Alcohol consumption situation, its impacts and control

measures in other countries

Key points for presentation

• General Situation• Alcohol consumption situation• Its impacts and control measures

in Cambodia

General Situation• Cambodia has no alcohol control policy• Some articles of land traffic law states about drink driving

(0.25 per liter of breath and 0.5 per liter of blood will be charged).

• Cambodia has no age limitation. • Cambodia has no alcohol ban—places, occasion, time…

etc.• The general election in 2008 had been banned during the cooling

and election days because an invention petition from NGOs. • We have only two communes have issued a notification to ban

alcohol in their communes so far.

Alcohol consumption situation

Graph 1: Age of Respondents First Started to Consume Alcohol Beverage (n=1185)

16%

58%

15%

11%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Under 18 Age 18-25 Age 25-30 Over 30

Table 1: Comparison of Alcohol Users by Province and Gender

Province

MenWomen

Respondents Consumers Percent Respondents Consumers Percent

Battambang150

141 94% 50 28 56%

Banteay Meanchey154

148 96% 46 28 61%

Siem Reap129

120 93% 71 44 62%

Kampong cham123

115 93% 77 43 56%

Phnom Penh 166

154 93% 34 17 50%

Svay Rieng161

153 95% 39 25 64%

Takeo164

149 91% 36 20 56%

Total1047

980 94% 353 205 58%

Table 2: Consumers by vocation

Types of OccupationRespondents

Consumers Percent

Wage workers141

133 94%

Students of secondary and tertiary levels

247193 78%

Motor taxi driver/ taxi drivers 194

186 96%

Farmers and ordinary people549

432 79%

Police/soldiers police and military officers

130128 98%

Teachers139

113 81%

Total 1400 1185 85%

41%

13%

37%

5%4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Rice Liquor Medicinal Liquor Beer Bottled Wine Palm Wine

Graph 2: Type of Beverage First Taken (n=1185)

Graph 3: Frequency of Consumption (n=1184)

Daily17%

1-3 time/week18%

1-3 time/month22%

Occassional43%

62%

35%

3%

82%

14%

4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

> half litre half - 2 litres > 2 litres 1-5 can(s) 6-10 cans > 10 cans

Rice Liquor Beer

Graph 4: Normally consumed volume(n=686 for liquor; n=487 for beer)

Alcohol impacts and control measures in Cambodia

Alcohol Impacts

1.Expenditures on Alcohol

• Most household expenditure for alcohol beverage is in range of 1,100-5,000 riels (USD 0.27-1.25) per day.

• Focus group in Kruos commune, Svay Rieng province mentioned that the people could earn an income 1,000 riels per day.

The price of Rice liquor is also 1,000 riels.

Alcohol Impacts

2.Physical and Social Consequences

- Alcohol use affects health of individual (95%) - 70% said that it resulted in ulcer - 62% hepatitis - 42% headache - 98% said that alcohol use affects social security

and orders (domestic violence, stealing, robbery, disturbing neighbors, beating each other, destroyed public assets, loss of dignity)

Control Measures

1. Alcohol Reduction Working Group

• Set up a stakeholder that composed of different institutions, NGOs, youth, media, WHO and government. The stakeholder has monthly meeting. The meeting focus on: + Strategic plan for advocacy + Information sharing

• Engage decision-makers to consider on alcohol policy (Ministry of Health, National Assembly Commission 8).

• Lobby and advocacy at national level• Campaign for No alcohol drinking during cooling and

election days.

Roles of NGOS• Raise awareness to public, esp. communities and youth.

- Prevention program+ Project implemented by PDP-Center + Project initiated and implemented by

communities- Collecting data- Media Campaign- Roundtable discussion with the youth and students- Give some consultations for alcohol addicted persons

Alcohol Policy Development Working Group (Ministry of Health)

• The working group’s composition of health sectors from government and NGOs.

• In the working group has a technical committee (Govt + NGOs)

• Technical committee has been developing a draft of National Alcohol Policy Control since March, 2009.

• It is not finished yet.

Challenges

• Less experience on alcohol policy development

• Alcohol Drinking is deep rooted in Cambodia that it is difficult to tackle

• Limited budget• No data on government expenditures to

give treatment for those who are alcohol harmfulness.

Results• Alcohol Policy Development Working Group under

leadership of Ministry of Health has started to draft a policy early this year.

• Good cooperation from Government, Parliament and NGOs

• Prime Minister issued a directive to curb alcohol use during cooling and election days.

• In the targeted communities alcohol consumption is reduced.

Thank you very much for your attention