Alcohol, gender, culture and harms in the Americas: PAHO Multicentric Study final report

Abstract

Data from the Multicentric Study on Gender, Alcohol, Culture and Harm, sponsored by PAHO are shown to highlight alcohol consumption profiles and alcohol-related predictors and outcomes for 10 countries in 2005: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and USA. Data from Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay and USA were previously collected as part of the international study on Gender, Alcohol and Culture (GENACIS). New data using comparable indicators were collected from Belize, Brazil, Nicaragua and Peru. Wide differences were seen in volume of alcohol consumption and heavy episodic drinking between countries, even those classified in the same WHO sub region. This new survey data highlight the importance of disaggregating sub regional WHO data to the country level in order to see differences in consumption and corresponding risk of alcohol –attributable outcomes at the country level and thus inform country-specific alcohol policies capable of addressing the specific alcohol consumption profiles and problems.