Alcohol, health and policy: the Italian perspective

During the last few years the majority of the National Health Plans (NHP) produced by the EU Member States followed a general population approach looking at the epidemiological findings in the different contexts and social realities and setting “evidence based” targets, objectives or goals. Starting from year 2000 this kind of approach received a renewed impetus according to the new suggestions coming from the World Health Organisation Health 21 as well as from the documents, recommendations and programmes of the European Commission, Council and Parliament. The prevalent use of terms like “health determinants” in spite of “risk factors” in the more recent National Health Plans in Europe is a good indicator of the evolution of the decision and policy-making process toward a modern conceptual model positioning health and not disease at the centre of the health strategy, reducing the mortality approach use and stressing the need for a reduction of exposure to determinants of diseases and injuries. In this light, alcohol could represent an emblematic example of a multidimensional approach in connecting health and social aspects for which an “evidence based prevention” approach needs to be strengthen according to the figures coming from different EU Countries.