THE PROBLEM OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN LVIV IN THE SOCIOLOGICAL DIMENSION (BY THE MATERIALS OF THE EMPIRICAL RESEARCH)

Introduction. The article was written on the basis of a sociological study of alcohol consumption conducted in the spring of 2019 in Lviv. Purpose. The purpose of the article is to provide an overview of the conducted research, focusing mainly on patterns of alcohol consumption and awareness of harm from the residents of Lviv region. Design/Methodology Approach. A quantitative representative sociological survey with a multi-stage proportional stratification sample and a quota at the last stage. The sample size is 1200 people; Lviv - 400 people, Lviv region - 800 people. The study was conducted according to the methodology and using the toolkit of European questionnaires adapted to the Ukrainian conditions, implemented in 2016-2017. (RARHA 2017). Results. This research has demonstrated the scale of the problems related to alcohol in Lviv. The results obtained indicate the prevalence of the so-called incidental model of alcohol consumption, which at low frequency of drinking implies a high level of its single consumption. Alcoholic beverages are predominant in the structure of alcohol consumption. Mainly alcohol is consumed in a home atmosphere, less commonly consumed in public places. Limitations and strengths of the study. A limitation and a strength of this study is its focus on only one region of Ukraine - the Lviv region. Practical/Social Value. The practical value of this research is to create a general panorama of the alcohol situation in the region and promoting the formation of an adequate anti-alcohol strategy for Lviv. Originality/Conclusions. Reserves have been identified in prevention work, namely a reserve for anti-alcohol activity in communities, for its implementation by public organizations within the framework of integrated social services for the communit

ESPAD Report 2019: Results From European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs

The main purpose of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) is to collect comparable data on substance use and other forms of risk behaviour among 15- to 16-year-old students in order to monitor trends within, as well as between, countries. Between 1995 and 2019, seven waves of data collection were conducted across 49 European countries. This report presents selected key results. The full set of data on which the current report is based, including all of the standard tables, is available online (http://www.espad.org). All tables can be downloaded in Excel format and used for further analysi

Drinking population surveys - guidance document for standardizing approach. Final report prepared for the project Standardizing Measurement of Alcohol-Related Troubles.

Currently, population surveys which focus on alcohol consumption and related problems are carried out regularly in almost all EU and EEA countries. Despite serious efforts and substantial spending, comparison of results across the EU is difficult, if possible at all, due to the lack of standardised methodologies. To fill this gap the EU Project: “Standardized measurement of alcohol-related troubles” (SMART1) was launched. One of its objectives was “to develop standardized comparative survey methodologies on heavy drinking, binge drinking, drunkenness, context of drinking, alcohol dependence and unrecorded consumption”. The methodology, developed on the basis of a review of European survey experiences from over 20 countries as well as a literature review, was tested (pilot survey) in 10 countries with different socio-cultural backgrounds and patterns of alcohol consumption (Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, UK). As a result, a model questionnaire with relevant guidelines for its implementation was designed and proposed for consideration for drinking specific surveys and as a component of other health surveys carried out at national, regional and EU levels. Therefore, the questionnaire consists of core and optional questions. The core questions include alcohol consumption measures (beverage specific quantity frequency and risky single occasion drinking), questions on the context of drinking, a screening measure for alcohol abuse/dependency (RAPS), and questions on individual harm and harm from others, as well as social support for alcohol policies. This publication discusses the background of proposed questions, methodological considerations and limitations. It also offers technical instructions as regards interviewing and data processing. Suggestions for further research are formulated

Survey of European drinking surveys. Alcohol survey experiences of 22 European countries

This article provides a review of the drinking survey experiences from majority of European countries. Its aim is to report from this review whose ultimate objectives were: – to assess existing survey instruments to monitor alcohol use and related harm – to identify questions and approaches most commonly used in order to contribute to the development of standardized European survey instrument. The review was based on data collected across Europe using questionnaire targeting alcohol researches in individual countries. Of 29 countries approached (European Union Member States, Norway and Switzerland), the data were collected from 22 countries constituting 76% of the originally targeted sample. All together, 43 survey instruments were collected as some countries reported more than one survey. The review shows a low degree of uniformity across European surveys, with regard to sampling, methods of administration as well as age ranges. Particular variation was found with regard to alcohol consumption measures both within and between countries. Various instruments to measure alcohol consumption, risky drinking, dependence/abuse, negative social consequences and harm to third parties are used across Europe. Even the terminology is not uniformed. This review identified most important areas of priority towards standardization of alcohol measures across Europe including definitions of indicators

How attitudes toward alcohol policies differ across European countries: evidence from the Standardized European Alcohol Survey (SEAS).

Alcohol policy endorsements have changed over time, probably interacting with the implementation and effectiveness of alcohol policy measures. The Standardized European Alcohol Survey (SEAS) evaluated public opinion toward alcohol policies in 20 European locations (19 countries and one subnational region) in 2015 and 2016 ( = 32,641; 18-64 years). On the basis of the SEAS report, we investigated regional differences and individual characteristics related to categories of alcohol policy endorsement. Latent class analysis was used to replicate cluster structure from the SEAS report and to examine individual probabilities of endorsement. Hierarchical quasi-binomial regression models were run to analyze the relative importance of variables of interest (supranational region, gender, age, educational achievement, and drinking status) on class endorsement probability, with random intercepts for each location. The highest support for alcohol control policies was recorded in Northern countries, which was in contrast to the Eastern countries, where the lowest support for control policies was found. Across all locations, positive attitudes toward control policies were associated with the female gender, older age, and abstaining from alcohol. Our findings underline the need to communicate alcohol-related harm and the implications of alcohol control policies to the public in order to increase awareness and support for such policies in the long run

Why Is per capita consumption underestimated in alcohol surveys? Results from 39 surveys in 23 European countries.

AIMS: The aims of the article are (a) to estimate coverage rates (i.e. the proportion of 'real consumption' accounted for by a survey compared with more reliable aggregate consumption data) of the total, the recorded and the beverage-specific annual per capita consumption in 23 European countries, and (b) to investigate differences between regions, and other factors which might be associated with low coverage (prevalence of heavy episodic drinking [HED], survey methodology). METHODS: Survey data were derived from the Standardised European Alcohol Survey and Harmonising Alcohol-related Measures in European Surveys (number of surveys: 39, years of survey: 2008-2015, adults aged 20-64 years). Coverage rates were calculated at the aggregated level by dividing consumption estimates derived from the surveys by alcohol per capita estimates from a recent global modelling study. Fractional response regression models were used to examine the relative importance of the predictors. RESULTS: Large variation in coverage across European countries was observed (average total coverage: 36.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] [33.2; 39.8]), with lowest coverage found for spirits consumption (26.3, 95% CI [21.4; 31.3]). Regarding the second aim, the prevalence of HED was associated with wine- and spirits-specific coverage, explaining 10% in the respective variance. However, neither the consideration of regions nor survey methodology explained much of the variance in coverage estimates, regardless of the scenario. CONCLUSION: The results reiterate that alcohol survey data should not be used to compare or estimate aggregate consumption levels, which may be better reflected by statistics on recorded or total per capita consumption