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5 minutes
The paradox of alcohol harm speaks, above all, of socioeconomic inequalities. However, more data and research is required to understand this phenomenon.
The paradox of alcohol harm is a social phenomenon associated with a contradictory fact. It has been detected that alcohol consumption has more severe effects in lower income groups and countriesdespite the fact that these segments are not the ones that consume the substance the most.
Available data indicates that there is higher alcohol consumption among middle- and high-income sectors and countries. Still, poorer people and nations have higher rates of harm from the substance. That is what the paradox of alcohol harm refers to. Why happens?
Alcohol consumption in the world
There is currently a high consumption of alcohol throughout the world. On average, each person ingests 6.2 liters per year. However, in Europe the average amounts to 10.9 litres.
In Latin America as a whole, the average is 6.3 liters per capita per year, although this figure varies greatly from one state to another. It is estimated that at least 50% of people over the age of 15 have drunk alcohol in the last year.
Forecasts indicate that consumption tends to grow and that by 2025 it will have done so by 3%. 1 in 17 deaths in the world It is due to the damage caused by alcohol consumption. This represents 5.9% of the total deaths.
The alcohol harm paradox
The phenomenon of the alcohol harm paradox shows that people with lower incomes consume less alcohol than those with more money, but despite this, they suffer greater damage to their health.
This paradox constitutes quite a challenge for epidemiologists and public health experts. There is no full consensus on what it means to be from a low socioeconomic status. The most accepted is that this is cataloged according to the level of income, education and occupation.
In this way, the lower the income, the lower the education and the less occupation there is in a household, the lower its socioeconomic level. And vice versa. On this basis, in the United Kingdom it was found that people with a similar pattern of consumption, but of different socioeconomic status, presented dissimilar effects in terms of damage to their health.
In Scotland it was found that poorer people who drink moderately suffer more harm from alcohol consumption, compared to the rich who consume excessively. Further evidence of the alcohol harm paradox.
Why does this phenomenon occur?
There is no conclusive answer versus why the paradox of alcohol harm occurs. For now, there are only some hypotheses that could explain the phenomenon. They are the following.
unhealthy behaviors
According to this theory about the paradox of alcohol damage, in the poorest strata, drinking is accompanied by another series of unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, having a poor diet, suffering more stress and doing less physical activity.
Richer people seem to have healthier lifestyles. However, there is no scientific research that corroborates this with certainty. Many believe that this is a stereotyped view of the problem.
co patternsinput
Another possible explanation for the paradoxical phenomenon of alcohol harm could be that of Consuming patterns. In this case, it is suggested that low-income people tend to consume high amounts of alcohol in a single session, while the richest do so in smaller proportions, but more regularly. The first of these consumption patterns would be more harmful.
access to care
This is the most widely accepted theory surrounding the alcohol harm paradox. It points out that the poorest people receive poorer health care than the middle or upper layers of society.
These barriers lead to their health problems not being detected early. Therefore, they are not treated properly.
inaccurate data
Many researchers think that available data is insufficient to verify the alcohol harm paradox. They assume that there are inaccurate reports of consumption in special groups, such as the homeless. Therefore, it cannot be established whether the poorest suffer more harm, even if they consume less alcohol.
Prospects for a solution to the paradox
World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed 3 measures to reduce alcohol consumption. Let’s look at each of those aspects:
- Reduce availability: It is proven that the places that concentrate more alcohol sales sites increase consumption and keep a correlation with the number of people who present health damages due to drinking.
- regulate the marketing: Reducing advertising around alcoholic beverages or conditioning it can be an effective measure to discourage consumption.
- Raise prices: This measure is controversial, since it means depriving the poorest people of consumption, reserving it only for the richest. By itself, it could lead to the use of other cheaper and perhaps more harmful substances.
Among the possible causes of the alcohol harm paradox, there are two that should be thoroughly addressed. The first is access to health services. All people, without social distinction, should have the right to timely and comprehensive care.
The second is the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Low-income people can also access healthy practices and routines. This would reduce the gap.
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