Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 8: Alcohol policy preparedness improved across much of the world between 2010 and 2019, but significant gaps remain, particularly in the adoption of comprehensive national alcohol strategies, according to a study analysing 141 countries.

Published by researchers assessing the Alcohol Preparedness Index (API), the study found that while countries made notable progress in areas such as alcohol taxation and monitoring, fewer than one in four had both a written national alcohol policy and a formal implementation plan by 2019.

Alcohol consumption remains a major global public health concern, contributing to an estimated 2.6 million deaths annually and linked to more than 200 diseases and injuries, including liver disease, cardiovascular disorders and several types of cancer.

The researchers evaluated national alcohol policies across five key areas: policy frameworks, production, pricing and taxation, marketing and availability, drink-driving measures, and monitoring and surveillance.

The median API score increased from 57.0 in 2010 to 67.8 in 2019, indicating overall improvement in alcohol policy preparedness. The strongest gains were recorded in production, pricing and taxation, with the proportion of countries demonstrating strong performance rising from 27 per cent in 2010 to 78 per cent in 2019. Monitoring and surveillance also improved significantly.

However, the study found that around 40 per cent of countries still lacked a national alcohol policy or implementation plan, highlighting shortcomings in efforts to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Regional trends varied, with Europe and the Western Pacific recording the most progress, while the Americas remained largely unchanged. African countries showed moderate improvement, whereas the Eastern Mediterranean region witnessed little progress.

The researchers noted that the index measures the existence of alcohol control policies rather than how effectively they are implemented or enforced. They also pointed out that data from 141 of the World Health Organization's 194 member states were included, with many African nations missing from the analysis.

The study concluded that stronger implementation of evidence-based alcohol control measures, alongside wider adoption of the WHO's SAFER framework, would be essential to reducing alcohol-related illnesses and deaths worldwide.