European Alcoho... / Resources / Country Profiles / Czech Republic
Czech Republic
Since the 1960s, recorded per capital alcohol consumption has been on a steady rise. Just over 10 litres of pure alcohol per capita in 1961, it has risen to just over 16 litres per capita as of 2001. [1]
According to the 1999 ESPAD survey (total sample size n = 3579; age group 15 to 16 years), the rate of alcohol consumers was 41% (total), 51% (males) and 32% (females). Alcohol consumer was defined as lifetime use of 40 times or more. [2]
Not everyone, however, is drinking. According to the 2003 World Health Survey, the rate of lifetime abstainers was 11.9% (total), 4.3% (males) and 18% (females). [3]
A survey conducted among the adult Czech population found the rate of heavy drinking to be 30% among men and 13% among women. Heavy drinking was defined for men as consuming more than 50 ml of pure alcohol daily and for women as consuming more than 30 ml of pure alcohol daily. [4]
An urban survey conducted among 1118 men and 1125 women in a Czech city found the rates of problem drinking and of negative consequences of drinking to be 19% and 10% among Czech men. The mean annual intake of alcohol among Czech men was 8.5 litres and the mean drinking frequency among Czech men was 179 sessions per year. The average dose of alcohol consumed per drinking session was 46 g among Czechs. [5]
Youth Drinking: According to the 1997/1998 HBSC survey (total sample size n = 1229), 32% of 15-year-old boys and 19% of 15-year-old girls reported drinking beer, wine or spirits at least weekly. [6]
According to the 1999 ESPAD survey (total sample size n = 3579; age group 15 to 16 years), the rate of youth binge drinking was 17% (total), 25% (males) and 11% (females). Binge drinking was defined as consuming five or more drinks in a row three times or more in the last 30 days. [7]
Youth drunkeness: According to the 2001/2002 HBSC survey (total sample size n = 1660), the proportion of 15-year-olds who reported ever having been drunk two or more times was 37.5% for boys and 29% for girls. [8]
It has been reported that 5.3% of total road accidents are caused by drivers who consumed alcohol. [9]
The SDR per 100 000 people for chronic liver disease and cirrhosis was 16.86 in 2001 and 16.93 in 2002. [10]
[1] FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), World Drink Trends 2003.
[2] Hibell B et al. The 1999 ESPAD Report. The European School Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs: Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among Students in 30 European Countries. Stockholm, Council of Europe, 2000.
[3] Ustun TB et al. The World Health Surveys. In: Murray CJL, Evans DB, eds. Health Systems
Performance Assessment: Debates, Methods and Empiricism. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2003.
[4] Csémy L. Zdravi a skodlivé navyky: Alkohol – konzumni zvyklosti dospelé ceské populace [The health and addictive behaviours: drinking patterns of the Czech adult population]. Demographie, 2000, 42(1):31–36.
[5] Bobak M et al. Contribution of drinking patterns to differences in rates of alcohol-related problems between three urban populations. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2004, 58(3):238–242.
[6] Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: a WHO Cross-National Study (HBSC) International Report. Copenhagen, World Health Organization, 2000.
[7] Hibell B et al. The 1999 ESPAD Report. The European School Survey on Alcohol and Other Drugs: Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among Students in 30 European Countries. Stockholm, Council of Europe, 2000.
[8] Currie C et al., eds. Young people's health in context. Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: international report from the 2001/2002 survey. Copenhagen, WHO Health Policy for Children and Adolescents (HEPCA), 2004.
[9] Road traffic accidents with alcohol impairment in the Czech Republic
(http://www.cdv.cz/english/text/branch/road/eu-alk.htm, accessed 2004).
[10] European health for all database. World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe
(http://hfadb.who.dk/hfa, accessed 2004).
