Health Promotion Forum

Building coalitions to address alcohol consumption and contribute to improve equity and well-being Alcohol 

Moderators: Vera Costa e Silva, consultant - Center for Studies in Tobacco and Health Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil and former Head of Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)

Speakers

• Alcohol outlets in disinvested neighbourhoods: reflecting and reinforcing inequality
  Pamela Trangestein, Scientist, Alcohol Research Group -ARG, United States.
• Gender inequalities and alcohol consumption and policies
  Carol Emslie, Professor, Lead for Substance Use, Research Centre for Health. Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland. 
• Building a coalition for advancing alcohol taxation to promote health, including health inequalities
  Kristina Sperkova, President, Movendi International, Sweden
• Building coalitions to facilitate the implementation of policies to address alcohol harms and inequalities
  Thaksaphon (Mek) Thamarangsi, Director, International Health Policy Program -IHPP, Thailand

Organised by the Less Alcohol Unit, Health Promotion Department, WHO

Alcohol consumption exacerbates inequalities. Individuals with lower socioeconomic status are more vulnerable to alcohol harm due to the combined effects of behaviours, exposure to environmental risks and unhealthy settings. Gender inequality intersects with socioeconomic and other inequalities in ways that further aggravate and perpetuate harm related to alcohol consumption.

The implementation of alcohol control policies contributes to reducing inequalities. For instance, town planning ensuring that alcohol outlets are not disproportionately located in disadvantaged areas decrease inequalities. A coalition of partners facilitate advocacy, coordination of initiatives across sectors and contributes to the effective use of resources.

This forum explores how policies that address alcohol consumption implemented through a coalition of partners contribute to well-being by building multi-layered capacity for action.