Alcohol Issues

Alcohol Issues - Sludges and Dark Nudges in Big Alcohol's CSR Campaigns

Alcohol Issues - Episode 7

Sludges and Dark Nudges in Big Alcohol's CSR Campaigns

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

In-depth conversation

For this seventh episode, we are talking with Nason Maani and May van Schalkwyk. Nason is a Harkness Fellow at the Boston University School of Public Health and an Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. May is a public health doctor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. They are two of the authors of a highly important and innovative research article that we have discussed on the podcast previously. Their paper is called “Dark Nudges and Sludge in Big Alcohol: Behavioral Economics, Cognitive Biases, and Alcohol Industry Corporate Social Responsibility”.

The conversation with Nason and May was even joined by Kristina Sperkova, the President of Movendi International and a studied psychologist.

In our conversation with May and Nason, we talk about the findings of their research and what the findings mean in the larger context of social norms and healthy environments and behaviors.

Their research is innovative because it applies well-studied concepts of behavioral economics and how human psychology works to the field of prevention and reduction of alcohol harms. In discussing with May and Nason, we learn how the alcohol industry deliberately exploits cognitive biases and we get to understand better how information and campaigns to increase recognition of alcohol harms could be designed.

With May and Nason, we enjoyed a mind-blowing  conversation about how the human mind works, how the alcohol industry exploits this and about what could be done to better promote health and well-being in an evidence-based way.

Weekly alcohol issues highlights

This week we highlight two alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention.

In policy and science news, we talk about the latest Global Burden of Disease study, its key findings and what they mean for alcohol policy-making.

And in the Big Alcohol Watch we discuss evidence from Ireland about the child rights harm due to alcohol and the delay in implementing the Public Health Alcohol Act.

Resources for the conversation with May and Nason

Follow May on Twitter.

Follow Nason on Twitter.

1. Dark Nudges and Sludge in Big Alcohol: Behavioral Economics, Cognitive Biases, and Alcohol Industry Corporate Social Responsibility
   Read more here...

2. Find the video here...

 

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

1. Landmark Study Shows Failure in Tackling Preventable Disease

   Read more here...

   
   

2. Ireland: Alcohol Is Widespread, Pervasive in Children’s Lives

   Read the research article here...

 

For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: info@movendi.ngo 

 

And here is the Alcohol Issues Newsletter for week 43.

 

Alcohol Issues - Alcohol's (and the Alcohol Industry's) Role in the NCDs Tsunami

Alcohol Issues - Episode 6

Alcohol's (and the Alcohol Industry's) Role in the NCDs Tsunami

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

For this sixth episode, we are talking with Nina Renshaw. Nina is the Policy and Advocacy Director at the NCD Alliance, based in Geneva in the heart of global health policy-making.

In my conversation with Nina, we talk about alcohol’s role as risk factor in the global NCDs tsunami and what the NCD Alliance is doing about it. And Nina shares insights into the advocacy environment during and after the coronavirus crisis with regard to attention to non-communicable diseases and their risk factors. We discuss some of the most recent scientific findings about the preventable healthcare costs of NCDs risk factors and shed more light on the concept of commercial determinants of health.

With Nina, we enjoyed a far-reaching conversation and some really deep dives into the topics of NCDs, alcohol, industry interference and advocacy for high-impact policy solutions. And to top it all off, Nina shares her powerful and inspiring thoughts on the most important advocacy issues.

 

This week we highlight three alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention. In policy news, we talk about Canada during COVID-19 and how rising alcohol use is fueling mental health problems and what all that says about the country’s alcohol policy situation. In this week’s Science Digest we look at new research showing just how much healthcare spending could be prevented through policy action on health risk factors such as alcohol. And in the Big Alcohol Watch we expose how Big Alcohol uses the illusion of small-scale alcohol production in the Swedish countryside to lobby for the undoing of the successful Swedish alcohol policy model.

 

Resources for the conversation with Nina Renshaw

Follow Nina on Twitter.

Follow the NCD Alliance on Twitter.

1. Healthcare Spending Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors in the USA

   Read more here...

2. New Resource: Alcohol and NCDs – Harm and Solutions

   Read more here...
3. NCDs risk factors and prevention. Read more here...
4. Signalling Virtue, Promoting Harm: Unhealthy commodity industries and COVID-19, authored by the NCD Alliance and the SPECTRUM Consortium. Read more here...

More about NCD Alliance advocacy can be found here.

 

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

1. Canada and COVID-19: As Alcohol Use Rises, Mental Health Worsens

   Read more here...
   

2. Health-Care Spending Attributable to Modifiable Risk Factors in the USA: An Economic Attribution Analysis

   Read the research article here...
   
   

3. IOGT-NTO Exposes Big Alcohol’s Trojan Horse: “Farm Sales” Benefit Multinational Alcohol Industry Giants, Not Small Local Producers

   Read more here...

 

For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: info@movendi.ngo 

 

And here is the Alcohol Issues Newsletter for week 42.

 

Alcohol Issues - Lithuania's journey to worldwide alcohol policy-making role model

Alcohol Issues - Episode 5

Lithuania's journey to worldwide alcohol policy-making role model

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

For this fifth episode, we are talking with Nijole Gostautaite Midttun, the President of the Lithuanian Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition (NTAKK).

This week we are joined by Nijole  Gostautaite Midttun. Nijole is the President of the Lithuanian Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition. In the conversation with Nijole, we follow-up on a topic that Dag Rekve from the World Health Organization raised in the first two episodes of The Alcohol Issues Podcast: national alcohol policy making success stories. Dag talked about Russia. But of course there are more countries, and Lithuania is one of the most remarkable success stories in the world. And Nijole has been right in the center of advocacy for evidence-based alcohol laws in Lithuania in recent years.

With Nijole, we are getting into the weeds of alcohol policy making. We talk about the alcohol burden in Lithuania and why the country needed to address alcohol urgently. We also discuss in detail what the alcohol policy solutions entail and which barriers and obstacles had to be overcome. And Nijole shares some insights public opinion today regarding the alcohol laws. We discuss past, present and even explore the future of alcohol policy making in Lithuania. 

 

This week we highlight four alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention.In policy news, we talk about the first indications of success with Minimum Unit Pricing in Wales and we discuss what happens to alcohol harm when Uber comes to town. In this week’s Science Digest we look at new research into risk factors for adolescent alcohol use and trajectories of alcohol harm in adult life. In the Big Alcohol Watch we expose how Coca-Cola is pushing into alcohol markets around the world, targeting youth and women.

 

Resources for the conversation with Nijole Gostautaite Midttun

 

Follow NTAKK on Twitter.

1. Lithuania: Parliament Passes Alcohol Policy Measures. Read more here...
2. Lithuania: Most People Happy with Alcohol Retail Laws. Read more here...
3. Contrasts in Alcohol-Related Mortality in Czechia and Lithuania. Read more here...

More from the NTAKK website.

 

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

 

1. Wales: Alcohol Use Falls After MUP Introduction. Read more here...
2. Since Uber Came to Town: Ride-Sharing Fuels Alcohol Harm. Read more here...
3. Adolescent Alcohol Use Trajectories: Risk Factors and Adult Outcomes. Read more here...
4. Coca-Cola Pushes into Big Alcohol, Plans Launch of First Alcohol Product in USA by 2021. Read more here...

 

For feedback, questions and suggestions of future topics, please get in touch at: info@movendi.ngo 

 

And here is the Alcohol Issues Newsletter for week 41.

 

Alcohol Issues - Lessons from an advocacy success story

Alcohol Issues - Episode 4

Lessons from an advocacy success story

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

For this fourth episode, we are talking with Caterina Giorgi, the CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) in Australia.

With Caterina, we discuss a massive advocacy success to secure alcohol warning labels in Australia and New Zealand against heavy alcohol industry opposition. We talk about the decision as such to understand it in detail. Caterina also reveals the tactics of the alcohol industry but the main focus of the conversation is the lessons that can be drawn from this advocacy success and what the future holds for other alcohol policy solutions.

This is an insightful, inspiring and engaging conversation that helps to shed light on some of the most important elements of successful advocacy campaigns.

This week we highlight four alcohol issues that we think deserve special attention. In policy news, we talk about Sweden’s plan to raise alcohol taxes; and we take a look at two European countries’ alcohol policy during the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

And interestingly, this week’s Science Digest and Big Alcohol Watch overlap, meaning that we are discussing two new compelling studies that help expose alcohol industry strategies.

Resources for the conversation with Caterina Giorgi

Follow Caterina on Twitter.

 

The news story about the alcohol pregnancy warning label decision: "Australia: Ministers Adopt Pregnancy Warning Labeling, Reject Big Alcohol"

 

More from the FARE website.

 

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

In terms of alcohol policy news, this week we published a story about alcohol policy developments in Sweden and we take a look at the role of alcohol in the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in some countries Estonia and France) and how they are responding.

 

This week’s Science Digest and Big Alcohol Watch overlap, meaning that we are discussing two new compelling studies that help expose alcohol industry strategies.

The first study we want to highlight was recently published and exposes how the alcohol uses so called nudges and sludges to exploit people’s cognitive biases in order to undermine awareness of alcohol harm and recognition of scientific evidence.

The second study we want to highlight exposes alcohol industry strategies to undermine independent science.

 

For feedback, questions and suggestions of future discussion topics, please get in touch at: info@movendi.ngo 

 

And here is the Alcohol Issues Newsletter for week 39.

 

 

Alcohol Issues - Alcohol as obstacle to development

Alcohol Issues - Episode 3

Alcohol as obstacle to development

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

For this third episode, I’m talking with Dudley Tarlton who is a program specialist for health and development at the United Nations Development Program, UNDP.

It’s an insightful conversation that provides unique perspectives on alcohol as obstacle to development and some inspiring ideas how to tackle it.

UNDP stands out among UN programs and agencies for their strong support of WHO and for their commitment to work on alcohol, health and development. I talk with Dudley about why UNDP is so committed and why some other UN programs and agencies are not yet addressing alcohol harm in their specific fields of expertise.

Dudley and UNDP address alcohol as obstacle to development not only from a health burden perspective but are also making other linkages – to poverty, economy and even environment. Dudley is also going into more detail regarding this unique approach.

And we discuss alcohol policy solutions as catalysts for development: how that works, what resonates with countries and what Dudley thinks are key issues to advance alcohol policy solutions to accelerate the SDGs.

 

Regarding the weekly highlights of alcohol issues in policy, science and Big Alcohol revelations, we discuss the alcohol burden in the UK; in science digest we talk about alcohol use and brain damage; and in the Big Alcohol Exposed segment we will dive into a new report about how health harmful industries exploit COVID-19 for marketing purposes.

 

Resources for the conversation with Dudley Tarlton, program specialist, health and development, UNDP

Follow Dudley on Twitter.

 

Overview of alcohol as obstacle to development and linkages to other SDGs adversely affected by alcohol.

 

More information about the SAFER technical package, on the WHO website.

 

UNDP's work on NCDs

• Issue brief "Preventing and controlling NCDs"
• UNDP guidance note on NCDs investment cases

Fact sheet: Alcohol and NCDs

https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/05/20/new-resource-alcohol-and-ncds-harm-and-solutions/

 

More about the WHO-UNDP Joint Program on alcohol, infectious diseases and violence

1. Example workshop in African region: https://www.who.int/substance_abuse/activities/botswana_2016/en/ 
2. Overall description of the joint program

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

In terms of alcohol policy news, this week we published a long-read about alcohol harm in the UK, to foster understanding of current issues and the alcohol burden in the country. Two reports came out recently that – taken together – bring into focus the specific alcohol issues troubling British society and the solutions that communities are calling for.

 

This week’s alcohol issues in science are about alcohol harm to the human brain.

A new study has found even low-dose alcohol use can lead to brain damage in the form of loss of brain volume. These new findings have implications specifically for middle aged and older people. 

 

This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol dives into a new report about how health harmful industries exploit COVID-19 for marketing purposes.

A brand new report by the NCD Alliance and the SPECTRUM Research Consortium has exposed how Big Alcohol along with other unhealthy industries turns COVID-19 into the world’s largest marketing campaign. The report outlines four main strategies used by these industries and contains more than 360 examples of alcohol industry activities exploiting the public health crisis to pursue profit maximization.

 

For feedback, questions and suggestions of future discussion topics, please get in touch at: info@movendi.ngo 

 

Alcohol Issues - Understanding the global governance of alcohol

Alcohol Issues - Episode 2

Understanding the global governance of alcohol

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

For this second episode, we are following-up on last week’s conversation with Dag Rekve, senior technical officer for alcohol, other drugs and addictive behaviors at the World Health Organization and we are going more in depth on some of the most interesting points that Dag Rekve talked about.

 

Regarding the weekly highlights of alcoohl issues in policy, science and Big Alcohol revelations, we discuss a brand new WHO policy brief on COVID-19 and NCDs, a brand new study on the link between alcohol and obesity, and we shed light on the alcohol industry's continuing market concentration with a story from Nigeria.

 

Resources for the conversation with Dag Rekve, WHO and our in-depth comments

In this follow-up episode, we explore the global governance of alcohol and examine in more detail the successes and failures of the last decade in global alcohol policy-making.

 

"WHO: Countries Request Accelerated Action on Alcohol" https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/02/10/who-countries-request-accelerated-action-on-alcohol-harm/ 

 

Guest expert blog post by Clare Slattery and Suzanne Zhou, McCabe Centre for Law and Cancer:

"Where Next for the Global Governance of Alcohol and Public Health?"

https://movendi.ngo/blog/2020/07/27/where-next-for-the-global-governance-of-alcohol-and-public-health/ 

 

Fact sheet: Alcohol and NCDs

https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/05/20/new-resource-alcohol-and-ncds-harm-and-solutions/

 

Understanding alcohol as obstacle to development, including loss of human capital

https://movendi.ngo/the-issues/the-problem/obstacle-to-development/ and https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/12/04/new-resource-how-alcohol-affects-the-sdgs/ 

 

All about the SAFER initiative, alcohol policy blue print and technical guidance

1. Prioritizing action on alcohol for health and development - BMJ article https://movendi.ngo/reports/prioritising-action-on-alcohol-for-health-and-development/ 
2. WHO: New Technical Guide for Alcohol Policy https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/12/14/who-new-technical-guide-for-alcohol-policy/ 
3. New SAFER Initiative Launched at UN https://movendi.ngo/news/2018/09/28/new-safer-initiative-launched-at-united-nations/

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

In terms of alcohol policy news, there is a brand new policy brief about noncommunicable diseases during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/11/who-new-policy-brief-on-ncds-during-covid-19/ 

 

This week’s alcohol issues in science also address alcohol’s role in the NCDs tsunami. A brand new study shows that alcohol plays a strong role in obesity.

https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/07/study-alcohol-use-linked-with-obesity/ 

This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol highlights the issue of market concentration and domination. The story this week is about Heineken in Nigeria pushing for further for beer market dominationthrough increasing its power over Nigerian Breweries. https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/11/nigeria-heineken-pushes-further-for-beer-market-domination/ and https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/04/big-alcohol-more-market-concentration-and-alcohol-market-changes/ 

 

For feedback, questions and suggestions of future discussion topics, please get in touch at: info@movendi.ngo 

 

 

Alcohol Issues - Reflecting with the WHO about the past, present and future of alcohol control

Alcohol Issues - Episode 1

Reflecting with the WHO about the past, present and future of alcohol control

Movendi International's weekly conversation about the latest alcohol issues in policy and science and new alcohol industry revelations.

Every episode, we are also bringing you an in-depth conversation about alcohol issues of global importance.

For the very first podcast episode, we’ve set down with Dag Rekve, the senior technical officer at the World Health Organization in Geneva, working on “alcohol, drugs and addictive behaviors”.

 

Regarding the weekly highlights of alcohol issues in policy, science and Big Alcohol revelations, we discuss alcohol and violence, new data from Sweden about the costs and magnitude of alcohol's harm to others; we discuss a new scientific comment about alcohol's burden during COVID-19; and we shed light on the alcohol industry's strategies to exploit the pandemic for their purposes.

 

Resources for the conversation with Dag Rekve, WHO 

In this, Dag Rekve discusses the global alcohol burden, successes and failures in the response to alcohol harm and key issues for improving the future of alcohol control.

 

"WHO: Countries Request Accelerated Action on Alcohol" https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/02/10/who-countries-request-accelerated-action-on-alcohol-harm/ 

 

Understanding alcohol as obstacle to development, including loss of human capital

https://movendi.ngo/the-issues/the-problem/obstacle-to-development/ and https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/12/04/new-resource-how-alcohol-affects-the-sdgs/ 

 

Prioritizing action on alcohol for health and development - BMJ article https://movendi.ngo/reports/prioritising-action-on-alcohol-for-health-and-development/ 

 

"Russia: Alcohol Control Policy Works" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/10/02/russia-alcohol-control-policy-works/ 

Resources to reflect more about cognitive dissonance:

"Big Alcohol and the Importance of Coporate Literacy in the 21st Century" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/06/18/big-alcohol-and-the-importance-of-corporate-literacy-in-the-21st-century/ 

"Australia: CEOs, Law makers Are the Biggest Alcohol Users" https://movendi.ngo/news/2019/04/17/australia-ceos-are-biggest-alcohol-users/ 

 

Resources for the weekly alcohol issues update

In terms of alcohol policy news, there is new evidence about the link between alcohol and violence and how alcohol policy solutions help reduce violence, and there is new data from Sweden about the costs and magnitude of alcohol's harm to others.

"Sweden: Alcohol Violence Massive, Costly Societal Problem"

https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/04/sweden-alcohol-violence-massive-costly-societal-problem/ 

 

"New Zealand: Alcohol Violence Declines After Late-Night Alcohol Sales Regulations" https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/08/29/new-zealand-alcohol-violence-declines-after-late-night-alcohol-sales-regulations/ 

 

This week’s alcohol issues in science is about alcohol and COVID-19:

"Alcohol's Healthcare Burden during COVID-19 Pandemic" https://movendi.ngo/reports/alcohols-healthcare-burden-during-covid%E2%80%9019-pandemic/ 

 

This week’s alcohol issues concerning Big Alcohol highlights strategies to exploit the pandemic:

https://movendi.ngo/news/2020/09/02/big-alcohol-targets-kids-exploits-pandemic-to-promote-alcohol/ 

 

For feedback, questions and suggestions of future discussion topics, please get in touch at: info@movendi.ngo