Joint ALC & ADO Subgroup Report

EG on SIHLWA

9th meeting

24-26 March, 2010

Copenhagen, Denmark

WHO-EURO and Nordic Council of Ministers

Joint ALC & ADO subgroup report

Alcohol (+ Adolescent Health & Socially Rewarding Lifestyles)

25.3.10, WHO, Copenhagen

21 participants:

Bakonina Yulia/ Russia, BullBernt/ Norway, CaunitisJanis/ Latvia, HellmanMatilda/ Finland, JensenJohanDamgaard/ Denmark, KrivelieneGelena/ Lithuania, LeifmanHåkan/ Sweden, LiedbergiusAnna/ Sweden, LiepinaInga/ Latvia, LitvinovaOlga/ Russia, MaciejowskiMarek/ Sweden, MøllerLars/ Denmark, ParkkunenHeini/ Finland, PietruszkaMagdalena/ Poland, RenströmMaria/ Sweden, Skvorcovova Anna/ Russia, Son Irina/ Russia, Tsechkovski Mark/ Russia, Täht Triinu/ Estonia, WarpeniusKatariina/Finland, Vienonen Mikko/ Finland.

See more detailed information on ALC & ADO participants in the SIHLWA-9 full participation list.

See ALC & ADO Terms of Reference to the items in the meeting agenda SIHLWA-9

See ALC & ADO subgroup programme in SIHLWA-9 meeting documents

1. ALC & ADOIntroduction

Due to the fact that only 3persons had regisered to the ADO subgroup, the SIHLWA Coordinating Chair (Mikko Vienonen) suggested that ADO and ALC at this SIHLWA meeting form one group. This suggestion was approved. It was agreed that the amended subgroup will follow the agenda and programme of the ALC subgroup.

In ALC-ADO subgroup Dr Lars Møller (WHO) was elected as Chair and Mr Bernt Bull (Norway) as Co-chair. Dr Mikko Vienonen and Ms Anna Skvortsova were selected as rapporteurs.

The participants introduced themselves and it was agreed that one of the most important ways of influencing alcohol policies and change into less harmful use of alcohol is the way how we, the nominated experts on this issue from our countries and organizations are able to act as “change agents”, It as also felt that knowing better where each of us are in this process, can help useful contacts, support and collaboration between the meetings and also for the project preparation . Therefore, considerable time was considered for the “tour-de-table” and the secretariat was urged to get back thru e-mail to participants and prepare a summary of what is happening in our countries and organizations.

ALC and ADO groups approved the SIHLWA-8 (Riga) meeting report without changes.

2.ALC & ADOPresentations and Discussion of special themes: (these are available at

Lars Møller provided a presentation on alcohol consumption in Europe. The presentation provided a good background for our elaborations. Selected core findings are presented below:

3. ALC & ADOReview of the NDPHS Task Group on APO (Alcohol Policy) TOR

In principle, the ALC & ADO subgroups can support the drafted proposals. To have a “horizontal SIHLWA EG and task oriented Task Groups responsible for each Strategic Goal (7-11) seems rather clear. More detailed elaborations on this are recorded at the over-all SIHLWA-9 report, and hence are no longer repeated here. As to the APO-TG TOR draft, it was noted that WHO-EURO terminology speaks about “availability” of alcohol rather than “access” to alcohol. Unfortunately, in the approved NDPHS new strategy document Goal-8 uses the latter term. The discrepancy was noted and if needed/ possible we would try to seek for a terminological change in due course.

[please note that after SIHLWA-9 considerable further development for the Goal-7-11 strategic Egs and TGs were made. Summary of the outcome is best found in CSR-17 (29.-30. June 2010, Moscow). In summary, from the APO-TG and A&DP-flagship-project TG point of view the changes were that APO-TG and TOB-TG were established jointly one level higher as EG on Alcohol and Substance Abuse with Norway as Lead Partner and Russia as Co-Lead Partner. The ALC-Flagship TG under Swedish leadership remained as TG. The remaining NCD-issues under Finland’s Lead Partnership and Lihthuanian Co-Lead Partnership inherited other formerly SIHLWA-related issues. OSH-TG and IMHAP-TG will operate in collaboration with the new NCD-EG. New approved TORs are available at the CSR-17 website of NDPHS]

4. ALC & ADOFlagship-project preparation on Alcohol & Drug Prevention among youth in NDPHS region (Part of EU-BalticSea Strategy)

The group discussed about the outcome of previous day “open space” exercise. The flip-chart sheets were made available, and individual participants were urged to amend and add ideas to the sheets. The “open space” exercise is reported separately in the overall report. ALC & ADO groups considered it important that the preparation takes place in close collaboration with the new APO-EG, which will provide all support it can. Nevertheless, it was considered important that a special Task Group coordinates and leads the project planning funding application process, which to our experience will be a time consumimg and intensive task, and could not be managed by APO-EG. We discussed that it will be important that all country and organizational representatives will identify the national willingness to participate in the preparation phase, and register themselves to the team lead by Sweden.

5. ALC & ADOPAC-7 Conference and ALC (APO) TG/(EG) input

Possible Thematic reports on alcohol

The group welcomed the idea that the next PAC-7 meeting (to be hosted by WHO-EURO in Copenhagen) would focus and review the by then elaborated flagship-project ideas. We hope that by then the A&DprevY-TG has been able to proceed towards some more concrete ideas, plans and applications. However, as the whole scene and future was still open in March 2010, we felt that at this point we cannot proceed any further. We must wait for the final decisions of the CSR-17. Yet it was concluded that we need to come to the PAC-7 meeting and present to donors concrete information such as:

Summary from a meeting with Swedish management of the project - in September will be available more:
Information about actors involved to that - who is working in areas
What we want to implement
Budget (needed plus co-financing)
Timeline, milestones

The same applies to any thematic reports on alcohol. Who-EURO has provided quite useful reports and this process will continue as the Regional committee of EURO and also the World Health Assembly have requested. Nevertheless, there should be an important role for the NDPHS APO-TG/ (EG) to interpret, adjust and advocate thematic reports for our audience, politicians, public health administrators and media. These issues need to be brought up in due course at the first meeting(s) of the renewed Egs and TGs.

6. ALC & ADOOther issues

The group discussed the “long-term problem” of ALC-sub-group not having a permanently defined Chair-Organization/country. Since 2005 the TOR of SIHLWA has indicated that the task of chairing ALC-subgroups belongs to WHO-EURO, but due to shortages of human resources, it has not fully materialized. Therefore, the SIHLWA secretariat (Coordinating Chair and ITA) have tried to replace the missing resources, but this arrangement has never been ideal. In order to be able to successfully manage the sub-group, there would need to be quite a lot of activity also in-between the official meetings. This situation also explains the fact that ADO-subgroup in fact has also been involved with alcohol related issues/prevention especially among the youth and in projects (St. Petersburg A&DprevY-project, Alcohol policy related stakeholder analysis/ NW-Russia).

Lars Møller regretted the situation. Mikko Vienonen explained that since 2009 the secretariat had actively tried to discuss the issue with WHO leaders, and had received a lot of understanding and genuine willingness to take more responsibility of ALC-subgroup, especially during the time of newly elected Regional Director Zsuzsanna Jakab. Our joint idea would be to advocate one (or several) of NDPHS member states to consider providing more human resources in the form of secondment, linked with alcohol related issues and action together with NDPHS (Goal 7-8). Official letters in this regards have been provided to WHO-EURO, and this issue will be kept on the agenda with CSR-members always when appropriate.

SIHLWA-9 ALC participant profile (provided by members after the meeting as agreed)

Name / Organization’s action against alcohol (past year) / Own work against alcohol
(past year) / Title & Instititution/ Organization / Address & e-mail & telephone
1) Bernt BULL
(note: information based on oral reporting at the SIHLWA-9 meeting) / # In Norway harm of alcohol (injuries, alcohol related mortality) on increase. The 1960’s “sobriety actions” have been critisized and ridiculed but they were effective during their time.
# Public approach policy –present channell of Norwegian action on the problem.
# For the NDPHS-ALC network - not only developing local activities, but needed to have link to a policy action.
# Change - increased policy support for prevention actions
# Tendency (Ministry of finance) - to increase taxation in Norway / Senior Advisor
Norwegian ministry of Health & Care Services /
2) Janis CAUNITIS
(note: information based on oral reporting at the SIHLWA-9 meeting) / # Success from previous meeting - restriction on selling alcohol by night.
# Good responses from media but not from parliament.
# Main problem in Latvia - lack of control, no action plan on alcohol control, no understanding that it's needed.
# SIHLWA - we ask to provide this expertise to our government.
# State vision to 2030 - but nothing about alcohol, tobacco and drugs (although they take one third from our health) - believe that drugs are more harmful but they take 1.1% of our health, alcohol takes more than 15% from health.
# NGOs - bad situation - no money, some projects from WHO on tobacco control - we need some seed grants to go further, lack of money from government. / Chairperson
Latvian National Coalition on Tobacco and Alcohol Control / Riga, Latvia

3)
Matilda HELLMAN / NHAP- The Action plan for knowledge on the alcohol policy field (founded by the Nordic senior advisors on the health and social frield, EK-S) containing evidence on consequences of Preference of lighter beverages; marketing and youth and parallelles between different public health lifestyle-related fields)
The GRAN project (research on border trade with alcohol, the Nosam.net website) Action (shortly/ bullet points) where you yourself have been active vis-a-vis alcohol policy and control within last year Any other issues you consider as relevant.
Starting up the Flagship, getting a firm grip of its structure and content. / Project coordinator, researcher
Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues (NVC) (under auspices of NCM)
/ Annankatu 20 A 23, 00100 Helsinki, Finland

+358 9 6949572
Name / Organization’s action against alcohol (past year) / Own work againt alcohol
(past year) / Title & Instititution/ Organization / Address & e-mail & telephone
4)
Gelena KRIVELIENE / Alcohol control strategy, programmes and ALC amendments projects in compliance of MoH responsibilities / Alcohol Control Policy implementation in frame of MoH responsibilities. / Chief Office of Public Health Care Division
Institution/organization: Ministry of Health of Lithuania, Public Health Department / Vilniaus str. 33, Vilnius LT-01119

+370 5 2 661465
5)
Inga LIEPINA / The Ministry of Health took active participation in process of not changing law "Handling of Alcoholic Beverages Law". The Ministry of Health did not support amendments proposed to the mentioned law, i.e.:
#retail trade in alcoholic beverages prohibited from from 23:00 to 8:00;
#retail trade of home-made alcoholic beverages. / Head of Division of Health Prevention
Ministry of Health of the Republic of Latvia, Department of Health Care, Division of Health Prevention / Latvia, Brivibas street 72, Riga, LV - 1011

+371 67876077
6)
Olga LITVINOVA / # in 2009 implementation of federal communication project called “Healthy Russia” (2009 -2012);
# 500 centers on healthy lifestyle are opened on the territory of Russia;
# initiating of the web-site containing information on healthy lifestyle;
# preparation and consideration of alcohol legislation;
# connection with public and federal organizations on the alcohol policy. / Participation in preparation and consideration of legislation on prevention of alcoholism in Russia / Deputy Head of Department on Safety Issues of Factors of Human Environment and Prophylactic of Non-Infectious Diseases
Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation / Moscow,GSP-4, 127994, Rakhmanovsky pass., 3

+7(495)6272498
7)
Lars MØLLER / Policy advice, guidelines, literature reviews, technical support. / Acting regional adviser for the programme on alcohol and drugs since January 2008. Involved in policy advice, development of guidelines, literature reviews, technical support to Member States. / Regional Adviser on Alcohol & Drugs a.i.
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe / Scherfigsvej 8, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

+45 3917 1214
Name / Organization’s action against alcohol (past year) / Own work againt alcohol
(past year) / Title & Instititution/ Organization / Address & e-mail & telephone
8)
Heini PARKKUNEN
/ #healthy lifestyles is one of the themes in Healthy Cities network, within the network cities there is interest to work on alcohol abuse as well as already a variety of actions under development
# cities which are interested in the topic can easily be found by us
Action (shortly/ bullet points) where you yourself have been active vis-a-vis alcohol policy and control within last year / #Good contacts to cities and possibilities to find cities / local level actors to work with other partners (national, NGOs etc) on alcohol policy
#Interest to be linked into Flagship project development and linking it to the Healthy Cities activities / Executive Director
NGO: Baltic Region Healthy Cities Association, WHO Collaborting Centre for Healthy Cities and Urban Health in the Baltic Region / Vanha Suurtori 7, PO Box 5, 20521 Turku, Finland
,
+358 50 5590249
9)
Magdalena PIETRUSZKA
/ # Preparation for the Polish EU Presidency and "alcohol policy" priorities
(FAS research and prevention, alcohol and health, dissemination data from
different researches on alcohol policy and alcohol problems)
# Next National Program for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems (current:
2006-2010) preparation (for the years 2011-1015)
# Novelisation of the Polish "alcohol" act (Act on upbringing in sobriety
and counteracting alcoholism) now in the process (in the direction to make
it more restricted and clear in some fields)
# Many EU projects and activities: EUROCARE, EUCAM, European Alcohol and
Health Forum, AMPHORA
# Preparation for 4th European Alcohol Policy Conference (Bruxelles, June)
# Regular actions and projects stated in our work plan
# Yearly report on realisation of the Act on upbringing in sobriety and
counteracting alcoholism (by regional government, municipalities, ministries
and other institutions and organization from the public health field) / # EUROCARE (member of the board)
# EUCAM (member of the board)
# AMPHORA (EC cofunded project on alcohol policy in EU countries, PARPA in
WP4: impact on the alcohol marketing on European youth))
# nationwide awareness campaign: Find out if your drinking is safe
( / Head of Public Education Department/ Research unit:
State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems / Szancowa 25 Str 01-458 Warsaw, Poland

+ 48 22 532 03 31
Name / Organization’s action against alcohol (past year) / Own work againt alcohol
(past year) / Title & Instititution/ Organization / Address & e-mail & telephone
10) Anna SKVORTSOVA / to be added… / to be added… / Executive Director
NGODevelopmentCenter/ St. Petersburg /
+7-812-713 1425 (office)
+7-812-939 5590 (mobile)
11)
Irina SON / # Gathering and the analysis of the data of monitoring of bad habits at minors in 40 regions of Russia
# Studying of level of losses of health from the reasons connected with alcohol which can be warned: revealing of reserves and directions of increase in duration of a healthy life
# Working out of programs of preventive maintenance of consumption of PEAHENS on the basis of studying of prevalence and the basic characteristics of consumption of psychoactive substances among minors
# Creation and introduction of system of productive tools directed on formation at teenagers of an uncooperative altitude to reception of alcoholic drinks
Additionally important:
# Differentiation of alcoholic behaviour and the losses of health caused by it according to interrogation of the population and experts
# System engineering of monitoring and an estimation of an alcoholic situation and its mediko-demographic consequences on the basis of the complex analysis of existing sources of the data
# The studying, the programs which have proved the efficiency of rehabilitation of persons with alcoholic dependence, on an example of Sweden and Finland, for the purpose of the subsequent use of experience in the Northwest region of the Russian Federation / # Studying of level of losses of health from the reasons connected with alcohol which can be warned: revealing of reserves and directions of increase in duration of a healthy life
# Working out of programs of preventive maintenance of consumption of PEAHENS on the basis of studying of prevalence and the basic characteristics of consumption of psychoactive substances among minors
# Creation and introduction of system of productive tools directed on formation at teenagers of an uncooperative altitude to reception of alcoholic drinks
/ Deputy Director
Federal Central Scientific research Institute of the Organization and Information of Public Health Services (Russian Federation)
/ 11, Dobrolubov street, Moscow, 127254, Russian Federation
e-mail
+7(495) 639-60-40
Name / Organization’s action against alcohol (past year) / Own work againt alcohol
(past year) / Title & Instititution/ Organization / Address & e-mail & telephone
12) Triinu TÄHT
(note: information based on oral reporting at the SIHLWA-9 meeting) / # Responsible forcCommunity based public health and health promotion.
# Working on subproject connected to alcohol: campaign to normal people who might drink a little too muchbut are not aware about it - very successful, research about it - shift in a public discussion happened (from joking on a topic or nonsense - "How it affects our liver?" Small babies also drink?"),
# EIBI on a basis on primary health care started, positive feedback - EU money for 2013,
# Producing evidence, not only monitoring - this can be our input to this group - evidence and best practices of all kind - when we are implementing something in our countries,
# In Estonia NGOs doing very good work - in contact with Nordic network (FAS issues) campaign to make society more aware on more harm (it's not an individual problems - when somebody drinks it affects other people also)
Estonia needs to develop/ improve on:
# Campaign on awareness, not on lowing consumption.
# Publicly people like to joke on their consumption.
# Interactive web pages - people can measure their consumption
NB! Average level - 80% of population drink less than average
Mean level - its difference / Chief Specialist
Ministry of Social Affairs
Estonia / Tallinn, Estonia

13)
Katariina WARPENIUS / Evaluation of the effects of national alcohol policy, monitoring the changes in drinking, drug-taking and gambling habits / Evaluation of preventive practices and harm reduction / Researcher
National Institution for Health and Welfare, Department of Alcohol, Drugs and Addiction, / P.O. Box 30, FI-00271 Helsinki

+358206107019
Name / Organization’s action against alcohol (past year) / Own work againt alcohol
(past year) / Title & Instititution/ Organization / Address & e-mail & telephone
14)
Mikko VIENONEN
/ Coordinating the SIHLWA/NDPHS Expert Group /NDPHS (and chairing the ADO-sub-group). In 2009 organized 2 SIHLWA meetings (Östersund and Riga), participated in the EU Alcohol Conference in Stockholm and PAC Conference in Oslo in Nov (highlighting the importance lifestyle related issues, including alcohol, in prison health. Updating the NDPHS strategy and working towards Alcohol Prevention among youth Flagship project in 2010-2013 (A&DPY-TG-TOR) and the establishment of Alcohol policy (availability and advertising) TG for 2010-2013. Working towards a renewed SIHLWA terms of refence for 2010-2013, and facilitating the establishment of OSH, IMHAP and TOB-Control EGs / # Municipalities and regions consultation on Potential Years of Life Lost (PYLL) and highlighting the growing importance of alcohol related harm.(Finland)
# Advocating start-up of PYLL analyses in Russia
# Steering committee on EIBI (mini-intervention) in occupational health setting (Finland)
# Several seminars in the Finnish Parliament on alcohol legislation and harm to young people
# Steering committee of project on Alcohol and Drug Prevention among youth in St Petersburg (phase-2 in 2019 and phase-3 start up in 2010. / Coordinating Chairman
Northern Dimension Partnership in Health and Social Wellbeing (NDPHS)
Expert Group on Social Inclusion, Healthy Lifestyles and Work Ability (“SIHLWA”) under Ministry of Social Affairs & Health/ Finland / Sysimiehenkuja 1, 00670 Helsinki, Finland

+358-50-442 1877

- End of ALC- ADO report -