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Abstract

The aim of this article was to study whether the transition to lighter beverages in Sweden has been associated with a decrease in alcohol-related harm. The analyses were based on Swedish aggregate time-series data on alcohol consumption and different forms of alcohol-related mortality for the period 1950–2001. A descriptive trend comparison revealed that, since the 1970s, the mortality rates per liter for most studied outcomes followed the trend in proportion of spirits fairly well. Time-series model estimations only partially supported this picture: Beverage-specific models revealed that, of all beverages, spirits was significantly related to most different forms of mortality, but in models that included proportion of spirits (controlling for total consumption), the association was only significant for male liver cirrhosis. In conclusion, the findings do not support the idea that the composition of beverages in the total compossition has an independent effect on alcohol-related harm. However, because per capita consumption of spirits was significantly related to more forms of mortality than beer or wine, we cannot rule out alcohol policy measures directed towards the consumption of stronger beverages as being noneffective in terms of reducing alcohol-related harm.

Keywords

Proportion of spirits in total consumption alcohol-related mortality alcohol policy time-series analysis Sweden

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Effects of the Transition to Beverages with Lighter Alcohol Content in Sweden 1950–2001

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