Papers by Ingeborg Rossow
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Traditionally, adolescent drinking cultures differed between Nordic and Mediterranean countries; ... more Traditionally, adolescent drinking cultures differed between Nordic and Mediterranean countries; the former being characterised by low volume and relatively frequent heavy episodic drinking (HED). Across these drinking cultures, we examined the associations between alcohol volume and HED with respect to (i) secular trends at the country level and (ii) individual-level associations over time. The data stem from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) conducted among 15–16-year-olds in Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, France and Italy, employing six cross-sectional surveys from 1999 to 2019 (n = 126,126). Both consumption volume and HED frequency decreased in all Nordic countries and displayed a curvilinear trend in France and Italy. In all countries, consumption volume and HED correlated highly over time at the country level. At the individual level, the correlation was positive but with a varying magnitude over time and between countries. In 1999/2003,...
Drug and Alcohol Review, 2021
In a recent analysis of the effect of the complete advertising ban on alcohol in Norway, I found ... more In a recent analysis of the effect of the complete advertising ban on alcohol in Norway, I found that the ban led to a decrease in recorded alcohol sales. Jon Nelson offers comments on this study in two regards; my critical comments on his previous study of alcohol advertising bans and the time series analysis in my study. In this response to Nelson, I offer further explanation for my comments on Nelson's previous study and for the appropriateness of the analysis. [Rossow I. The alcohol advertising ban in Norway: A response to Nelson's comments. Drug Alcohol Rev 2021]
Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs NAD 3/10 Volume 27
Mortality Amongst Illicit Drug Users. Epidemiology, Causes and Intervention
Addiction, 2007
Page 1. Mortality amongst > illicit Drug users Epidemiology, Causes n O Shane Darke, L... more Page 1. Mortality amongst > illicit Drug users Epidemiology, Causes n O Shane Darke, Louisa Degenhardt and Richard Mattick z Page 2. 1 Why illicit drug-related deaths matter 1.1 Introduction Over the course of the past 40 ...
Addiction, 2005
The paper by Anzai et al. (2005) on alcohol consumption and the use of health services finds a U-... more The paper by Anzai et al. (2005) on alcohol consumption and the use of health services finds a U-shaped relationship between the level of consumption and in-patient health care utilization (and costs), and an inverse relationship with frequency of outpatient care (and costs). In arriving at this conclusion, the paper avoids many of the shortcomings of the literature, i.e. small sample size, selfselection of relatively well-off social strata, drawing causal conclusions from cross-sectional data, retrospective reporting and self-report on utilization. However, there are still the following questions remaining which the study could address more adequately.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Little is known about possible changes in alcohol consumption distribution during the COVID-19 pa... more Little is known about possible changes in alcohol consumption distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimated how individual changes in alcohol consumption during the pandemic translated into changes in: (i) mean consumption; (ii) dispersion of consumption distribution; and (iii) prevalence of heavy drinkers. We employed data from two independent web-surveys of Norwegian adults collected between April and July 2020 and limited to those reporting past year alcohol consumption (N1 = 15,267, N2 = 1195). Self-reports of changes in drinking behavior were quantified, assuming change being relative to baseline consumption level. During the pandemic, we found a small increase (Survey 1) or no change (Survey 2) in estimated mean alcohol consumption (which parallels to total consumption). However, in both surveys, the dispersion of the distribution increased significantly (p < 0.001). For most respondents, an average modest decline in consumption was found. However, the small fract...
Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
Aims: (i) To examine whether mean consumption and prevalence of at-risk drinking are highly corre... more Aims: (i) To examine whether mean consumption and prevalence of at-risk drinking are highly correlated across samples of older adults, and (ii) to explore whether sociodemographic and health characteristics of alcohol use differ across countries. Method: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in four European countries, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Portugal, applying identical data collection methods and survey instruments in general population samples of older adults aged 60 to 75 years. Alcohol consumption was measured as units of alcohol per week, which provided the basis for categorising the two outcome measures: abstention (0 units/week) and at-risk drinking (8+ units/week). Cross-tabulations and logistic regression models were estimated to examine associations between sociodemographic and health characteristics on the one hand and alcohol abstention and at-risk drinking on the other. Results: Prevalence of abstention was highest in Portugal and lowest in Denmark, whereas at-r...
The impact of alcohol consumption on work and education
Mapping the Social Consequences of Alcohol Consumption
Illicit drug use and oral health
Addiction
Decline in adolescent drinking: Some possible explanations
Drug and Alcohol Review
Socio‐economic differences in all‐cause mortality in people with alcohol use disorder: a prospective cohort study
Addiction
Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
Aim: The total consumption model (TCM) originates from studies of the distribution of alcohol con... more Aim: The total consumption model (TCM) originates from studies of the distribution of alcohol consumption and posits that there is a strong association between the total consumption and the prevalence of excessive/harmful consumption in a population. The policy implication of the TCM is that policy measures which effectively lead to a reduction of the total consumption, will most likely also reduce the extent of harmful consumption and related harms. Problem gambling constitutes a public health issue and more insight into problem gambling at the societal level and a better understanding of how public policies may impact on the harm level, are strongly needed. The aim of this study was to review the literature pertaining to empirical validity of the TCM with regard to gambling behaviour and problem gambling and, on the basis of the literature review, to discuss the policy implications of the TCM. Methods: The study is based on a literature mapping through systematic searches in liter...
Health care or social welfare in commissioning and purchasing of alcohol and other drug treatment: A comment to Ritter and van de Ven
Drug and Alcohol Review
Alcohol Consumption and Homicides in Canada, 1950–1999
Contemporary Drug Problems
... AUTHOR&#x27;S NOTE: Thanks are due to a collaborative group of researchers: Norman Giesbr... more ... AUTHOR&#x27;S NOTE: Thanks are due to a collaborative group of researchers: Norman Giesbrecht, Örjan Hemstrbm, Thor Norström, Mats Ramstedt, Robin Room, and Ole-J0rgen Skog. Mats Ramstedt and Bronwyn MacKen-zie are also thanked for helpful provision of data sets. ...
BMC Public Health
Background: Effective alcohol policy measures conflict with the interests of the alcohol industry... more Background: Effective alcohol policy measures conflict with the interests of the alcohol industry. In this study we addressed how various alcohol industry actors in Norway have responded to research findings and police data relating to the possible impacts of changes in on-premise trading hours on violent offending. Methods: A content analysis of documents was undertaken. The documents comprised i) hearing statements from policy processes on on-premise trading hours at the national level, and in 15 Norwegian cities, and ii) newspaper articles and other media coverage of this topic in Norway. Results: Alcohol industry actors employed a range of strategies to shape the use of evidence regarding on-premise trading hours and violence. Nationally, the relevance of the international research literature was questioned before the publication of an unfavourable national study which was criticized directly. This led to commissioned attacks on the findings, constructing what were claimed to be disagreements between experts, emphasis on the complexity of violence and the role of confounding variables, and deflecting attention to alternative interventions. The handling of evidence at the local level was importantly different, where different industry actors and forms of evidence, notably police data, were involved in debates. Conclusion: Alcohol industry actors employed various strategies to shape perceptions and use of evidence to advance their interests. The particular strategies and arguments changed over time as new data and research became available, and also varied between the national and the local levels, and by categories of industry actors.
The Validity of Political Arguments in the Norwegian Alcohol Policy Debate: Associations between Availability of Liquor and Consumption of Illegal Spirits
Contemporary Drug Problems
... Survey data (Reinas, 1989; Nordlund, 1992; Amundsen et al., 1995) have shown that unregistere... more ... Survey data (Reinas, 1989; Nordlund, 1992; Amundsen et al., 1995) have shown that unregistered consumption predomi-nantly relates to that of spirits: home-distilled spirits (moon-shine), smuggled liquors and spirits, and private import (whether tax-free or not). ...
Archives of Suicide Research
Objectives: To provide an updated review of the magnitude of the relationship between alcohol use... more Objectives: To provide an updated review of the magnitude of the relationship between alcohol use and suicidal behaviour at the individual and the population level. Methods: Systematic literature searches retrieved 14 reviews of individual level studies and 16 primary population level studies. Results: Alcohol abuse and alcohol intoxication are often present in suicidal behaviour; risk of suicide is elevated in alcohol abusers ; and increasing population drinking tends to be associated with increase in suicide rates. Estimated magnitude of the relationship differs for men and women and it varies at the population level across cultures with different drinking pattern. These variations probably reflect gender differences and cultural variation in drinking behaviour generally. Conclusion: Empirical evidence for a causal relationship is still urgently needed.
Patterns of Alcohol Consumption among Older Persons in Botswana
Contemporary Drug Problems
The blind men and the elephant-response to commentaries
Addiction, 2016
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Papers by Ingeborg Rossow