Health at a Glance: Europe 2014
This third edition of Health at a Glance: Europe presents a set of key indicators related to health status, determinants of health, health care resources and activities, quality of care, access to care, and health expenditure and financing in 35 European countries, including the 28 European Union member states, four candidate countries and three EFTA countries. The selection of indicators is based largely on the European Core Health Indicators (ECHI) shortlist, a set of indicators that has been developed to guide the reporting of health statistics in the European Union. This is complemented by additional indicators on quality of care, access to care and health expenditure, building on the OECD expertise in these areas.
Compared with the previous edition, this third edition includes a greater number of ECHI indicators, reflecting progress in the availability of comparable data in the areas of non-medical determinants of health and access to care. It also includes a new chapter dedicated to access to care, including selected indicators on financial access, geographic access and timely access.
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Alcohol consumption among adults
Alcohol related harm is a major public health concern in the European Union, both in terms of morbidity and mortality (Rehm et al., 2009; WHO Europe, 2012). Alcohol was the third leading risk factor for disease and mortality after tobacco and high blood pressure in Europe in 2012 and accounted for an estimated 7.6% of all men’s deaths and 4.0% of all women’s deaths, though there is evidence that women may be more vulnerable to some alcohol-related health conditions compared to men (WHO, 2014). High alcohol intake is associated with increased risk of heart, stroke and vascular diseases, as well as liver cirrhosis and certain cancers, but even moderate alcohol consumption increases the long term risk of developing such diseases. Foetal exposure to alcohol increases the risk of birth defects and intellectual impairments. Alcohol also contributes to death and disability through accidents and injuries, assault, violence, homicide and suicide, particularly among young people.
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