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. 2012:71.
doi: 10.3402/ijch.v71i0.18444. Epub 2012 Dec 17.

Alcohol in Greenland 1951-2010: consumption, mortality, prices

Hans Aage  1
Affiliations

Alcohol in Greenland 1951-2010: consumption, mortality, prices

Hans Aage. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2012.

Abstract

Background: Fluctuations in alcohol consumption in Greenland have been extreme since alcohol became available to the Greenland Inuit in the 1950s, increasing from low levels in the 1950s to very high levels in the 1980s - about twice as high as alcohol consumption in Denmark. Since then, consumption has declined, and current consumption is slightly below alcohol consumption in Denmark, while alcohol prices are far above Danish prices.

Objective: Description of historical trends and possible causal connections of alcohol prices, alcohol consumption and alcohol-related mortality in Greenland 1951-2010 as a background for the evaluation of the impact of various types of policy.

Design: Time series for Greenland 1951-2010 for alcohol prices, consumption and mortality are compiled, and variation and correlations are discussed in relation to various policies aimed at limiting alcohol consumption. Corresponding time series for Denmark 1906-2010 are presented for comparison.

Results: The trends in alcohol prices and consumption followed each other rather closely until the 1990s in Greenland and the 1980s in Denmark. At this time, consumption stabilised while prices decreased further, but the effect of prices upon consumption is strong, also in recent years. A trend in Greenlandic mortality similar to consumption is discernible, but not significant. Among alcohol-related deaths cirrhosis of the liver is less prevalent whilst accidents are more prevalent than in Denmark.

Conclusions: The effect of alcohol excise taxes and rationing upon consumption is evident. The stabilisation and subsequent decline in consumption since the mid-1990s, while alcohol prices decreased persistently, does not preclude continued effects of prices. On the contrary, price effects have been neutralised by other stronger causes. Whether these are government anti-alcohol campaigns or a cultural change is not clear.

Keywords: Greenland; alcohol; alcohol policy; consumption; mortality; purchasing power.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Alcohol consumption in Greenland (1951–2010) and Denmark (1906–2010). Note: annual consumption in litres pure alcohol per inhabitant above 14 years. GLcons: alcohol consumption in Greenland 1951��2010, DKcons: alcohol consumption in Denmark 1906–2010.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Deaths caused by alcohol generally and by cirrhosis of the liver specifically, in Greenland (1968–2009 and 1951–2009, respectively) and in Denmark (1906–2008). Note: deaths per 100,000 inhabitants above 14 years caused by cirrhosis hepatis, GLcirr (Greenland 1968–2009, 1951–1967 all liver diseases), DKcirr (Denmark 1906–2008), and by alcohol generally, GLmort (Greenland 1968–2009), DKmort (Denmark 1906–2008), which include besides cirrhosis of the liver also alcohol psychosis and delirium tremens, alcoholism, alcohol poisoning and – for Greenland, but not for Denmark – pancreatitis and after 1993 also some additional quantitatively less important alcohol-related diagnoses, cf. text.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Deaths caused by external causes in Greenland (1951–2010) and in Denmark (1906–2010). Note: deaths per 100,000 inhabitants above 14 years caused by external causes (traffic accidents, other accidents, suicides and other external causes) in Greenland (GRexte) and Denmark (DKexte).
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Alcohol purchasing power in Greenland (1951–2010) and Denmark (1906–2010). Note: alcohol purchasing power indicates the amount of pure alcohol in litres, which can be bought by the GDP per capita (at factor cost). GLpurc: alcohol purchasing power in Greenland 1951–2010. DKpurc: alcohol purchasing power in Denmark 1906–2010.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Alcohol consumption, mortality and purchasing power in Greenland (1951–2010). Note: time series have been scaled in order to illustrate possible correlations. GLcons: alcohol consumption, see Fig. 1 and Table I. GLmort#2: alcohol mortality divided by 2, see Fig. 2 and Table I. GLpurc#10: alcohol purchasing power divided by 10, see Fig. 3 and Table I.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Alcohol consumption and mortality caused by cirrhosis of the liver in Greenland (1951–2009). Note: see Fig. 5; GLcons see Fig. 1 and Table I. GLcirr#2: mortality caused by cirrhosis of the liver divided by 2, see Fig. 2 and Table I. In the years 1951–67 all liver diseases are included.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Alcohol consumption and mortality caused by external causes in Greenland (1951–2010). Note: see Fig. 5; GLcons see Fig. 1. GLexte#20: mortality caused by external causes divided by 20, see Fig. 3 and Table I.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Alcohol consumption, mortality and purchasing power in Denmark (1906–2010). Note: see Fig. 5 and Table I. DKcons: alcohol consumption, see Fig. 1. DKmort#2: alcohol mortality divided by 2, see Fig. 2. DKpurc#40: alcohol purchasing power divided by 40, see Fig. 4.
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References

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