Author: European Comission

The brochure "Communicating EU Research & Innovation - A guide for project participants", which has recently been published by the European Commission, aims to offer a tool to better communicate about European research projects and their achieved results.

With a little creativity strategic communication efforts can help to show how project outcomes are relevant to everyday lives and how European collaboration has achieved more than would have been otherwise possible.

Full title: Statement of Concern - The international public health community responds to the global alcohol producers' attempts to implement the WHO global strategy on the harmful use of alcohol

On October 8th 2012, thirteen of world’s largest alcohol producers issued a set of commitments to reduce the harmful use of alcohol worldwide, ostensibly in support of the World Health Organization’s 2010 Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol.

The Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA), as an independent coalition of public health professionals, health scientists and NGO representatives, was submitted this public Statement of Concern to the WHO Secretariat in response to the activities of the global alcohol producers. Discussions on industry involvement at the AMPHORA project final conference have contributed to this document.

Authors: Noemi Robles, Silvia Matrai, Vanesa Carral Bielsa, Joan Colom, Antoni Gual

Europe presents the highest rates of alcohol consumption per inhabitant, with an impact exceeding 6% of the DALYs lost. However, European researchers claim that most of the research in the alcohol field is conducted outside Europe. In order to assess this claim, a review of international indexed publications on alcohol marketing and availability, two cornerstones of alcohol public health policy, was performed.

Authors: Lesley Graham, Tessa Parkes, Andrew McAuley and Lawrence Doi (WHO - Regional Office for Europe)

Alcohol is linked with crime, especially violent crime. Many people are incarcerated because of alcohol-related crime. Alcohol is not permitted in prisons except in a very few cases, and illicit use of alcohol in prison is not a major problem. Nevertheless, imprisonment gives an opportunity to tackle alcohol problems in prisoners, with the potential for positive effects on their families and friends and a reduction in the risk of re-offending, the costs to society and health inequalities.

This publication describes an integrated model of care for alcohol problems in prisoners, with elements for best practice. The model starts with assessment of the seriousness of prisoners’ alcohol problems, using a validated screening tool, the WHO Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and calls for interventions tailored to prisoners’ specific needs.

Authors: Field CA, Klimas J, Barry J, Bury G, Keenan E, Lyons S, Smyth BP, Cullen W.

Problem alcohol use is common among problem drug users (PDU) and associated with adverse health outcomes. Primary care has an important role in the overall stepped approach to alcohol treatment, especially screening and brief intervention (SBI). This study shows that although SBI improves health outcomes associated with problem alcohol use in the general population, further research is needed among high-risk patient groups, especially PDUs.