Alcohol-Related Harms from Others' Drinking in India

alcohol-related harm;alcohol consumption;harm to others;India;Social & Behavioral Sciences

Esser, Marissa B.Vernick, Jon ;

Johns Hopkins University

关键词: alcohol-related harm;    alcohol consumption;    harm to others;    India;    Social & Behavioral Sciences;   

Others  :  https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/60527/ESSER-DISSERTATION-2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: JOHNS HOPKINS DSpace Repository

【 摘 要 】

Background: From 2005 to 2010, India faced a 19% increase in average adult per capita alcohol consumption. In a country where a large proportion of the population abstains from alcohol but heavy episodic consumption is common among those who drink, alcohol-related harms from others’ drinking may be substantial. Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation was to examine both the ethical issues raised in regards to harms from others drinking, and newly available epidemiological evidence about this in India. The main objectives were to: (1) apply a public health ethics framework to systematically consider the ethical implications of implementing policies to prevent alcohol-related harms to others; (2) understand the types of alcohol-related harms to children from adults’ drinking across domains of physical abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect; and (3) assess various types of tangible and intangible harm from strangers’ drinking and individuals’ characteristics that predict experiences of such harms.Methods: I examined public health ethics literature and generated evidence of harms from others’ drinking by analyzing cross-sectional data from household interviews administered in five Indian states in 2011-2012.Results: The compilation of data on harms from others’ drinking can strengthen the ethical justification for evidence-based alcohol control policies. Harms to children from adults’ drinking are a serious problem in India: 44% of respondents reported at least one alcohol-related harm to children in the past year. Sixteen percent of respondents reported physical alcohol-related harms to children. Strangers are also affected by others’ drinking: 63% of respondents experienced at least one tangible or intangible harm from strangers’ drinking, with nearly 48% of respondents experiencing tangible harm.Conclusions: Public health professionals have an obligation to consider the ethics associated with implementing alcohol control policies. The findings from this dissertation suggest that people with limited control over their exposure to another person’s drinking, including children and strangers, are burdened by others’ alcohol use. Interventions, such as increased use and enforcement of evidence-based alcohol control policies, are needed to prevent alcohol-related harms to children and strangers in India. Future research should use harms to others data for evaluating the effectiveness of alcohol policies.