Why is alcohol cancer's best‐kept secret?

Abstract

Commentary to: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.13477/abstract

Evaluation of a public education campaign to support parents to reduce adolescent alcohol use

“…Expectations of the impact of public education campaigns on behaviour need to be realistic [34], and campaign evaluations should assess appropriate process and impact measures. Alcohol consumption is influenced by numerous factors (e.g., alcohol price, promotion and availability) [29] that may be beyond the direct influence of public education campaigns and limit their ability to demonstrate behavioural effects.…”

The swinging pendulum of alcohol policy in the Northern Territory

“…On the other hand, Aboriginal Territorians are more likely than their non-indigenous counterparts to abstain completely from alcohol, and if all Aboriginal drinking was subtracted from total consumption, per capita alcohol use in the territory would still be approximately 50% higher than the national average. 1 The general public, media, policymakers and even health professionals 2 could all benefit from realising that heavy or risky drinking is not just something that other people do.…”

“…The swinging pendulum of alcohol policy in the Northern Territory Tanya N Chikritzhs 1 and Tarun S Weeramanthri 2,3 The Northern Territory (NT) of Australia has a longstanding reputation for enduring the highest rates of alcohol-related harm in the country, and possibly the world. For a country which counts itself among the wealthiest of democracies, our (Australia's) status as a world leader for alcohol-related harm ought to be a cause of urgent ameliorative and restorative action at all levels of government.…”