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. The study 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 alcohol users, and efficient methods to prevent harm may be found among the prevention efforts that apply to populations rather than only to the heaviest alcohol users. 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 characterizing the alcohol use patterns and social situations in which alcohol use 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’ alcohol use 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.
