Policy in action Policy Policy in action A tool for measuring alcohol policy implementation World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe UN City, Marmorvej 51, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Tel.: +45 45 33 70 00 Fax: +45 45 33 70 01 E-mail:
[email protected] Website: www.euro.who.int POLICY IN ACTION A tool for measuring alcohol policy implementation Policy in action ABSTRACT Europe has the highest alcohol consumption and alcohol-attributable disease burden in the world. In 2011, all 53 Member States of the WHO European Region endorsed the European action plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol 2012–2020 (EAPA), which provides a portfolio of evidence-based policy options for mitigating alcohol-associated problems. To assess the extent to which Member States have adopted the recommended policy standards, the WHO Regional Office for Europe has developed 10 composite indicators, one for each action area of the EAPA. This document describes the construction of the EAPA composite indicators and presents an evaluation of the performance of Member States in the European Region in implementing the 10 action areas. The composite indicators measure not only the presence of alcohol policies but also their strictness and comprehensiveness. Keywords Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects Alcohol Drinking - prevention and control Alcohol-Related Disorders - prevention and control Alcoholism - prevention and control Regional Health Planning Europe Address requests about publications of the WHO Regional Office for Europe to: Publications WHO Regional Office for Europe UN City, Marmorvej 51 DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark Alternatively, complete an online request form for documentation, health information, or for permission to quote or translate, on the Regional Office web site (http://www.euro.who.int/pubrequest).