The Finnish Drinking Habits Survey: Implications for alcohol policy and prevention

Abstract

Aims/materials: This reflection piece reviews some of the key results and conclusions from the book Näin Suomi juo ( This is how Finns drink, 2018), based on the Finnish Drinking Habits Survey. Our aim was to go through the results taking the perspective of prevention workers and policymakers: how could they benefit from the scientific findings when tackling alcohol-related harm? Results/reflections: The reflections displayed in this article provide some useful arguments and justifications for population-level alcohol policy in the controversial alcohol policy debate. Harms do not only arise among the heaviest drinkers, and efficient methods to prevent harm may be found among the prevention efforts that apply to populations rather than only to the heaviest drinkers. The article also illustrates how the results from a population survey can be used in order to identify specific challenges and solutions for alcohol prevention in a given population. The results help in identifying the population groups and situations with an elevated risk of alcohol-related harm and in characterising the drinking patterns and social situations in which drinking takes place in these vulnerable parts of the population. Conclusions: The review illustrates that a many-sided understanding of alcohol consumption and the related harm, based on survey results, is more far-reaching in terms of prevention and policy than a knowledge base built solely on register data on the development of alcohol consumption and harm. For example, the respondents’ drinking patterns are linked not only to their attitudes and risk perceptions but also to what people consider to be appropriate means to reduce alcohol use and the related harm in terms of alcohol policy, informal social control and people’s life management.

Exposure to alcohol and overall survival in head and neck cancer: A regional cohort study

“…As all diagnosed cases of HNSCC are referred to our tertiary referral center from the complete Southwestern Finland region per national treatment guidelines, the study is void of bias inflicted by socioeconomic or insurance status. Moreover, although Finnish alcohol consumption levels per capita do not markedly differ from those other European countries, 31 problem drinking is particularly ubiquitous in Finland 32 . Thus, providing a regional unselected sample, our study is well poised to assess hypotheses concerning prognostic issues regarding especially problem level alcohol use.…”

“…Moreover, although Finnish alcohol consumption levels per capita do not markedly differ from those other European countries, 31 problem drinking is particularly ubiquitous in Finland. 32 Thus, providing a regional unselected sample, our study is well poised to assess hypotheses concerning prognostic issues regarding especially problem level alcohol use. Also, it may be regarded as a strength that multiple detailed alcohol and tobacco use variables were utilized.…”

Change and continuity in Finnish drinking in the 21st century

“…Obviously, there are no answers to these questions. However, based on the above-reviewed results, it is possible to conduct sensible and structured discussions on a whole range of forthcoming alcohol-related issues – for example, how research results may be applied in policy and preventive work (see Warpenius & Mäkelä, 2020 ).…”

“…A similar review was written on the basis of a previous book written after the 2008 FDHS ( Mäkelä et al, 2012 ). A separate reflection piece in this issue ( Warpenius & Mäkelä, 2020 ), also based on the 2018 book, looks at various results from the point of view of implications for policy makers and prevention workers.…”

Epidemiological Study of p16 Incidence in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma 2005–2015 in a Representative Northern European Population

“…Epidemiologically, alcohol and tobacco are well-known risk factors for HNSCC, which was also evident in our HNSCC cohort. Twenty-four percent of HNSCC patients had moderate or excessive alcohol consumption, while the same is true for 13% of the Finnish working-age population [ 36 ]. Tobacco consumption was also remarkably common in the HNSCC cohort, as 68.2% of patients smoked daily at the time of diagnosis, whereas only 16.6% of the average Finnish working-age population smoke daily [ 37 ].…”