The country of clover is the largest consumer of alcohol in Europe, and the Portuguese are those who practice binge drinking the most.
Vodka for Eastern countries, wine in the South, and beer in the North. The clichés of alcohol consumption are not that far from the truth. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have analyzed and compared drinking habits in 30 European countries, and confirm this misconception in a report. publication ofEuropean Journal of Public Health.
Unsurprisingly, it is the Irish who top the standings. As for the British, they are champions of binge drinking, but are overtaken by… Portugal, where excessive consumption at weekends is the most frequent.
60,000 people in 30 countries
To reach these conclusions, the NTNU researchers used data from the European Social Survey, a study carried out every two years, which analyzes in particular the consumption habits of Europeans.
They succeeded, thanks to simplified maps, to estimate the consumption in grammage of pure alcohol of approximately 2000 people representative of the population of each country evaluated.
“We wanted to know more about the countries in order to be able to compare them,” explains Terje Andreas Eikemo, professor of sociology at NTNU, and lead author of the study. When we compare ourselves to others, different countries can adapt their health systems based on what is working elsewhere. “
Wiser (Eastern) women
The study reveals other peculiarities. The smallest consumers are in Eastern Europe… but they are women! In general, women consume half as much alcohol as men.
Its results blow up another cliché. The heaviest drinkers, on average, are the wealthiest. “Overall alcohol consumption is highest in the highest social classes, but binge drinking is more common among less well-off people”, nevertheless specifies Professor Eikemo.
Through the European Social Survey, many other factors were analyzed. “For the first time, we were able to combine questions on conditions and lifestyle, work, education, and even health incidents,” adds the sociologist specializing in health inequalities. Until now, we were able to say that alcohol consumption and smoking had an impact on health, for example. We can now move further up the causal chain, and identify where action could be taken. “
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