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