Changing pattern of Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Nepal -{Featured in Nepal Health Magazine}
Background: The growing globalization have contributed the increase of burden of Non communicable diseases exponentially as it accounts 80% of the world mortality. This concerns the global community urging measures to quantify major risk factors of non-communicable diseases.
Objective: To narrate and summarize the result of last three consecutive STEPS survey
Methods: The Steps survey country report of 2007,2013 and 2019 was accessed which is freely available in www.who.int/ncds/surveillance/steps/nepal/en/ . Essential data were sorted, categorized, analyzed and tabulated as per needed.
Alcohol
Alcohol has been widely used in Nepal in all forms such as Beer, Rum, Whiskey, Vodka. The forms of alcohol are commercially available and also locally produced by fermentation of millet, grains etc. Scientifically, alcohol has been linked to causation of various NCD’s such as cancer, cirrhosis, stroke and hypertension WHO estimates, alcohol accounts for causation 10% non-communicable diseases globally .Similarly, the STEPS survey gathers information on various behavioral aspects related to alcohol intake. Raksi (locally brewed alcohol) was the most preferred alcohol followed by Jaad.
Figure 1: Pattern of Alcohol consumption Link to clear image
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The alcohol abstainers (forbidding the use of alcohol) seems to be increasing as the percentage of life time alcohol abstainers increase from 62.7% to 72.2%. Though slight decrement is seen in STEPs 2019, however overall progress shows positive sign. Similarly, the overall percentage of regular consumer seems to be decreased from 28.5 to 20.8. A slight increase has been seen in alcohol consumption over period of 6 years(STEP 2013-STEP 2019.)Addition to this, percentage of heavy episodic drinker has drastically reduced from 33.3% to 6.8% over the period of 12 years (STEPs 2007-STEPs 2019).This indicates positive point since heavy episodic drinking habit as associated with harmful use of alcohol.