Gender and alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems in Latin America and the Caribbean

Over the last decade alcohol consumption has become an increasing concern as a public health issue. Alcohol is one of the major causes of global disease, with men bearing most of the burden of alcohol-related diseases. In developing nations, alcohol ranks as the fourth cause of disability among men. Alcohol consumption is particularly problematic in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). While the proportion of all deaths worldwide that can be attributed to alcohol use is 1.5 percent, that figure is 4.5 percent for the LAC nations. Efforts to reduce the negative social and public health effects of alcohol need to take into account the sociocultural context in which occurs, and especially gender roles. That is according to a discussion paper recently relaesed by the World Bank that is entitled "Gender Dimensions of Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-related Problems in Latin America and the Caribbean". Adverse effects of alcohol consumption range from acute maladies and injuries to a host of long-term chronic conditions that include brain damage, high blood pressure, stroke, cancers, and muscle and bone diseases. The individual who consumes the alcohol is not the only one affected by it; the drinker's family and community also bear the costs. In addition, alcohol plays an important role in investigating unsafe sexual practices and violent behaviors, particularly within the family. A primary example is domestic violence, much of which is directed against women and children (AU)