Alcohol and Injuries in Argentina

CREMONTE, M.

Berkeley, EEUU

Conferencia; thematic Meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society (parte de la Conferencia Alcohol and Injuries: New Knowledge..; 2005

Alcohol Research Group, NIH, Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol

Mariana Cremonte (Argentina), reporting on alcohol and injuries in Argentina, noted that 73% of the population drink alcohol, of which 10% are abusers and 4.5% are alcohol dependent.  About 10% began drinking before the age of 13.  Unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide are leading causes of mortality among those 15 to 24, while unintentional injuries are the primary cause of mortality among those under 34. Argentina is a producer of wine, chiefly for domestic use.  An alcohol surveillance system was put in place two years ago, and injury data have been collected but has not been evaluated.   The contribution of alcohol is not evaluated nor recorded systematically.  Local, state, and national governmental interventions are minimal or negligible.  Laws on advertising and selling to minors have been passed but are not enforced.  The WHO Collaborative study in Mar del Plata resulted in a change in the perception of alcohol, attitudes towards screening, attitudes towards interventions/referral, and change in one’s own drinking, but in a politically unstable environment formal changes in ER procedures are not likely, nor are breath analyzers available for use.