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Ingeborg Rossow

Publications and source records attributed to Ingeborg Rossow.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The extent of the 'prevention paradox' in alcohol problems as a function of population drinking patterns.

AIMS: To assess to what extent use of various criteria for high-risk groups and analyses from subpopulations with different drinking patterns may affect the extent of the prevention paradox (that most alcohol-related harm in populations arises within the drinkers at low risk). Data sets Two national surveys of Norwegian adult samples (n = 4321 current drinkers) and one register linkage of Swedish armed forces conscripts (n = 45 839 current drinkers) with in-patient hospital data. MEASURES: High-risk groups were categorized as the upper 10% of drinkers by annual alcohol intake or by intoxication frequency. Acute alcohol-related harms comprised number of quarrels and fights in the Norwegian surveys and number of hospital admissions for attempted suicide and violent injuries over a follow-up period (3 and 25 years) in the Swedish conscript study. RESULTS: The majority of acute alcohol problems were found among the majority of drinkers with low or moderate risk (the lower 90%) by drinking volume, suggesting empirical support for the prevention paradox. By applying frequency of intoxication rather than annual volume of consumption to determine the high-risk group, a somewhat larger proportion of acute alcohol-related harms was found within the high-risk group, and the number of alcohol-related harms tended to be distributed more evenly between high-risk drinkers and other drinkers. The proportion of alcohol-related harms within the risk groups was significantly lower in the younger age group, where the majority drinks to intoxication compared with other drinkers. CONCLUSION: The extent of the prevention paradox with respect to acute alcohol problems may be more prominent in drinking in subpopulations where intoxication is a common part of the drinking pattern compared with those where intoxication occurs less frequently and among a smaller fraction of the drinkers.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2006

Estimates of harm associated with changes in Swedish alcohol policy: results from past and present estimates.

AIMS: (i) To compare actual developments of alcohol-related harm in Sweden with estimates derived prior to major policy changes in 1995 and (ii) to estimate the effects on consumption and alcohol-related harm of reducing alcohol prices in Sweden. DESIGN: Alcohol effect parameters expressing the strength of the relationship between overall alcohol consumption and different alcohol-related harms were obtained from ARIMA (Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average) time-series analyses. MEASUREMENTS: Measures of Swedish alcohol-related mortality (liver cirrhosis, alcoholic psychosis, alcoholism and alcohol poisoning), accident mortality, suicide, homicide, assaults and sickness absence from 1950 to 1995. FINDINGS: Previous estimates of alcohol-related harm based on changes in alcohol consumption for the period 1994-2002 for Sweden were, in some cases (e.g. violent assaults and accidents), relatively close to the actual harm levels, whereas in other cases (e.g. homicides, alcohol-related mortality and suicide) they diverged from observed harm levels. A tax cut by 40% on spirits and by 15% on wine is estimated to increase total per capita alcohol consumption by 0.35 litre. This increase is estimated to cause 289 additional deaths, 1627 additional assaults and 1.6 million additional sickness absence days. CONCLUSIONS: The estimates of future changes in harm based upon even relatively modest increases in alcohol consumption produce considerable negative effects, with large economic consequences for the Swedish economy. The additional alcohol-related deaths, for instance, amount to more than half the number of yearly traffic fatalities in Sweden.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2006

Flux and stability: individual fluctuations, regression towards the mean and collective changes in alcohol consumption.

AIM: First, to extend the predictions of the collectivity theory of drinking cultures to contexts of ordinary panel data, thereby integrating collective change and individual fluctuations in consumption. Secondly, to develop a technique for controlling the regression towards the mean effect, in order to estimate the pattern of individual change, net of this effect. DESIGN: The task is, first and foremost, to develop a theoretical model, guided by earlier contributions and empirical results. The applicability of the model is illustrated through re-analyses of panel data on annual intake of alcoholic beverages from the Finnish alcohol reform in 1968-69, and Norwegian panel data from 1975 to 1976. FINDINGS: The model offers a reasonable fit to the data. It is demonstrated that a previous attempt at controlling the regression effect has overlooked a methodological complication, and therefore underestimates the real change. CONCLUSION: Analysis of the Finnish data demonstrates that the large increase in average consumption was due to approximately the same percentage-wise increase in the consumption level of drinkers at all levels, when the regression effect was controlled for. Thus, in absolute terms the increase was largest among the heavier drinkers.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2005

[Sources of intoxication--how do adolescents get hold of alcohol?].

BACKGROUND: Norway has a legal age limit for buying beer and wine of 18, 20 for spirits. Knowledge about how under-aged adolescents procure alcohol and the relative importance of the various sources is important in order to reduce the availability of alcohol among adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a national school-based survey among 12,000 students in junior and senior high school a sub-sample comprising 13 to 17-year-old current drinkers were asked to state the frequency with which they had obtained alcohol from 8 different sources in the past 12 months. RESULTS: On average the respondents had obtained alcohol 11 times during the past year. The most frequently used source was "other adolescents" which constituted one third of the total number of times when alcohol had been obtained. Other important sources were "at home" (given or stolen), 20%; "off-premise and on-premise sales" (stores, wine and spirits outlets, bars, pubs etc., 22%; and "other sources", 19%. Older adolescents and those who drank frequently obtained alcohol more often and from a larger number of sources than others. INTERPRETATION: Enforcing the legal age limits in on-premise and off-premise alcohol outlets as well as limiting adolescents' access to alcohol at home may reduce consumption and related harm among adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Intoxicants and suicidal behaviour among adolescents: changes in levels and associations from 1992 to 2002.

AIMS: To assess whether a substantial increase in substance use over a 10-year period has had an impact on the level of, or associations with, non-fatal suicidal behaviour among Norwegian teenagers. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Two cross-sectional school surveys applying identical procedures and measures in 1992 and 2002, using national samples comprising 11 000 and 12 000 13-19-year-old students. FINDINGS: A significant proportion of the increase in the prevalence of attempted suicide among girls could be attributed to the increase in substance use, taking into account other risk and protective factors. Among boys no net increase in the prevalence of attempted suicide was observed, and the impact of substance use on suicidal behaviour was lower in 2002 than in 1992. Yet, it also appeared that unobserved protective factors may have countered the impact of increased substance use among boys. For both genders a larger fraction of attempted suicides was attributable to alcohol intoxication than to use of any other substance. CONCLUSIONS: A significant increase in use of alcohol and drugs may not necessarily be reflected in changes in the level of suicidal behaviour. Further studies applying other data sources and designs are warranted to supplement and validate the present findings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Drinking pattern among adolescents with immigrant and Norwegian backgrounds: a two-way influence?

AIMS: To assess the association between drinking behaviour among adolescents with both immigrant and native backgrounds with aspects of acculturation. DESIGN: Cross-sectional school survey among 15-16 year olds. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: All students, a total of 8361, in 10th grade during spring 2000 and 2001 in Oslo, Norway with response rate 88.3%. The sample consisted of 1213 students with an immigrant background and 4627 students with a Norwegian background. MEASUREMENTS: Indicators of the length of the acculturation process were assessed as first versus second generation and in terms of length of stay in Norway. The proportion of Muslim students in school was an indicator of social environment 'dryness'. Drinking behaviour was assessed as drinking alcohol ever, drinking frequency and intoxication frequency. FINDINGS: A smaller proportion of immigrant students were current drinkers, frequent drinkers and drank to intoxication compared with adolescents with a Norwegian background. Adjusted two-level analyses showed that alcohol drinking was less common among immigrant students with a short stay in Norway and with a large proportion of Muslim students in school. In those with a Norwegian background there was a larger proportion of abstainers, and those who drank did so less frequently and were less frequently intoxicated the larger the proportion of Muslim students there was in their school. CONCLUSION: Drinking behaviour among adolescents in a multicultural and heterogeneous society seems to reflect a bi-directional acculturation process where the majority population tend to adapt to the behaviours of the immigrant population which in turn, to a varying degree, tends to adapt to the behaviour of the majority population.

Acculturation↗
PubMed2004

Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol.

The Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol (KBS) was established in 1987 and is an independent organization open to all scientists working on problems related to social and epidemiological research on alcohol. The aim of the Society is to promote social and epidemiological research which fosters a comparative understanding of the social aspects of alcohol use and alcohol problems. In line with this the Society also aims at promoting a spirit of international collaboration. The Kettil Bruun Society is based on individual membership and, by 2003, has 197 fully paid-up members, representing 34 different countries over five continents. The main activities include an annual meeting as well as thematic meetings. In these meetings, discussions are emphasized by having precirculated papers and assigned discussants. The KBS also serves as a basis for organizing international collaborative projects. Project meetings or work-shops are often organized around the annual meetings, and the projects tend to run over several years. The Society's primary influence is through the mutual influence of its members on each others' thinking, the work of the projects that KBS sponsors and the influence its members have collectively on the development of the field.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed2004

Who pays for the drinking? Characteristics of the extent and distribution of social harms from others' drinking.

AIMS: To explore the extent and distribution of experienced negative consequences from other people's drinking and to explore what characterizes the victims of these harms. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS: Cross-sectional survey in a national sample of adults. Net sample comprised 2170 respondents. Negative consequences from others' drinking during the past 12 months were assessed by seven items. RESULTS: The more severe types of consequences (being physically hurt or property damage) were reported less often (by 3.1% and 4.8%, respectively) than the least severe type of consequence (being kept awake at night by drunk people, reported by 21.2%), thus leaving the four other types of consequences (being harassed in public places, being harassed in private parties, being scolded at and being afraid of drunk people in public areas) somewhere in between. The extent to which the respondents had been subject to social harm from others' drinking displayed a very skewed distribution. The majority reported not to have experienced any such harms, whereas a small proportion had been harmed repeatedly and in various ways. Multivariate analyses showed that social harms from others' drinking were most often reported by younger persons, women, those with high education level, those who reported a higher annual alcohol intake, more frequent episodes of intoxication and more frequent visits to public drinking places. The impact of intoxication frequency on victimization from alcohol-related social harms was stronger for women than for men. Similar individual characteristics were also associated with victimization from physical harm and victimization in the public sphere. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively minor harms from others' drinking are experienced quite frequently. The social victims of others' drinking tend to drink heavily themselves, yet in contrast to what characterizes social consequences of own drinking, we find that the burden of social harms from others' drinking is to a larger extent carried by women than by men.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Alcohol and non-fatal drug overdoses.

The purpose of this study was to explore to what extent alcohol is a factor in non-fatal overdoses on the basis of records of ambulance emergencies, and to what extent this varies across gender and age. Furthermore, we wanted to investigate whether alcohol intake, in relation to an overdose, is associated with the risk of recurrent overdoses, and if so, whether such an association varies across gender and age. To investigate the role of alcohol intake in non-fatal overdoses, analyses were conducted both at the event level and at the individual level. Bivariate associations were explored in table analyses and by comparisons of means. To determine whether alcohol intake was associated with experiencing recurrent overdoses, survival analyses were conducted applying Kaplan-Meier estimation and Cox regression models. Furthermore, a linear regression model was estimated to assess the impact of gender age and number of overdoses on the proportion of overdoses in which alcohol was involved. Between groups of clients who had overdosed once, several times or many times, we found that there was a U-shaped relationship. The proportion of overdoses with alcohol involved was highest among those who had overdosed once and those who had overdosed more than ten times. The probability for a recurrent overdose was higher among those who were reported with no alcohol intake in the first overdose. Being female and having alcohol involved in the first overdose registered during our observation period reduced the risk for a recurrent overdose. However, age seemed to be a gradient with respect to alcohol's association with recurrent overdoses. While alcohol was associated with a significantly lower risk for recurrence in the two youngest age groups, this is not the case in the oldest age group. A possible explanation might be that it is a change in the pattern of drug use as an effect of aging where infrequent heroin use in combination with frequent alcohol intake increases with increasing age. For this type of drug users the individual's risk of recurrent overdoses may be lower due to fewer events of heroin intake.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Explaining the gender difference in self-reported suicide attempts: a nationally representative study of Norwegian adolescents.

Predictors of self-reported suicide attempts were studied cross-sectionally and prospectively in order to discern which variables may account for the gender difference in such reports. A representative sample of Norwegian students (N= 9,679) in grades 7-12 were followed from 1992 to 1994. More girls (10.4%) than boys (6.0%) reported a previous attempt and more girls (3.3%) than boys (1.9%) reported an attempt during the study period. The gender difference in previous suicide attempts was significantly reduced when depressed mood was controlled, and was no longer significant when disordered eating was included. There was no gender difference in future attempts when previous attempts, depressed mood, physical appearance, pubertal timing, and romantic involvement were controlled. Girls' higher level of risk factors may account for their higher level of self-reported nonfatal suicidal behavior.

Adolescent↗