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Harmful Use of Alcohol: A Shadow over Sub-Saharan Africa in Need of Workable Solutions

Author

Listed:
  • Carina Ferreira-Borges

    (Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Charles D.H. Parry

    (Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town 7505, South Africa
    Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 7602, South Africa)

  • Thomas F. Babor

    (Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030, USA)

Abstract

Alcohol consumption and alcohol-attributable burden of disease in Africa are expected to rise in the near future, yet. increasing alcohol-related harm receives little attention from policymakers and from the population in general. Even where new legislation is proposed it is rarely enacted into law. Being at the center of social and cultural activities in many countries, alcohol’s negative role in society and contribution to countries’ burden of disease are rarely questioned. After the momentum created by the adoption in 2010 of the WHO Global Strategy and the WHO Regional Strategy (for Africa) to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol, and the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, in 2013, little seems to have been done to address the increasing use of alcohol, its associated burden and the new challenges that derive from the growing influence of the alcohol industry in Africa. In this review, we argue that to have a positive impact on the health of African populations, action addressing specific features of alcohol policy in the continent is needed, namely focusing on particularities linked to alcohol availability, like unrecorded and illicit production, outlet licensing, the expansion of formal production, marketing initiatives and taxation policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Carina Ferreira-Borges & Charles D.H. Parry & Thomas F. Babor, 2017. "Harmful Use of Alcohol: A Shadow over Sub-Saharan Africa in Need of Workable Solutions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-12, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:4:p:346-:d:94177
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Charles dh Parry & Bronwyn Myers & Michael Thiede, 2003. "The Case for an Increased Tax on Alcohol in South Africa," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 71(2), pages 137-145, June.
    2. Jim McCambridge & Kypros Kypri & Colin Drummond & John Strang, 2014. "Alcohol Harm Reduction: Corporate Capture of a Key Concept," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(12), pages 1-5, December.
    3. Babor, T.F. & Xuan, Z. & Damon, D. & Noel, J., 2013. "An empirical evaluation of the US beer institute's self-regulation code governing the content of beer advertising," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(10), pages 45-51.
    4. Morojele, Neo K. & Kachieng'a, Millicent A. & Mokoko, Evodia & Nkoko, Matsobane A. & Parry, Charles D.H. & Nkowane, Annette M. & Moshia, Kgaogelo M. & Saxena, Shekhar, 2006. "Alcohol use and sexual behaviour among risky drinkers and bar and shebeen patrons in Gauteng province, South Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 217-227, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniela Alves & António Pedro Delgado & Miguel Amado & Isabel Craveiro & Zélia Santos & Alexander Goggins & Carolina Gasparinho & Artur Correia & Luzia Gonçalves, 2022. "Recreation and Alcohol Consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa: Addressing Gender and Age Differences in Urban Areas—Praia, Cabo Verde," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Nadine Harker & Mukhethwa Londani & Neo Morojele & Petal Petersen Williams & Charles DH Parry, 2020. "Characteristics and Predictors of Heavy Episodic Drinking (HED) among Young People Aged 16–25: The International Alcohol Control Study (IAC), Tshwane, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-16, May.
    3. Zhifei He & Ghose Bishwajit & Sanni Yaya, 2018. "Prevalence of Alcohol and Tobacco Use among Men and Women in Namibia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Wendee M. Wechsberg & Isa van der Drift & Brittni N. Howard & Bronwyn Myers & Felicia A. Browne & Courtney Peasant Bonner & Tara Carney & Jacqueline Ndirangu & Yukiko Washio, 2022. "Gender and Context Matter: Behavioral and Structural Interventions for People Who Use Alcohol and Other Drugs in Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-24, July.
    5. Alicja Beksinska & Emily Nyariki & Rhoda Kabuti & Mary Kungu & Hellen Babu & Pooja Shah & The Maisha Fiti Study Champions & Chrispo Nyabuto & Monica Okumu & Anne Mahero & Pauline Ngurukiri & Zaina Jam, 2022. "Harmful Alcohol and Drug Use Is Associated with Syndemic Risk Factors among Female Sex Workers in Nairobi, Kenya," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-19, June.

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