At the request of the Directorate General of Health, Inserm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research) drew up a report on the consequences of alcohol and proposed several solutions to prevent its harmful effects.
Who are the alcohol consumers?
The group of experts appointed by Inserm drew on data from the scientific literature, comprising more than 3,500 documents. The first observation is that young people, as much as seniors, consume alcohol at high levels, noting a first experience with alcohol at the time of adolescence. Inserm specifies that 8% of young people aged 17 drink alcohol regularly, or around 10 times a month. In addition, 40 to 50% of young people report “ have at least one significant occasional alcoholic drink »Monthly, with at least 5 drinks on a single occasion. An adult consumes an average of 3 glasses of alcohol per day. Another finding, in 2016, alcohol was “ 7th leading cause of loss of healthy years of life (…) and also the leading cause of hospitalization in France “. Mortality is also higher in France compared to other European countries. Alcohol-attributable mortality is 11% of deaths for men and 4% for women.
The motivators
According to specialists, marketing plays an important role, sometimes influencing consumer behavior. Indeed, ” the price of alcohol, its availability or the standards relating to its consumption, are associated with positive perceptions and therefore encourage drinking “. Alcohol consumption has health, social and financial repercussions. Communications efforts must therefore be made to encourage people to reduce their alcohol consumption rather than showing them the effects ” beneficial “.
How to act in prevention?
The committee wants to attack the image of alcohol generated by advertisers. It even goes so far as to recommend a ban on advertising alcohol on the Internet and in public spaces. He would prefer, however, “ better visibility of health warnings “. He also advises to better control access to minors while reducing the places in which alcohol is sold. The expertise also advocates the digital dissemination of preventive messages as well as campaigns promoting the cessation of alcohol consumption. Finally, more “ efficient Must be carried out in communities. The experts therefore wish to reduce the risks in prevention, given the disastrous effects that this “ burden on French society “.