Alcohol-related mortality in Ukraine.
OBJECTIVE
To substantiate public health policies aimed at diminishing alcohol-related harm, the level of alcohol-related deaths needs to be documented on a national level. The aim of this study was to explore the opportunities provided by the 1985-1988 anti-alcohol campaign related data for estimation of alcohol-related mortality in Ukraine.


METHODS
Ecological study design based on the aggregate-level data analysis regarding the natural experiment in Ukraine. All-cause and cause-specific observed mortality levels in 1986-88 compared to the extrapolated 1980-84 trends. The number and proportion of 'prevented' deaths were calculated for those causes, for which were observed: (1) reduction of mortality levels during the campaign and (2) increase after 1988. Alcohol-attributable fractions of mortality per one litre of per capita consumption were calculated for each death cause based on prevented deaths and consumption decrease estimates. The total number of alcohol-related deaths for a specific year was also calculated.


RESULTS
Ukraine experienced a large mortality reduction during the campaign. The estimates of prevented deaths revealed that at least 76% of the mortality reduction was attributable to alcohol. Alcohol-related mortality due to injuries is much higher for men, while coronary heart disease (CHD) alcohol-attributable fractions were about 0.5 in middle age both for men and women.


CONCLUSIONS
While in Western countries alcohol is considered as a protective factor for CHD, in Ukraine alcohol-related cardiovascular mortality is rather high. In 2004 in Ukraine total number of alcohol-related deaths was about 119,000 or 251 per 100,000 of population.
Krasovsky
Konstantin
K
Alcohol and Drug Information Center, Kiev, Ukraine. kks@adic.org.ua
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000401:mortality* / Q000639:trends; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health / Q000639:trends; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014455:Ukraine / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult