This book examines trends and social disparities in alcohol consumption. It assesses the health, social and economic impacts of key policy options for tackling alcohol-related harms in Canada, the Czech Republic and Germany, extracting policy messages for a broader set of countries.

Alcoholic beverages, and their harmful use, have been familiar fixtures in human societies since the beginning of recorded history. Worldwide, alcohol is a leading cause of ill health and premature mortality. It accounts for 1 in 17 deaths, and for a significant proportion of disabilities, especially in men. In OECD countries, alcohol consumption is about twice the world average. Its social costs are estimated in excess of 1% of GDP in high- and middle-income countries. When it is not the result of addiction, alcohol use is an individual choice, driven by social norms, with strong cultural con.

One in three adults has engaged in binge drinking at least once in the previous month, and one in five teenagers has experienced drunkenness by age 15. Harmful patterns of alcohol consumption have far-reaching consequences for individuals, society and the economy.

1. Introduction and methods of work.-- 2. Alcohol: equity and social determinants.-- 3. Cardiovascular disease: equity and social determinants.-- 4. Health and nutrition of children: equity and social determinants.-- 5. Diabetes: equity and social determinants.-- 6. Food safety: equity and social determinants.-- 7. Mental disorders: equity and social determinants.-- 8. Neglected tropical diseases: equity and social determinants.-- 9. Oral health: equity and social determinants.-- 10. Unintended pregnancy and pregnancy outcome: equity and social determinants.-- 11. Tobacco use: equity and social determinants.-- 12. Tuberculosis: the role of risk factors and social determinants.-- 13. Violence and unintentional injury: equity and social determinants.-- 14. Synergy for equity.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

The 2020 edition of Health at a Glance: Europe focuses on the impact of the COVID‐19 crisis. Chapter 1 provides an initial assessment of the resilience of European health systems to the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to contain and respond to the worst pandemic in the past century.

From a public health perspective, alcohol is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality, and impacts on many aspects of social life. This text describes advances in alcohol research with direct relevance to the development of effective policies at local, national and international level.