Authors: Dermen KH and Thomas SN

Full title: Randomized controlled trial of brief interventions to reduce college students' drinking and risky sex

The present study tested the proposition that an intervention to reduce alcohol use among college students will also reduce their risky sexual behavior.

Authors: Kypri K, Langley JD, Saunders JB, Cashell-Smith ML, Herbison P.

There is compelling evidence supporting screening and brief intervention (SBI) for hazardous drinking, yet it remains underused in primary health care. Electronic (computer or Web-based) SBI (e-SBI) offers the prospects of ease and economy of access. We sought to determine whether e-SBI reduces hazardous drinking.

Author: Lacey J.

One of the main thrusts of contemporary alcohol misuse policies is that early intervention can make a real difference to patterns of problem drinking, as long as healthcare professionals are given the right skills. However, healthcare professionals themselves suggest that they are often unsure of how to raise issues, and feel that they lack the skills or knowledge to do this effectively. This study investigates the perceptions and training needs of health visitors, school nurses, nursery nurses and practice nurses in relation to alcohol misuse primary prevention and the delivery of brief interventions in their day-to-day work.

Author: Peter Anderson (Maastricht University)

This report commissioned by the WHO Regional Office for Europe shows that there is a substantial evidence base on the effectiveness of different policies in reducing the harm done by alcohol. Policies that regulate the economic and physical availability of alcohol are effective in reducing alcohol-related harm. Enforced legislative measures to reduce drinking and driving and interventions individually directed to drinkers already at risk are also effective. The evidence shows that information and education programmes do not reduce alcohol-related harm; nevertheless, they have a role in providing information, reframing alcohol-related problems and increasing attention to alcohol on the political and public agendas. In all parts of the European Union, population-based interventions represent a highly cost– effective use of resources to reduce alcohol-related harm. Brief interventions for individual high-risk drinkers are also cost–effective, but are harder to scale up because of their associated training and manpower needs.

Authors: Edwin Horlings and Amanda Scoggins (RAND Europe)

The European Commission, Directorate-General Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) has asked RAND Europe to contribute to the Commission’s impact assessment of a proposed Communication on alcohol policy. This Communication presents a comprehensive approach to combat the harmful effects of alcohol use in the European Union. RAND Europe has focused exclusively on the economic impacts of DG SANCO’s options.
This report first examines the nature and extent of the problem posed by alcohol use in Europe, which provides the rationale and focus for the associated policy initiative. Next, it developes a conceptual approach that discusses how alcohol use is linked to macroeconomic development. This approach is then used to examine the future impacts of a successful alcohol policy on a number of macroeconomic aspects.