7 research outputs found

    Impact of the WHO “best buys” for alcohol policy on consumption and health in the Baltic countries and Poland 2000–2020

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    Funding Information: Funding: Research reported in this publication was in part supported by the (U.S.) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant number 1R01AA028224 . This research was conducted as part of the project ‘Evaluation of the impact of alcohol control policies on morbidity and mortality in Lithuania and other Baltic states’ and we would like to thank the whole team for their input to wider discussions in generating the research reported in this paper. Content is the responsibility of the authors and does not reflect official positions of the NIAAA or the NIH. Publisher Copyright: © 2023Alcohol use is a major risk factor for burden of disease. This narrative review aims to document the effects of major alcohol control policies, in particular taxation increases and availability restrictions in the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) between 2000 and 2020. These measures have been successful in curbing alcohol sales, in general without increasing consumption of alcoholic beverages from unrecorded sources; although for more recent changes this may have been partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, findings from time-series analyses suggest improved health, measured as reductions in all-cause and alcohol-attributable mortality, as well as narrowing absolute mortality inequalities between lower and higher educated groups. For most outcomes, there were sex differences observed, with alcohol control policies more strongly affecting males. In contrast to this successful path, alcohol control policies were mostly dismantled in the neighbouring country of Poland, resulting in a rising death toll due to liver cirrhosis and other alcohol-attributable deaths. The natural experiment in this region of high-income European countries with high consumption levels highlights the importance of effective alcohol control policies for improving population health.Peer reviewe

    Smoking-attributable social and economic harm assessment in Lithuania

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    Despite plenty of scientific evidence and global efforts to reduce the prevalence of smoking, it remains one of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases and premature death worldwide. Often only the health effects of smoking are discussed, and socio-economic costs attributable to smoking are completely ignored. Though this aspect becomes even more relevant due to the limited financial resources of the health care systems and the pace of population ageing. Previously smoking-attributable socio-economic harm in Lithuania was almost exclusively assessed within framework of regional or global studies and national efforts were scarce and fragmented. This was partly due to the lack of relevant methodology. To address this problem, country-specific methodology to asses smoking-attributable harm was developed and is based on the recommendations and guidelines prepared by the World Health Organization and international experts. Based on the methodology developed, active and passive smoking-attributable mortality, morbidity, cases of disability and incapability to work were assessed. The socio-economic costs of smoking, including direct (healthcare and social security system) and indirect (morbidity and premature mortality, the loss of productivity from smoking breaks, the loss of productivity due to presenteeism) costs were estimated. Analysis showed that smoking remains an important cause of death in Lithuania, carrying over 6 thousand deaths a year. Smoking causes high socio-economic harm, which, according to conservative estimates, amounted to nearly €953 million in Lithuania in 2013, representing 2.7% of GDP. Estimated costs averaged to €322 per capita or €1,534 per smoker. Overall, smoking-attributable costs represented 3.5% of total healthcare expenditures, meanwhile social security system costs (including sickness benefits and disability and work capacity pensions) represented around 1% of the total budget of the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund. The socio-economic harm caused by smoking in Lithuania could be avoided by curbing the consumption of tobacco products. Therefore, despite significant progress in tobacco control, implementation of evidence-based tobacco control policies should be further strengthened. The aim of the study was to assess SA socio-economic harm in Lithuania in accordance with developed methodology. Objectives: 1) To assess active and passive SA mortality in 2003–2013. 2) To assess active and passive SA morbidity in 2003–2013. 3) To assess active and passive SA cases of disability and incapability to work in 2006–2013. 4) To estimate SA socio-economic costs in Lithuania in 2013 in accor-dance with developed methodology

    Smoking-attributable direct healthcare expenditure in Lithuania: A Prevalence-based annual cost approach

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    Introduction: The estimates of the economic burden of smoking provide the basis for a comprehensive assessment of the overall economic impact and evidence for potential public health policy intervention by the government. The aim of this paper is to estimate the smoking-attributable direct healthcare expenditure covered by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund (CHIF) in Lithuania in 2013. Methods: A prevalence-based and disease-specific annual cost approach was applied to 25 smoking-related diseases or disease categories. Our analysis included only direct government healthcare expenditure (reimbursed by CHIF), including: smoking-attributable outpatient and inpatient care services, medical rehabilitation, reimbursable and publicly procured pharmaceuticals and medical aids, the emergency medical aid (ambulance) service, nursing, and expensive tests and procedures. The smoking-attributable expenditure on the above-mentioned healthcare services was calculated by multiplying the total annual expenditure by the corresponding smoking attributable fractions (SAFs). Results: The total smoking-attributable government expenditure amounted to €37.4 million in 2013. This represented 3% of the total CHIF budget in 2013. Smoking-attributable expenditure on inpatient care and medical rehabilitation services was two times higher for male smokers, than for female smokers. Conclusions: Smoking imposes a significant preventable financial cost within the budget of the Lithuanian healthcare system. A quantitative estimation of smoking related healthcare costs could provide an incentive for the development of smoking cessation services, with additional attention towards male smokers, as well as an important focus on smoking prevention among children and youths

    Alkoholio vartojimo sąlygojamas žalos Lietuvoje skaičiavimo metodikos parengimas ir žalos įvertinimas 2015 m. ir 2016 m. [elektroninis išteklius]

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    Projektas „Alkoholio vartojimo sąlygojamas žalos Lietuvoje skaičiavimo metodikos parengimas ir žalos įvertinimas 2015 m. ir 2016 m.”, finansavimo sutarties Nr. S-320/PRM17-171Alkoholio vartojimo sąlygota žala – grynoji išteklių, kurių visuomenė neteko dėl ankstesnio ir dabartinio alkoholinių gėrimų vartojimo, vertė ir neapčiuopiama žala, patirta dėl svaiginimosi šia psichoaktyviąja medžiaga. Paprastai socialinė ir ekonominė žala sistemiškai skirstoma į tris pagrindines rūšis – tiesioginę, netiesioginę ir neapčiuopiamą. Alkoholio vartojimo sukeliamą žalą patiria ne tik pats geriantysis, bet ir aplink jį esantys, o kartais ir tiesioginio ryšio neturintys, asmenys ar asmenų grupės ir galiausiai visa visuomenė. Šio metodinio leidinio tikslas – apžvelgti ir apibendrinti alkoholio vartojimo sąlygojamos žalos vertinimo metodus bei, remiantis atlikta metodų analize, sukurti Lietuvai tinkančią alkoholio vartojimo sąlygojamos žalos skaičiavimo metodiką ir pagal šią metodiką bei prieinamus duomenis įvertinti alkoholio vartojimo sąlygojamą žalą Lietuvoje 2015 ir 2016 m. Metodai. Šis tyrimas atliktas taikant ligos kaštų vertinimo metodą, paremtą alkoholio vartojimo paplitimu, ir atskirai vertinant tiesiogines ir netiesiogines su alkoholio vartojimu siejamas išlaidas. Taip pat tyrimas apima alkoholio žalos kitiems nei geriantysis kaštus ir nusikalstamų veikų, padarytų neblaivių asmenų, bei alkoholio vartojimo sąlygotus teisėsaugos sistemos kaštus. Siekiant apskaičiuoti alkoholio vartojimui priskiriamą mirtingumą, ligotumą ir netektą darbingumą bei su tuo susijusius valstybės patiriamus kaštus, vertinti kaštai pagal alkoholio vartojimo sąlygotas ligas ir sveikatos būkles, suskirstytas į 3 stambias grupes: I) būklės, visiškai sąlygojamos tik alkoholio vartojimo; II) iš dalies alkoholio vartojimo sąlygojamos būklės (daugiausiai onkologinės, lėtinės, širdies ir kraujagyslių sistemos ligos); ir III) išorinės sužeidimų ir mirties priežastys...[...]Lietuvos sveikatos mokslų universitetasLietuvos sveikatos mokslų universitetas. Medicinos akademijaPolitikos mokslų ir diplomatijos fakult.Viešojo administravimo katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

    Illicit Tobacco in Lithuania: A Cross-Sectional Survey

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    Taxation policies are the most cost-effective measure to reduce overall tobacco consumption. However, cigarettes in Lithuania are among the cheapest in the European Union. The threat of the illicit trade is often used to compromise evidence-based policies, pricing policies particularly. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of illicit cigarette consumption in Lithuania and identify the main characteristics of illicit cigarette smokers. The national cross-sectional survey with direct observation of the latest purchased pack of cigarettes was conducted between August and September 2019. In total, 1050 smokers aged ≥18 were interviewed face-to-face. The illicit share of the total consumption of cigarettes per year was 10.7% with 9.7% of smokers showing or describing illicit cigarette packs compared to 17% reported by industry-funded studies. Older smokers, smokers with lower education and heavy smokers were more likely to regularly purchase illicit cigarettes. The average price of an illicit pack was almost two times lower than licit. Although the illicit trade of tobacco products is a serious policy challenge, the threat of an increase in illicit trade should not delay tobacco taxation improvements

    Alcohol-related male mortality in the context of changing alcohol control policy in Lithuania 2000–2017

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    Introduction and Aims. Over the recent decades, Lithuania has reported very high alcohol-related harm and mortality indicators when compared to other countries. This, among other reasons, led to an adoption of comprehensive evidence-based alcohol control policy measures back in 2007 and 2016. The aim of this study is to examine alcohol-related male mortality in the context of changing alcohol control policies over the period 2000–2017. Design and Methods. The life table decomposition method was applied to estimate to what extent the age groups and causes of death are responsible for changes in male life expectancy in the period 2000–2017. Furthermore, a time series intervention model was used to study the impact of alcohol control measures on alcohol-related mortality. A seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average model was fitted. Results. Male life expectancy increased by 6.23 years in the period 2007–2017, mainly due to a decrease in mortality from external causes of death (2.12 years), cardiovascular diseases (1.84 years) and alcohol-related disorders (0.86 years). Reduced male mortality in the 30–64 years age group also contributed to a large increase in male life expectancy during the same period. Discussion and Conclusions. The greatest positive effect of reduced alcohol-related mortality to male life expectancy was observed during the period 2007–2009. It overlaps with the start of implementation of the comprehensive alcohol control measures. However, further research on the impact of different alcohol policy interventions on various outcomes is neededLietuvos sveikatos mokslų universitetasLietuvos sveikatos mokslų universitetas. Medicinos akademijaSocialinių tyrimų centrasViešojo administravimo katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

    The Comprehensive Alcohol Advertising Ban in Lithuania: A Case Study of Social Media

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    Alcohol advertising exposure is a risk factor for earlier alcohol initiation and higher alcohol consumption. Furthermore, engagement in digital alcohol marketing, such as liking or sharing an ad on social media, is associated with increased alcohol consumption and binge or hazardous drinking behavior. In light of these challenges, Lithuania has enacted a total prohibition on alcohol advertising, including social media. This study monitored the two most popular social media networks, Facebook and Instagram, to determine compliance with current legislation. In total, 64 Facebook and 51 Instagram profiles were examined. During the 60-day study period, 1442 and 749 posts on the selected Facebook and Instagram profiles, respectively, were published. There were a total of 163 distinct social media alcohol-related posts. Alcohol-related posts accounted for 5.9 percent of total Instagram posts and 8.3 percent of total Facebook posts. Alcohol advertisements accounted for 1.4 percent of all posts (infringement of the Alcohol Control Law). Influencers were responsible for nearly half (45.5 percent) of all observed alcohol-related Instagram posts. The study demonstrates high compliance with Lithuania’s total alcohol advertising ban on social media and emphasizes the importance of adequately monitoring the growing prominence of influencers on social media
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