Cost-of-alcohol studies as a research programme:

摘要

AimsAccording to the literature, estimates of the costs of alcohol abuse serve four main purposes: They draw attention to the severity of alcohol problems, they help to target specific problems and policies, they identify information gaps and they provide a baseline for future cost-effectiveness studies. This paper evaluates to which extent these purposes have been met in recent studies and how likely they can be met in the future.MethodCritical review.MaterialThirty reports on alcohol costs published after 2000.ConclusionsEven the most sophisticated cost-of-alcohol calculations include entries based on misleading assumptions or logical mistakes. Monetary calculations do not add precision to the comparison of the weight of health problems. Cost calculations cannot be used to compare the extent or nature of alcohol problems in different countries. Cost calculations should focus on money spent from clearly defined budgets. Calculating the costs to “society” is not a promising research program. It is good to...