ABSTRACT
The alcohol consumption is an important public health problem, classified in Europe as a third risk factor for disease and premature death after smoking and arterial hypertension. The National Observatory on Alcohol (ONA) evaluates and analyses every year the national databases and conducts monitoring on behalf of the Ministry of Health and in accordance with the National Statistical Plan and the activities of the "Alcohol monitoring system - SISMA" envisaged by the Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 3 March 2017 and by the recent start-up at ISS of the "central action" SISTIMAL aimed at the evaluation of implementation of national and regional alcohol that the Ministry of Health is committed in providing to World Health Organization (WHO). The ONA is the independent technical and scientific advisory body for the Ministries, the first Minister Office, the European Commission and the WHO. This report refers to 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic and shows the alcohol problems according to the new epidemiological scenarios redesigned by the COVID-19 emergency.
ABSTRACT
With the COVID-19 emergency, the National Observatory on Alcohol and the WHOCC-ITA79 have launched initiatives to counteract fake news circulation, to spread useful information and to investigate the harmful effects of social isolation in terms of alcohol consumption and alcohol dependence, detecting serious weaknesses in the dedicated services. In light of this, alcohol initiatives were discussed and reviewed during the various European and international webinars.