Public Health Considerations and the Culture of Alcohol in Vietnam

The problem of alcohol in Vietnam is interesting when considering the culture surrounding alcohol throughout the country, particularly amongst men. In 2010, Vietnamese men drank 12.1 liters of pure alcohol per capita, while women drank only 0.2 liters (WHO, 2014). The WHO Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health stated, “Vietnam’s national drinking patterns … are among the most fatal with the highest possible score for alcohol-attributable years of life lost,” a metric which includes liver cirrhosis, road traffic crashes, and the prevalence of alcohol use disorders and alcohol dependence (WHO, 2014). In addition, domestic alcohol production in Vietnam has increased and presumably continues to do so (Ngoc, Thieng, Huong 2012). This poster aims to discuss the culture of alcohol in Vietnam, highlight problems it presents to the health of the Vietnamese people, and propose possible policies designed to help ameliorate the burden of alcohol abuse on the Vietnamese healthcare system.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/cwicposters/1014/thumbnail.jp

Growing up, getting drunk : development and prevention of adolescent alcohol use

Alcohol use is the main cause of disease and death among adolescents in Europe. This is the first Dutch research that studied the effects of intensified enforcement of the age limits for alcohol use (formal control) and of making alcohol less available to adolescents via the social environment (informal control via parents and schools). Increasing the formal and informal control turned out to reduce the risk of intoxication in drinking adolescents. Given the upcoming decentralization of enforcement to municipalities, this means that the Dutch community must actively increase formal and informal control to reduce intoxication among adolescents

Family affluence as a protective or risk factor for adolescent drunkenness in different countries and the role drinking motives play

Aims: Previous research has shown mixed results (positive, negative or no effects) regarding socio-economic disparities in adolescent drunkenness. This study investigates whether family affluence is differently associated with frequency of adolescent drunkenness in traditional countries, at a later diffusion of innovation adopter stage according to the Theory of Diffusions of Innovations by Rogers (2003), compared with more progressive countries at a more advanced stage. Furthermore, we investigated as to whether differences in this association can be explained by differences in adolescent drinking motives. Methods: This study used data from the 2009/2010 survey of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, including 25,566 alcohol-using adolescents aged 11–19 years old from 11 European countries. The Global Innovativeness Index was used to classify countries in progressive or more traditional countries. Multi-level regression analyses and structural equation modelling were conducted. Findings: In traditional countries, family affluence showed a positive association with adolescent frequency of drunkenness. A higher endorsement of social (drinking to celebrate an event) and enhancement motives (drinking to increase moods) by adolescents with a higher family affluence mediated this positive association between family affluence and frequency of drunkenness. In progressive countries, family affluence was negatively associated with frequency of drunkenness. In these countries, a higher endorsement of coping drinking motives by adolescents with a lower family affluence mediated this association. Conclusion: A country's diffusion of innovation stage (i.e., traditional vs. progressive) seems to shape the direction of the association between family affluence and adolescent drunkenness including the psychological pathways that explain these socio-economic inequalities. This is most likely due to a quicker and smoother adoption of the new ‘low drunkenness norms’ (‘it is not cool to drink to get drunk’) in progressive countries and among adolescents with a higher family affluence

Recommendations for International gambling harm-minimisation guidelines: comparison with effective public health policy

Problem gambling represents a significant public health problem, however, research on effective gambling harm-minimisation measures lags behind other fields, including other addictive disorders. In recognition of the need for consistency between international jurisdictions and the importance of basing policy on empirical evidence, international conventions exist for policy on alcohol, tobacco, and illegal substances. This paper examines the evidence of best practice policies to provide recommendations for international guidelines for harm-minimisation policy for gambling, including specific consideration of the specific requirements for policies on Internet gambling. Evidence indicates that many of the public health policies implemented for addictive substances can be adapted to address gambling-related harms. Specifically, a minimum legal age of at least 18 for gambling participation, licensing of gambling venues and activities with responsible gambling and consumer protection strategies mandated, and brief interventions should be available for those at-risk for and experiencing gambling-related problems. However, there is mixed evidence on the effectiveness of limits on opening hours and gambling venue density and increased taxation to minimise harms. Given increases in trade globalisation and particularly the global nature of Internet gambling, it is recommended that jurisdictions take actions to harmonise gambling public health policies

Reciprocal Influences of Drinking Motives on Alcohol Use and Related Consequences: A Full Cross-Lagged Panel Study Among Young Adult Men.

Using a full cross-lagged model, this study investigates the extent to which drinking motives predict alcohol use and related consequences, and vice versa. At baseline and 15 months later, 4575 men (mean age = 19.4 years) in Switzerland completed a questionnaire assessing drinking motives, average weekly consumption, risky single-occasion drinking, and alcohol-related consequences. Results indicated that social and enhancement motives more strongly influenced alcohol use over time than the other way round. Coping motives predicted an increase in alcohol-related consequences, and vice versa. Higher social motives predicted an increase in coping motives while higher coping motives predicted a decrease in enhancement motives. These results suggest that social and enhancement motives amplify each other in early adulthood and predict increases in risky drinking. Structural measures aimed at reducing opportunities to engage in heavy drinking are recommended. Additionally, the detection of young adult men vulnerable to maladaptive coping behaviors appears important for alcohol prevention strategies

The influence of the online environment on risk taking: Internet gambling and Gambling Disorder

Disordered gambling is a significant public health issue and individuals who gamble online are significantly more likely to experience gambling problems than land-based-only gamblers. This presentation will consider what unique features of Internet gambling pose risks for harm, which population of Internet gamblers are at risk for experiencing gambling problems and whether Internet gambling leads to more gambling problems than venue-based gamblin

Effectiveness of a Community-Based Intervention to Increase Supermarket Vendors' Compliance with Age Restrictions for Alcohol Sales in Spain: A Pilot Study.

In Spain the legal age to buy alcohol is 18 years. However, official surveys show that minors perceive alcohol availability to be easy. This paper describes the impacts of a community-based intervention to increase vendors' compliance with age limits regarding alcohol sales in supermarkets. The aim of this study was to explore the association between implementation of a multicomponent intervention to reduce adolescents' alcohol use and sale of alcohol to minors in the city of Palma (Spain). Twenty trained adolescents (14-17 years old) conducted 138 alcohol test purchases in nine supermarket chains in August 2018 (baseline; n = 73) prior to the intervention, and again in January 2020 (follow-up; n = 65). Analysis was conducted according to three levels of intervention implemented across the supermarkets: (i) personnel from the supermarkets' Human Resources or Corporate Social Responsibility teams received alcohol service training as trainers (i.e., community mobilization); (ii) managers and vendors training by the capacitated trainers; and (iii) no training of managers or vendors (i.e., control group). In the supermarkets that completed the Training of Trainers and the vendors' training program, average sales decreased significantly from 76.9% in 2018 to 45.5% in 2020, asking for the age of the shopper significantly increased from 3.8% to 45.4%, and asking for proof of age significantly increased from 15.4% to 72.7%. Additionally, a statistically significant increase was observed in the visibility of prohibition to sell alcohol to minors' signs, from 61.5% to 100%. No statistically significant differences were found for the Training of Trainers intervention alone nor in the control group. In conclusion, community mobilization combined with staff training is associated with significant increases in supermarket vendors' compliance with alcohol legislation in Spain