Suchergebnisse

<i>Background:</i> Research in Switzerland and elsewhere calls for valid estimations of alcohol dependence figures at the population level. As none of the methodologies developed for this purpose has proven to possess higher validity over others, this study follows the idea of methodological triangulation and compares estimates to assess their convergence. <i>Methods:</i> This study considers 6 standard methodological approaches to derive 17 estimates for alcohol dependence in the Swiss general population. <i>Results:</i> Estimates from statistics on cirrhosis mortality and from the application of external pool estimates agree with the central tendency of adjusted estimates derived using standard alcohol-related screening tools in population surveys. The number of alcohol-dependent individuals living in Switzerland is expected to be close to 250,000 (i.e. approximately 3.9% of the population aged 15 or older). <i>Conclusion:</i> Due to variations in estimates, it is difficult to report consistent figures for alcohol dependence at the general population level in Switzerland. Nonetheless, observation of an unambiguous central tendency and the convergence of estimates support their validity.

Description of the Addiction Monitoring project

Addiction Monitoring in Switzerland is an epidemiological monitoring system that was commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health. It was designed to collect and disseminate information on the behaviour of the resident Swiss population in relation to psychoactive substances (tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs and medication) and the associated risks (dependency, health damage and psychosocial problems).

The monitoring process comprised three parts:
- An inventory of the data available in Switzerland on dependence
- A continuous rolling survey of members of the public
- A module related to young people's consumption when they go out at the weekend.

Addiction Monitoring in Switzerland was delivered jointly by Sucht Schweiz/Addiction Suisse in Lausanne, the University Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (Institut universitaire de médecine sociale et préventive, IUMSP) in Lausanne, the Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF) in Zurich and the Social and Market Research Institute (ISBF Switzerland) in Zurich.

The main component of Addiction Monitoring in Switzerland was a continuous rolling survey of addictive behaviours and related risks conducted among members of the public between January 2011 and December 2016. The survey's aim was to fill gaps in the data on the development of addictive behaviour available in Switzerland. For this purpose, each year around 11,000 people age 15 or over resident in Switzerland were contacted by phone (landline and mobile) for an interview of around 25 minutes. Participation in the survey was voluntary, and the data were treated anonymously and in confidence in line with the data protection requirements.

<i>Background/Aims:</i> Evidence underlines the importance of drinking patterns and individual characteristics in experiencing adverse alcohol-related consequences; however, little research has been conducted to explore who does and who does not experience consequences with similar drinking patterns. Using data from seven European countries, this study assesses the association between demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and six adverse consequences. <i>Methods:</i> Conditional logistic regression models were estimated, cases (experiencing a consequence) being matched to controls (not experiencing the consequence) by drinking patterns. <i>Results:</i> In general, protective effects with increasing age and being in a partnership were consistent. Gender effects were mixed, but mainly protective for women. Educational achievement and economic status showed consistent effects across countries, but different directions of effect across consequences. Consequences mostly associated with individual drinking pattern <i>(injury, blackout</i>, and <i>loss of control over drinking)</i> exhibited similar patterns of associations, but varying ones arose for consequences additionally influenced by societal reaction to drinking <i>(guilt</i>, <i>role failure</i>, and <i>pressure to cut down drinking)</i>. <i>Conclusion:</i> Differences in strengths and directions of effects across consequences pointed to the possibility that the reporting of adverse consequences is not only influenced by alcohol consumption, but also by attributional processes related to demographic and socioeconomic statuses.

The Swiss HBSC study aims to assess health behaviour and lifestyles in fifth- to ninth-graders (seventh to eleventh grade HarmoS), most of whom are between 11 and 15 years old. The study is carried out every four years and is based on a nationally representative sample. This is why it allows to assess the health-related situation of adolescents in Switzerland on a regular basis, to compare it to the situation in earlier years, and to detect changes over time.
More details on http://www.hbsc.org.

The Swiss HBSC study is one of the national health statistics in Switzerland. The study provides the federal and cantonal authorities with important information that can be used for health policy development. The HBSC study is also a valuable scientific basis for the development of prevention and health promotion programs, in the school and the recreational context as well as on federal and cantonal level. In particular, two of the national health strategies (the strategy on "addiction" and the strategy on "non-communicable diseases") rely, in part, on HBSC data.

In Switzerland, the HBSC study is funded by the Federal Office of Public Health and the majority of the cantons. In 2018, Addiction Switzerland conducts the HBSC study for the ninth time (after 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014) in Switzerland.
More details on http://www.hbsc.ch.

Abstract. Aim: To summarize published findings in peer-reviewed journals of the first two waves of the Swiss Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF), a longitudinal study assessing risk and protective factors of 5,987 young men during the phase of emerging adulthood (20 years at baseline, followed-up 15 months later). Methods: Included were 33 studies published until November 2014 focusing on substance use. Results: Substance use in early adulthood is a prevalent and stable behavior. The 12-month prevalence of nonmedical use of prescription drugs (10.6 %) lies between that of cannabis (36.4 %) and other illicit drugs such as ecstasy (3.7 %) and cocaine (3.2 %). Although peer pressure in the form of misconduct is associated with increased substance use, other aspects such as peer involvement in social activities may have beneficial effects. Regular sport activities are associated with reduced substance use, with the exception of alcohol use. Young men are susceptible to structural conditions such as the price of alcohol beverages or the density of on-premise alcohol outlets. Particularly alcohol use in public settings such as bars, discos or in parks (compared with private settings such as the home) is associated with alcohol-related harm, including injuries or violence. Being a single parent versus nuclear family has no effect on alcohol use, but active parenting does. Besides parenting, religiousness is an important protective factor for both legal and illegal substance use. Merely informing young men about the risks of substance use may not be an effective preventive measure. At-risk users of licit and illicit substances are more health literate, e. g., for example, they seek out more information on the internet than non-at-risk-users or abstainers. Discussion: There are a number of risk and protective substance use factors, but their associations with substance use do not necessarily agree with those found outside Europe. In the United States, for example, heavy alcohol use in this age group commonly takes place in private settings, whereas in Switzerland it more often takes place in public settings. Other behaviors, such as the nonmedical use of prescription drugs, appear to be similar to those found overseas, which may show the need for targeted preventive actions. C-SURF findings point to the necessity of establishing European studies to identify factors for designing specific preventive actions.