to face menopause. The attitude of women about menopause has a significant relationship with women's readiness to face menopause. Husband's support for menopause has a significant relationship with women's readiness to face menopause.

Download Full-text

Research on the Academia da Cidade and Academia da Saúde Programs: scoping review

Revista Brasileira de Atividade Física & Saúde ◽

10.12820/rbafs.25e0126 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Paulo Henrique Guerra ◽

Douglas Roque Andrade ◽

Ciro Romelio Rodriguez-Añez ◽

Daniela Lopes Santos ◽

Edina Maria Camargo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Reference Lists ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public Power ◽

Data Collection And Analysis ◽

Cross Sectional Design ◽

Data Collections ◽

The Impact

In order to identify the research that addressed the Academia da Cidade and Academia da Saúde Programs (ACP/ASP), a scoping review was conducted in April 2020 in five electronic databases and in reference lists aiming to identify scientific articles that had data collections carried out in the facilities of the ACP/ASP or, that somehow involved the populations of the localities where the programs were implemented. Of the 321 initial records, the descriptive synthesis consisted of 59 studies, which had as their most frequent characteristics: cross-sectional design, use of quantitative approaches in data collection and analysis, Nutrition as a central topic, and involvement of users (adults and the elderly). In conclusion, longitudinal studies involving all actors (managers, practitioners and users) and covering different health topics, besides promoting the approximation between academia and public power, may be promising in the sense of better evaluating the impact that the program represents in the life of the communities that are attended.

Download Full-text