Variations in Alcohol-Related Mortality in the Nordic Countries after 1995—Continuity or Change?

Abstract

Aims The main aim of the present paper was to describe and analyse the recent development regarding differences in alcohol-related mortality between the Nordic countries. To what extent do various forms of alcohol-related mortality differ between the Nordic countries, and is a similar cross-national pattern found for men and women? Do differences in mortality rates correspond to variations in levels of alcohol consumption, and have any changes occurred with respect to these variations? Data Age-adjusted mortality from alcohol-specific causes, liver cirrhosis, alcohol poisonings and fatal accidents were compared between countries and in relation to recorded per capita consumption for two approximate time periods, 1995–1999 and 2000–2004 R2 was used to evaluate the extent to which differences in per capita consumption accounted for the mortality differences. Results Finland and Denmark had typically 2–5 times higher chronic alcohol-related mortality, e.g., cirrhosis, than Sweden, Norway and Iceland, whereas for acute mortality only Finland, and particularly Finnish men, stood out with high mortality rates, e.g., alcohol poisonings. Danish women tended to have higher or more similar mortality in relation to Finnish women in cases when this is not true for men. Differences in per capita consumption accounted for a significant part of variations in chronic alcohol mortality but to a lesser extent for variations in alcohol poisonings and fatal accidents. No marked changes in country differences occurred during the study period. Conclusion The results agree with the main prediction of the total consumption model, namely that the level of drinking is an important determinant of alcohol-related harm in society in particular for long-term negative consequences. The findings also suggest that comparisons of alcohol mortality should be gender-specific since the country differences may be different for men and women. The extent to which differences in alcohol policy may influence these national differences is also discussed.