Critique the Responses of Public Health and Health Promotion Agents - Essay Example

? Critique the responses of Public Health and Health Promotion agents, the government, the media and the general public have had to BINGE DRINKING between 2007-2011 in the United kingdom. Suggested responses by Health Promotion/Public Health agents and the Media in regard go binge drinking. Binge drinking has become a key problem in UK. In fact, the statistics related to the particular subject reveal that the current percentage of adults who exceed the daily drinking level is quite high. It is clear that Health Promotion/Public Health agents and the Media should proceed to appropriate initiatives for informing the public on the effects of the particular activity. These initiatives could be developed at different levels: a) First, sessions would be arranged at schools of all levels for informing pupils on the effects of binge drinking, both the short and the long term ones; pupils should be given the chance to discuss with their teachers on the particular problem; b) It would be also important for groups of support to be established in each school across UK; these groups would support pupils who are vulnerable to binge drinking but also those pupils that face the effects of binge drinking within their family; medical practitioners would also participate in these groups, ensuring that the advice given to the victims or those who are addicted to binge drinking is appropriate; c) One of the most important weaknesses of the plans of Health Promotions services in UK regard to binge drinking is the lack of sufficient publicity of the problem’s effects; brochures have been developed for informing the public on binge drinking and its consequences on individuals and their environment; however, the only way for the problem to be appropriately faced is by the involvement of media; having the ability to reach people of all ages, the media can support the publication of material (reports, statistics and so on) explaining analytically all aspects of the problem; d) The research developed in regard to binge drinking has revealed the following fact: binge drinking is highly developed across young people, not only adults; this means that family has a role in the involvement of its young members in the particular activity; the Public Health Agents in UK should initiate the establishment of teams of volunteers within each community; these teams would have the support and guidance of medical practitioners. Families within each community could seek for assistance in regard to binge drinking; sessions could be arranged for people facing the particular problem. The operation of such services within the level of the community would have the following advantage: it would be easier for the leaders of these teams to identify the members of the community that face such problem; also, communication and trust would be higher in the context of the community than in the context of the state. However, in order for these teams to provide effective support in regard to binge drinking, the following terms should be met: the members of these teams should be appropriately trained for managing such problems; also, the work of these teams should be periodically monitored as of its effectives and for updating one or more parts of the processes used; finally, the work of these teams should be adequately promoted by the local media, otherwise people in the community that face such problem would not be informed on the existence and the effectiveness of the particular service. 1. Introduction The use of drinking as a means for confronting various problems of daily life is quite usual. However, there is also the case that drinking has become part of a person’s life just because of this person’s social environment, i.e. as an indication of a particular life-style (Delaney et al, 1995, quoted by Thirlway and Upton 2009, p.132). The relationship between drinking and social norms has been also emphasized in the studies of Ames et al., 2000, and Young et al., 2001 (as quoted in the study of Thirlaway and Upton 2009, p.132). Apart from its relationship with social life, drinking should be also reviewed as of its effects on individuals. The studies developed in this field have proved that there is ‘a causal relationship between alcohol consumption and individual’s behaviour, as the latter also affects society’ (Kurzer 2001, p.41). The above theory, known as the ‘Total Consumption Model’ (Kurzer 2001, p.41), is of significant importance; in fact, the above theory is used as a justification for controlling the alcohol consumption worldwide (Kurzer 2001). A particular aspect of alcohol consumption is reviewed in this paper: binge drinking. This term is used for describing the ‘heavy episodic drinking’ (Task Force on College Drinking, April 2002, quoted by Bomar 2004, p.318). The responses in UK of the public health agents, the media, the government and the general public towards binge drinking are presented and evaluated in this paper, focusing especially to the period between 2007 and 2011. The trends for gradual reduction of binge drinking are clear, even if drinking seems to be kept at high levels; moreover, the efforts made by the state and the public health organizations for the control of the problem cannot be ignored. 2. Binge Drinking between 2007-1011 in UK 2.1 Public Health and Health Promotion agents Binge drinking is a major problem for young people in adults in Britain. According to a report published by the NHS, about one out of 3 adults in UK is likely ‘to exceed daily recommended drinking levels’ (NHS 2009). The above report is based on two different surveys: the first is the General Household Survey developed of 2007; the above survey, the participants of which have been estimated to 16,000, revealed that ‘the 37% of adults in UK violate the daily recommended drinking levels’ (NHS 2009). The Omnibus Survey of 2008 led to similar findings: according to this survey, a percentage of ‘38% of men and 25% of women had, recently, exceeded the recommended drinking level’ (NHS 2009). The challenges that NHS has to face in regard to the management of binge drinking in UK are significantly; in fact, according to a report of NHS published in 2010, about ‘a quarter of people in UK drink at hazardous levels’ (NHS 2010, p.1). Figure 1 – Rate of admissions for alcohol related services (Source: NHS 2010, p.1) In terms of costs, the effects of binge drinking on UK economy are significant, if taking into consideration the graph in Figure 1 above. This graph shows the rates of admissions for alcohol-related services in two different periods: 2002/2003 and 2007/2008; the significant increase of admissions during the second period is clear. 2.2 Government The willingness of the government to control binge drinking is not clear. In fact, it is mainly through the initiative of NHS, as presented above, that the government’s position in regard to binge drinking is developed. Still, the responsibility of the British government for the expansion of the phenomenon, as revealed through the graphs included in this paper, cannot be denied. According to the Institute of Alcohol Studies, binge drinking is not a common human activity, as many others. It is rather a social phenomenon, being developed gradually, under the influence of different cultures and ethics (IAS, Binge Drinking – Nature, prevalence and causes, p.5). Reference can be made for instance to the following fact: ‘in Mediterranean culture, wine is the main drink, while in Anglo-Saxon cultures beer is most common’ (IAS, Binge Drinking – Nature, prevalence and causes, p.5). In regard specifically to binge drinking, the following fact has been verified: ‘an individual who binge drinks in his 20s he is expected to do so also in his 40s’ (IAS, Binge Drinking – Nature, prevalence and causes, p.5). In other words, binge drink, if it is not confronted early, can become indispensable part of a person’s life leading to severe health problems, as analyzed earlier. A report of MP’s published in January of 2012 emphasizes on the need for taking measures for controlling excessive drinking across the country (Alcohol Research UK 2012). According to the above report, the Department of Health does not take initiatives for informing people on the effects of excessive alcohol use ‘being relying on the drink firms to inform people on the effects of alcohol’ (Alcohol Research UK 2012). In the above report it is suggested that the government takes into consideration the following fact: ‘sensible-drinking messages may conflict with the business objectives of drinks companies’ (Alcohol Research UK 2012). 2.3 Media The representation of drinking in media can be characterized as not satisfactory, in terms of the image of drinking, as developed in the mind of people exposed to the media. This fact is highlighted in a report of NHS published in 2011. According to the above report, ‘the media often tell us that a drop of what we fancy does us good’ (NHS, 2011, What’s your poison, p.1). It is noted that the specific practice can be characterized as expected, if the commercial needs of media are take into consideration: the high appreciation of people in UK for drinking is quite known; the media develop their views so that the perceptions of the public on drinking are not opposed (NHS 2011, p.1). In this way, the reference to the severe consequences of drinking, especially of binge drinking, is avoided. At the same time, the views of consumers on drinking are difficult to be standardized, mostly because of the following problem: the studies developed in regard to drinking and its effects are not published immediately; also, the messages of these studies are not incorporated in reports that are clear; in this way, consumers are often confused on the actual effects and risks of alcohol (NHS 2011, p.1). In this context, the exposure of people in UK to binge drinking can be closely related to the inability of the media to provide them appropriate and easy – to – understand information on the risks of the particular activity. 2.4 Public Figure 2 – Consumption of alcohol in Europe (Source: IAS, Alcohol consumption and harm in the UK and EU, p.8) The public in UK seems to perceive drinking as an indispensable aspect of daily life. In Figure 2 above, where the consumption of alcohol in different European countries is presented, the following fact is made clear: in UK people high value drinking, as part of their life. In fact, UK has ranked at a high position, along with Ireland, Finland and Denmark in the consumption of alcohol. However, if measured in the long term, the consumption of alcohol in UK shows a trend for decrease. More specifically, in the Figure 3 below, the following fact is revealed: both men and women in UK have reduced the amount of alcohol they consume, a trend that is clearer from 2002 onwards. Figure 3 - Alcohol consumption in UK: men v women, for 1998-2005 (Source: IAS, Binge Drinking – Nature, prevalence and causes, p.3) The trends presented in Figure 3 above, are aligned with the trends revealed through the Figure 4 below; in both diagrams the reduction of alcohol consumption is made clear. Figure 4 – Binge drinking in UK from 2000 to 2008 (Source: IAS, Binge Drinking – Nature, prevalence and causes, p.3) Also both diagrams reveal the following fact: drinking and binge drinking in UK have been high for a long period of time; binge drinking has started to decline rather recently, from 2007 onwards (see Figure 4 above). In this context, a relationship can be possibly established between the financial crisis of the last 4 years and binge drinking, even if an opposite trend would be normally expected. Figure 5 – People who drink every day, men v women, for 2009 (Source: Office for National Statistics, 2009, p.27). Moreover, the graph in Figure 5 above reveals that people of over 65 years old are likely to drink on a daily basis; a different trend is identified in regard to young people, between 16 and 24, who seem to drink occasionally. A research published in May 2009 revealed that the percentage of women ‘who binge drink almost doubled between 1998 and 2006’ (Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2009). In regard to children it has been made clear that the percentage of children who binge drink has been declined, compared to the past. Still, the amount of alcohol consumed by children has been significantly increased compared to the past (Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2009). Figure 6 – Consumption of alcohol by pupils, 11-15 years old (Source: NHS Information Centre, quoted by BBC News, 2007) The responses of the public to binger drinking reveal the following problem: adults do not inform their children on the risks of this activity, or, at least, they fail in explaining them the consequences of binger drinking. As a result, binger-drinking shows increasing trends in pupils aged from 11-15 (Figure 6). Reference is made specifically to the mean alcohol consumption during a week, as reported in ‘a research developed by NHS in autumn 2006’ (BBC News 2007). Despite the increase, at least at average level, of binge drinking among pupils, still adults represent the high percentage of people exposed to binge drinking. This fact is made clear through the table in Figure 7, below. Figure 7- Number of people, males and females, who felt very drunk at least once during last year (Source: IAS, Binge Drinking – Nature, prevalence and causes, p.8). On the other hand, the graph in Figure 8 below, reveals that men are more often exposed to binge drinking, compared to women, who have higher binge drinking rates in long-term periods, such as 2 months or less often. Figure 8 - Intoxination in men and women, from 18 to 24 years old (Source: IAS, Binge Drinking – Nature, prevalence and causes, p.9) According to the graph presented in Figure 8 above, women are highly exposed to binge drinking, almost the same as men. In fact, a recent report of the Department of Health revealed that for the last two years, i.e. from 2010 up today, ‘2,400 more girls than boys have been admitted to hospitals because of alcohol use’ (Mason 2011). The above fact should be taken into consideration by UK legislators and medical practitioners that focus on the control of excessive alcohol use. 3. Conclusion The development of effective measures for controlling binge drinking in UK seems to be a challenging task. The key problem in regard to the above effort is the following one: the last two years, the trends in alcohol use have been highly differentiated, as revealed through the statistics and graphs presented above. Girls are more exposed than boys to binge drinking; also women are more likely to binge drink in a long period of time, a practice that can be more harmful for health, as it indicates the acceptance of excessive drinking as a long term practice. In opposition, for men binge drinking seems to be rather part of life style for a particular, short, period, and not for long periods of time or for the whole life. Moreover, the media and the government seem to be unable to support people across UK to confront the particular problem. Of course, the clear opposition of UK government with drinking would possibly result to turbulences in the economy having affected the interests of drink firms. For the media also, avoiding referring to the risks of binge drinking has been unavoidable in order to secure their profits, as explained earlier. The only sector in UK that actually fights with binge drinking is NHS; the particular organization tries to promote measures for controlling binge drinking; however, its potentials are limited especially since the support provided from the government and the media is limited, as analysed above. In this context, the successful management of binge drinking in UK would be depended on the update of UK current political and economic priorities, the increase of independency of NHS, in regard to the decision – making process, and the increase of funds invested on the relevant schemes. References Alcohol Research UK (2012) Binge-drinking policy is too soft on drinks firms, says MPs’ report – UK Politics – UK – The Independent. 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