Improving alcohol health literacy and reducing alcohol consumption: recommendations for Germany

Abstract

Background Although the detrimental health effects of alcohol are well established, consumption levels are high in many high-income countries such as Germany. Improving alcohol health literacy presents an integrated approach to alcohol prevention and an important complement to alcohol policy. Our aim was to identify and prioritize measures to enhance alcohol health literacy and hence to reduce alcohol consumption, using Germany as an example. Methods A series of recommendations for improving alcohol health literacy were derived from a review of the literature and subsequently rated by five experts. Recommendations were rated according to their likely impact on enhancing (a) alcohol health literacy and (b) reducing alcohol consumption. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using a two-way intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Results Eleven recommendations were established for three areas of action: (1) education and information, (2) health care system, and (3) alcohol control policy. Education and information measures were rated high to increase alcohol health literacy but low to their impact on alcohol consumption, while this pattern was reversed for alcohol control policies. The ratings showed good agreement (ICC: 0.85–0.88). Conclusions Improving alcohol health literacy and reducing alcohol consumption should be considered complementary and become part of a comprehensive alcohol strategy to curb the health, social, and economic burden of alcohol.

The Role of Functional Health Literacy in terms of Harmful Alcohol Use in Adults with Probable Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder

“…FHL screenings may be considered for implementation by clinicians who see individuals presenting PTSD and hazardous alcohol use. Further, there may be merit to offering greater attention to improving alcohol health literacy as part of prevention (19,29), consistent with earlier recommendations (30).…”

Marijuana on Main Streets? The Story Continues in Colombia: An Endogenous Three-part Model

“…We perform ceteris paribus exercises in order to isolate the effects of different control variables, and get a better understanding of the situation. However, Manthey et al (2023) demonstrated that warning information about product use that potentially curve consumption must be complemented with taxes (pricing). Both approaches should be integrated as part of a comprehensive strategy aimed at mitigating the burdens on public health, social well-being, and economy, of marijuana use.…”