Preventing Alcohol-Related Harm in East Africa: Stakeholder Perceptions of Readiness across Five Countries
Research article
Overview
The capacity to adress alcohol harm in many low- and middle-income countries is lacking. Researchers have now developed tools that can be used to assess readiness for preventing alcohol harm.
In this journal article the authors wanted to determine the readiness and capacity for alcohol harm prevention among stakeholders across East Africa.
A survey was circulated among civil society organisations in the field of alcohol prevention in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Analyses were computed based on 142 persons/organizations completing the survey. The researchers followed the same approach previously used in West Africa.
The findings show high perceived knowledge of alcohol harm, strong legislative mandates and policies, and institutional links and resources across East Africa. However, substantial variations between countries were noted. Overall, the readiness score for East Africa was 39.70% which is lower than that observed across West Africa of 45.0%
The researchers noted important gaps in terms of attitudes towards alcohol prevention, the will to address the problem, as well as material, human, and informal resources. These gaps need to be urgently addressed to strengthen capacity for addressing and mitigating the significant toll of alcohol harm in the region.
Abstract
Objective
While alcohol harm is a recognized public health priority, the capacity to address and mitigate it is lacking, primarily in low-income countries. Recent developments including new tools that can assess readiness for preventing alcohol harm, specifically in low-resource settings, can be used to determine strengths and opportunities for supporting, planning, and resource allocation. In this study, the researchers determined the perceptions of readiness and capacity for the prevention of alcohol harm across East Africa among stakeholders engaged in such work.
Methods
The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2020, distributed by the East Africa Alcohol Policy Alliance to their member alliances and stakeholders across five countries in East Africa (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda). The survey included modified measures from the Readiness Assessment for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment (RAP-CM) short form, organizational size and funding, research capacity and priorities, and perceptions related to alcohol prevention and harm both locally and in the region. Analyses were computed based on 142 persons/organizations completing the survey.
Results
In terms of general readiness, the overall adjusted aggregate score for East Africa was 39.70% (ranging from 30.5% in Burundi to 47.0% in Kenya).
Of the 10 domains assessed (on a 0–10 scale), across all countries, knowledge of alcohol prevention (8.43), institutional links and resources (6.15) and legislation, mandates and policies (5.46) received the highest scores.
In contrast, measures pertaining to resources (i.e., material, human, technical, and informal) received the lowest score.
Conclusions
The study results demonstrate substantial variability in the readiness to address alcohol harm across East Africa.
The highest capacity was noted for knowledge towards alcohol prevention, institutional links, and legislative mandates and policies.
However, important gaps were noted in terms of attitudes towards alcohol prevention, the will to address the problem, as well as material, human, and informal resources, which need to be urgently addressed to strengthen capacity for addressing and mitigating the significant toll of alcohol harm in the region.