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American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on August 20, 2008
American Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/aje/kwn214
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American Journal of Epidemiology © The Author 2008. Published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Invited Commentary: Is Alcohol a Risk Factor for Trauma and Chronic Disease Mortality? Narrowing the Gap Between Evidence and Action

Norman Giesbrecht

Correspondence to Dr. Norman Giesbrecht, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2S1 (e-mail: Norman_giesbrecht{at}camh.net).

Received for publication April 23, 2008. Accepted for publication April 30, 2008.

Alcohol has been linked with over 60 chronic diseases and types of trauma, and in developed countries alcohol consumption is ranked third in terms of disability-adjusted life years (of 26 risk factors considered). In this issue of the Journal, two papers from Finland and Canada provide new evidence of the negative effects of alcohol consumption on trauma and mortality. Herttua et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2008;000(00):000–00) used data from a natural experiment involving an increase in access to alcohol and its links to mortality; they offer provocative findings on differential impacts by gender, age, and socioeconomic level. Taylor et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2008;000(00):000–00) focused on lifetime risk of alcohol-related injury mortality, exploring the implications for high-risk drinking patterns. These authors offer agendas for future research on the differential impacts of policy changes according to demographic dimensions, and they highlight the need for a refined measurement of alcohol intake—since the amount of alcohol in a "standard drink" consumed by heavier drinkers is probably not the same as it is for other consumers. There is still a substantial gap between alcohol's position as a significant contributor to mortality and disability and the implementation of effective interventions.

alcohol drinking; alcohol-related disorders; chronic disease; mortality; risk assessment; wounds and injuries

Editor's note: Herttua et al. declined to respond to this commentary. The response of Taylor et al. follows.


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Home page
 Am J EpidemiolHome page
B. Taylor, J. Rehm, R. Room, J. Patra, and S. Bondy
Taylor et al. Respond to "Alcohol and Trauma and Chronic Disease Mortality"
Am. J. Epidemiol., November 15, 2008; 168(10): 1130 - 1131.
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