[Strategy for the promotion of equitable and healthy relationships in educational centers in Barcelona]. / Estrategia de promoción de relaciones equitativas y saludables en centros educativos de Barcelona.

The educational system is one of the most powerful agents of socialization; it can contribute to perpetuate the gender system and tolerance towards violence or on the contrary, to reduce violence by promoting more equitable and healthy relationship models. The Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona set out to design a strategy to prevent violence by promoting equitable and healthy relationships at different educational levels in schools in the city of Barcelona. The objective of this article is to present the process of developing this strategy. They characteristics are: (1) use of a participatory approach to ensure the quality and coherence of the process; (2) creation of a theoretical framework for the strategy; (3) use of the intervention mapping methodology as a strategy for the diagnosis, planning, design, development and evaluation of interventions to promote equitable and healthy relationships; and (4) adaptation or design and evaluation of different programs to incorporate different educational stages. It is argued that the strategy designed is considered adequate because it plans interventions to promote equitable and healthy relationships framed within a global educational strategy that starts in the early stages of early childhood education and is continued in all compulsory educational stages. This strategy is based on a conceptual framework that takes into account the determinants and social inequalities in health and promotes an approach based on the promotion of health assets and the use of participatory methodologies.

Estrategia de promoción de relaciones equitativas y saludables en centros educativos de Barcelona / Strategy for the promotion of equitable and healthy relationships in educational centers in Barcelona

El sistema educativo es uno de los agentes de socialización más potentes. Puede contribuir a perpetuar el sistema de género o por el contrario reducir la violencia mediante la promoción de modelos de relación más equitativos y saludables. La Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona se propuso diseñar una estrategia de prevención de la violencia mediante la promoción de las relaciones equitativas y saludables en los diferentes niveles educativos de los centros educativos de la ciudad de Barcelona. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar el proceso de desarrollo de esta estrategia. Sus características son: 1) utilización de un enfoque participativo para garantizar la calidad y la coherencia del proceso; 2) creación de un marco teórico para la estrategia; 3) utilización de la metodología de mapeo de intervenciones como estrategia para el diagnóstico, la planificación, el diseño, el desarrollo y la evaluación de las intervenciones de promoción de relaciones equitativas y saludables; y 4) adaptación o diseño y evaluación de diversos programas para incorporar a las diferentes etapas educativas. Se argumenta que la estrategia diseñada se considera adecuada porque planea las intervenciones de promoción de relaciones equitativas y saludables enmarcadas en una estrategia educativa global que se inicie en etapas tempranas de la educación infantil y se continúe en todas las etapas educativas obligatorias. Esta estrategia se basa en un marco conceptual que tiene en cuenta los determinantes y las desigualdades sociales en la salud, y que promueve un enfoque basado en la promoción de activos en salud y el uso de metodologías participativas. (AU)

The educational system is one of the most powerful agents of socialization; it can contribute to perpetuate the gender system and tolerance towards violence or on the contrary, to reduce violence by promoting more equitable and healthy relationship models. The Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona set out to design a strategy to prevent violence by promoting equitable and healthy relationships at different educational levels in schools in the city of Barcelona. The objective of this article is to present the process of developing this strategy. They characteristics are: (1) use of a participatory approach to ensure the quality and coherence of the process; (2) creation of a theoretical framework for the strategy; (3) use of the intervention mapping methodology as a strategy for the diagnosis, planning, design, development and evaluation of interventions to promote equitable and healthy relationships; and (4) adaptation or design and evaluation of different programs to incorporate different educational stages. It is argued that the strategy designed is considered adequate because it plans interventions to promote equitable and healthy relationships framed within a global educational strategy that starts in the early stages of early childhood education and is continued in all compulsory educational stages. This strategy is based on a conceptual framework that takes into account the determinants and social inequalities in health and promotes an approach based on the promotion of health assets and the use of participatory methodologies. (AU)

Assessing the association between tourism and the alcohol urban environment in Barcelona: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Alcohol availability and promotion are not distributed equally in the urban context. Evidence shows that the socioeconomic level seems to influence the amount of alcohol-related elements in an area. Some studies suggest that tourism could also affect the distribution of these elements. We explore with a valid instrument in a large city whether there is an association between high tourism pressure and a greater presence of alcohol-related elements in the urban environment. DESIGN: Observational ecological study. SETTING: The study was conducted in Barcelona during 2017-2018. PARTICIPANTS: We assessed urban exposure to alcohol by performing social systematic observation using the OHCITIES Instrument in a stratified random sample of 170 census tracts within the city's 73 neighbourhoods. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: For each census tract we calculated the density of alcohol premises, and of promotion in public places per 1000 residents. We estimated tourism pressure using the number of tourist beds per 1000 residents in each neighbourhood and calculated quartiles. To assess the relationship between rate ratios of elements of alcohol urban environment and tourism pressure, we calculated Spearman correlations and fitted Poisson regression models with robust error variance. RESULTS: The median densities obtained were of 8.18 alcohol premises and of 7.59 alcohol advertising and promotion elements visible from the public space per 1000 population. Census tracts with the highest tourism pressure had 2.5 (95% CI: 1.85-3.38) times more outlets and 2.3 (95% CI: 1.64-3.23) times more promotion elements per 1000 residents than those in the lowest tourism pressure quartile. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a strong association between tourism pressure and alcohol exposure in the city of Barcelona.

Enforcing regulations on alcohol sales and use as universal environmental prevention.

The informal social control over alcohol consumption that was traditional in Southern European countries has weakened. At the same time there is an increase in binge drinking and drunkenness among young people in Spain. To mitigate this problem, regulations on alcohol and driving and restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol have been adopted. This paper documents the current regulations in the city of Barcelona and describes efforts to enforce them and their outcomes. Data from the municipal information systems on infringements reported for the period 2008-13 are provided. There is an increasing pressure of municipal services to enforce the rules in two areas: a) alcohol sales at night (retailers); and b) consumption in the public space (citizens). An increase in the controls of drink-driving has also taken place, and the proportion above legal limits has decreased. The largest relative increase occurred in the control of retailers. In Barcelona interventions are made to limit the supply and consumption of alcohol at low cost and during the night, and of driving under the influence of alcohol. There have been no documented episodes of massive drinking in public spaces (known as 'botellón') in the city. These actions, which complement other preventive efforts based on health education, can change the social perceptions of alcohol by minors in a direction less favorable to consumption, promoting environmental prevention.

El control social informal sobre el consumo de alcohol, tradicional en los países del Sur de Europa, se ha debilitado. Este cambio ha ido acompañado de un incremento de los episodios de consumo intensivo y borracheras en jóvenes en España. Para mitigar este problema, se han adoptado regulaciones sobre alcohol y conducción, y otras que restringen la venta y el consumo de alcohol. Este trabajo documenta las regulaciones vigentes y describe los esfuerzos realizados en la ciudad de Barcelona en este campo y sus resultados. Asimismo, se recopilan datos de infracciones denunciadas en los sistemas de información municipal para el período 2008-13.Se observa un incremento de la presión de los servicios municipales para hacer cumplir las normas en dos aspectos: a) la venta en horario nocturno (establecimientos); y b) el consumo en la vía pública (ciudadanía). Por otra parte, también se aprecia un aumento en la actividad de control de la alcoholemia de los conductores, mientras que la proporción que superan los límites legales descendió. El mayor incremento relativo se ha producido en las acciones sobre establecimientos.En Barcelona se realizan intervenciones para limitar la oferta y consumo de alcohol a bajo coste y en horario nocturno, así como la conducción bajo la influencia del alcohol. En la ciudad no se han documentado episodios de botellón masivo en espacios públicos. Estas acciones, que complementan otros esfuerzos preventivos basados en la educación para la salud, pueden modificar la percepción social del alcohol por los menores en un sentido menos favorable al consumo, contribuyendo a crear un entorno de prevención ambiental.

[Population-based studies on alcohol-related harm in Spain]. / Estudios poblacionales en España sobre daños relacionados con el consumo de alcohol.

Based on the review of scientific papers and institutional reports on the subject and analysis of some secondary data, we assess the alcohol-related harm in Spain between 1990 and 2011. In 2011 they could be attributable to alcohol, 10% of the total mortality of the population aged 15-64, and about 30% of deaths due to traffic accidents. Among the population aged 15-64 years at least 0.8% had alcohol use disorders, an additional 5% could have harmful alcohol consumption that would need clinical evaluation, and about 20% had had some acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) in the last year. The AAI accounted for approximately 0.5-1.1 % of hospital emergency visits. Social costs of alcohol could represent 1% of gross domestic product. The prevalence of alcohol-related harm was significantly higher in men than women, with a male/female ratio greater than three for alcohol-related mortality and serious injuries, and this situation has hardly changed in the last 20 years. Alcohol-related harm has followed a downward trend, except for AAI. In 1990-2011 the standardized mortality rates related to alcohol decreased by half. Large gaps in knowledge and uncertainties on alcohol-related harm in Spanish population, clearly justify the institutional support for the research in this field and the implementation of a comprehensive monitoring system.

Association between stricter alcohol advertising regulations and lower hazardous drinking across European countries.

AIMS: To analyse the association between alcohol advertising restrictions and the prevalence of hazardous drinking among people aged 50-64 years in 16 European countries, taking into account both individual and contextual-level factors (alcohol taxation, availability, etc.). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study based on SHARE project surveys. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 27 773 subjects, aged 50-64 years, from 16 European countries who participated in wave 4 of the SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) project. MEASUREMENTS: We estimated the prevalence of hazardous drinking (through adaptation of the SHARE questions to the scheme used by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption (AUDIT-C) for each country. To determine whether the degree of advertising restrictions was associated with prevalence of hazardous drinking, we fitted robust variance multi-level Poisson models, adjusting for various individual and contextual variables. Prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were obtained. FINDINGS: The observed prevalence of hazardous drinking was 24.1%, varying by sex and country. Countries with greater advertising restrictions had lower prevalence of hazardous drinking: 30.6% (95% CI = 29.3-31.8) in countries with no restrictions, 20.3% (95% CI = 19.3-21.2) in countries with some restrictions and 14.4% (95% CI = 11.9-16.8) in those with greatest restrictions. The PR found (with respect to countries with greatest restrictions) were 1.36 (95% CI = 0.90-2.06) for countries with some restrictions and 1.95 (95% CI = 1.31-2.91) for those with no advertising restrictions. CONCLUSIONS: The extent of advertising restrictions in European countries is associated inversely with prevalence of hazardous drinking in people aged 50-64 years.

Apertura de espacios de consumo higiénico y actuaciones policiales en zonas con fuerte tráfico de drogas. Evaluación mediante el recuento de las jeringas abandonadas en el espacio público / Safe injection rooms and police crackdowns in areas with heavy drug dealing. Evaluation by counting discarded syringes collected from the public space

Se analiza la evolución de la inyección de drogas en espacios públicos usando como indicador el recuento del número de jeringuillas retiradas de la vía pública, evaluando además la influencia de las intervenciones sanitarias de reducción de daños y las policiales, mediante un estudio cuasi-experimental antes-después. Para cada intervención se contabilizan las jeringas recogidas mensualmente el semestre anterior y posterior tanto en el distrito implicado como en el conjunto de la ciudad, comparando mediante pruebas U y z la situación con un nivel de confianza del 95%. La media mensual de jeringas recogidas disminuye de 13.132 en 2004 a 3.190 en 2012. Comparando los indicadores antes y después de la apertura de espacios de consumo higiénico y de acciones policiales se aprecia que la puesta en marcha de un espacio sanitario para el consumo supervisado de drogas en el casco antiguo se acompaña de una notable reducción de las jeringas abandonadas en la ciudad, y su volumen no varía en el distrito en que está ubicado. La posterior apertura de otro espacio de consumo no comporta cambios significativos en la media de jeringas abandonadas en la zona. Algunas acciones policiales en 2005-06 y 2011 tienen un impacto notable en los indicadores de los distritos en que se producen y del conjunto de la ciudad, mientras que otras no parecen tener el mismo efecto. Los programas de reducción de daños pueden tener un impacto favorable en el consumo de drogas inyectadas en el espacio público y el abandono de jeringas. Algunas intervenciones policiales parecen tener impacto, otras no, y otras un modesto efecto local y temporal (AU)

The evolution of drug injection in public places is analysed using as indicator the number of syringes collected from public spaces, evaluating as well the influence of public health harm reduction interventions and of police actions, with a before and after quasi experimental study. Monthly syringe counts on the semester before and after each intervention were compared both in the involved district and in the city as a whole, using the U and z tests with a 95% confidence level. The average number of collected syringes drops from 13.132 in 2004 to 3.190 in 2012. Comparing indicators before and after health and police interventions, the opening of a facility with a supervised drug consumption room in the inner city was associated with a huge reduction in the number of abandoned syringes in the city, while its number did not rise in the district where the facility was located. The subsequent opening of another drug consumption room did not have a significant impact in collected syringes in the area. Some police interventions in 2005-2006 and 2011 had a significant impact in the indicators of the involved districts, while others did not. Harm reduction programs might have a favourable impact on drug injection in public spaces and related syringe presence. Some police interventions appear to have an impact while others do not or just have a modest local and temporary effect (AU)

[Safe injection rooms and police crackdowns in areas with heavy drug dealing. Evaluation by counting discarded syringes collected from the public space]. / Apertura de espacios de consumo higiénico y actuaciones policiales en zonas con fuerte tráfico de drogas. Evaluación mediante el recuento de las jeringas abandonadas en el espacio público.

The evolution of drug injection in public places is analysed using as indicator the number of syringes collected from public spaces, evaluating as well the influence of public health harm reduction interventions and of police actions, with a before and after quasi experimental study. Monthly syringe counts on the semester before and after each intervention were compared both in the involved district and in the city as a whole, using the U and z tests with a 95% confidence level. The average number of collected syringes drops from 13.132 in 2004 to 3.190 in 2012. Comparing indicators before and after health and police interventions, the opening of a facility with a supervised drug consumption room in the inner city was associated with a huge reduction in the number of abandoned syringes in the city, while its number did not rise in the district where the facility was located. The subsequent opening of another drug consumption room did not have a significant impact in collected syringes in the area. Some police interventions in 2005-2006 and 2011 had a significant impact in the indicators of the involved districts, while others did not. Harm reduction programs might have a favourable impact on drug injection in public spaces and related syringe presence. Some police interventions appear to have an impact while others do not or just have a modest local and temporary effect.