Both the European and Region of Americas have shown a 20% increase in alcohol consumption. The African Region (AFRO) and West Pacific Region (WPRO) follow with similar per capita consumption of each other at 6.2 and 6.3, respectively. At the lower end, the South-East Region (SEARO) displays a 2.2 per capita consumption and the lowest per capita consumption occurs in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO) at 0.7 (WHO, 2007-2008)[6]. In particular, countries around the Mediterranean area tend to exhibit a “wet culture” where they incorporate alcoholic beverages as apart of their diet. As a result heavy drinking or binge drinking is pretty low in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. While the wet culture does not justify the entirety of the low per capita consumption in this area, it is still a significant cultural pattern to explain this data (Bloomfield et al,
Both the European and Region of Americas have shown a 20% increase in alcohol consumption. The African Region (AFRO) and West Pacific Region (WPRO) follow with similar per capita consumption of each other at 6.2 and 6.3, respectively. At the lower end, the South-East Region (SEARO) displays a 2.2 per capita consumption and the lowest per capita consumption occurs in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO) at 0.7 (WHO, 2007-2008)[6]. In particular, countries around the Mediterranean area tend to exhibit a “wet culture” where they incorporate alcoholic beverages as apart of their diet. As a result heavy drinking or binge drinking is pretty low in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. While the wet culture does not justify the entirety of the low per capita consumption in this area, it is still a significant cultural pattern to explain this data (Bloomfield et al,