Health Promotion Report: Alcohol Misuse in the Moreland City Council

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of alcohol misuse within the context of public health, focusing on its significance at global, national (Australia), and state (Victoria) levels. It delves into the determinants of alcohol misuse, including economic, cultural, political, social, and environmental factors, and applies the Dahlgren and Whitehead model to illustrate the interplay of these determinants. The report examines the strengths and identified gaps of the Moreland City Council's well-being plan (2017-2021) in addressing alcohol-related issues, highlighting the need for a more focused approach on motivating citizens to reduce alcohol consumption and addressing mental well-being. The report concludes by emphasizing the global impact of alcohol misuse and the importance of targeted interventions.

HEALTH PROMOTION
STUDENT DETAILS
STUDENT DETAIL

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Significance of the chosen health issue......................................................................................2
Alcohol misuse issues at a different worldwide level................................................................4
Level 1: Global level..............................................................................................................4
Level 2: In Australia...............................................................................................................4
Level 3: In Victoria................................................................................................................4
Determinants of alcohol misuse.................................................................................................5
Economic determinants:.............................................................................................................5
Cultural determinants:............................................................................................................5
Political determinants:............................................................................................................5
Social determinants:...............................................................................................................6
Environmental determinants:.................................................................................................6
The Dahlgren and Whitehead (1991) model..........................................................................6
Strength of Moreland City Council well-being plan (2017 to 2021).........................................8
The identified gap of the plan:...................................................................................................8
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
The public health and well-being plans allow the government or official departments to sets
the direction regarding the health and well-being sector in an effective and efficient way
(Boffa, Tilton and Ah Chee, 2018). For this report, the selected municipal public health and
well-being plan are of “Moreland city council”. The vision of Moreland health authorities is
to ensure a healthy and sustainable city. The well-being plan of Moreland is also known in
the country for its proud diversity. Apart from this, alcohol misuse in the young population is
the chosen health issue for this report. It is observed that consuming more than 3 drinks in a
day on a regular basis is common among the youth. In this report, there will be a discussion
about the significance of the selected health issue. The selected issue will also be discussed at
three levels: global, Australia and Victoria. Determinants of health-related to the chosen issue
will also be identified in the report. Apart from this, health interventions to address health
determinants will also be identified in the report.
Significance of the chosen health issue
It is noted that young people tend to drink more alcohol because of various reasons such as: it
becomes a social trend, to escape their personal problems for a while, it gives them
enjoyment boost, etc. However, drinking too much alcohol resultant in higher probabilities of
occurrence of liver disease, hepatic steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, etc (Crossin, et.
al., 2019). Alcohol misuse also includes excessive use of alcohol. alcohol abuse, alcohol
dependence, etc. The importance of selecting this health issue is that there are many people
who are experiencing alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence because they consume alcohol
on a regular basis. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, when a
person gets involved in alcohol misuse then it leads to the various psychological problem
such as the uncontrollable urge to drink, incorporating negative thoughts when he/she do not

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get alcohol, not able to concentrate on work, feeling of being alone, etc. It can be said that
there are mild, moderate and severe forms of alcohol misuse (Hobden, et. al., 2018). Thus, it
is important to identify and solve the problem of alcohol of misuse among the targeted
population. According to the health care professionals, when a person indulges in the
activities which are related to the alcohol abuse then a person himself/herself is not aware of
their own condition. Even when their family members or well-wishers tell them about their
alcohol abuse behaviour then they simply deny to their words. In this case, it is suggested to
the young people then whenever they found themselves engage in the following activities
then they should immediately seek for medical help (Wilson, et. al., 2018). Symptoms like:
 Excessive drinking to feel the effect of alcohol.
 Feeling better in drinking alone.
 Unable to control alcohol urges.
 Making excuses to have a drink.
 Neglecting personal hygiene activities.
 Taking unconditional leaves from office or college because of drinking.
Moreover, the process of overcoming through the problem of alcohol misuse is called as
abstinence (Lee, et. al., 2018). The process of abstinence includes the following process as
described below:
 Inclusion of medications in the guidance of medical professionals.
 Detoxification of alcohol from the body.
 Counseling to deal with the psychological challenges such as urges for having
alcohol, etc.

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Alcohol misuse issues at a different worldwide level
Level 1: Global level
According to the WHO, in 2016 more than 3 million people who belong from the age group
of 18 to 30 years were died due to overconsumption of alcohol. In 2017, WHO states that
alcohol misuse is the worldwide problem that resultant in millions of deaths throughout the
year. Alcohol misuse leads towards the 60 types of disease and injuries at the physiology
level. At the psychological level, alcohol misuse causes various other problem such as mental
disorder, incorporating negative thoughts, etc. Apart from this, it is also noted that the
percentage of male death is 12.4% higher than women because of alcohol misuse (who.int,
2020).
Level 2: In Australia
In 2018, it is recorded that 35% of people who have joined rehabilitation centers were joined
the centre to cure the problem of alcohol. Health care agencies analysed that in Australia
consumption of alcohol and tobacco smoking both are the leading cause of preventable
burdens. The utilization of liquor in 2017–18 is comparable to a normal of 2.72 standard
beverages, every day per purchaser of liquor matured 15 and over. In 2016, around 1 of every
6 (17.4%) Australians matured 14 and over put themselves or others in danger of damage
while affected by liquor over the most recent a year (Aihw.gov.au, 2020).
Level 3: In Victoria
Victorians drink an excessive amount of liquor. This causes a scope of preventable infections
including malignant growth, stroke and liver cirrhosis, alongside the injury and viciousness
experienced by networks over the state. Consistently in Victoria, liquor items cause in excess
of 1200 deaths and about 40,000 hospitalizations (Aihw.gov.au, 2020).

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Although, through the above study it can be said that alcohol misuse is the worldwide leading
issue which requires attention from the global governments. As alcohol misuse not only put
an adverse impact on the psychological condition but it also put an adverse impact on the
physiological condition of the body in an effective and efficient way. Every country has its
specific laws regarding the consumption of alcohol. However, there is the fact that the most
common law in the world is that drunk people are not allowed to drive any vehicle (McCann,
et. al., 2018).
Determinants of alcohol misuse
Economic determinants:
From an economic point of view, the sale of alcohol generates tax income for the
government. The cross-price elasticity of alcohol consumption states the sale of alcohol
generates tax revenue in the country. The Federal Government follows the Wine Equalisation
System which resultant in adding 29% to the wholesale price for the sale of alcohol (Meyer
and Eggins, 2018).
Cultural determinants:
From the context of alcohol misuse, the appraisal of socio-economic status is a long-standing
discussion in the addictions field, given its multifaceted nature containing monetary, social,
instructive and word related variables. Each measure has qualities and impediments. For
instance, the pay is influenced by commonly high non-reaction rates, announcing
inclinations, etc (Mitchell, et. al., 2018).
Political determinants:
For stopping alcohol misuse, there are various laws in the country that defines that it is illegal
for minors to consume and it is illegal for the shop keepers to sell alcohol to the minors.

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Apart from this, the country has its own laws also which state about the legal drinking age,
rules for selling alcohol, labeling, etc (Plenty, et. al., 2019).
Social determinants:
People consume alcohol to stay socially connected with other people. At the initial stage, they
only consume on an occasional basis but soon their consumption of alcohol limited enhances
and it becomes their addiction which leads to the problem like alcohol misuse, alcohol abuse,
etc. The social determinants of alcohol calculate on the basis of income status, social status,
childhood experience of an individual, etc (Reid, et. al., 2019).
Environmental determinants:
From the perspective of alcohol misuse, environmental determinants include public policies
to spread awareness among the people about alcohol misuse, advertising and marketing, etc.
There are various accounts on social media which are handle by the NGOs. These accounts
create awareness among the targeted audience about the harmful effect of alcohol misuse
(Rowland, et. al., 2018).
The Dahlgren and Whitehead (1991) model

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(Gannessperpa, 2020)
This model defines about interrelating the relationship between alcohol misuse with various.
Sex (both male or female) consumes alcohol but after the studies of the global level, it is
analysed that men consume more alcohol as compare to women in an effective and efficient
way. Lifestyle factors also play an important role in encouraging youth to consume alcohol.
In order to connect with their social cycle, people tend to consume alcohol (Secombe and
Stewart, 2018). It is also noted that the hectic work environment also pushes people to
consume alcohol and later on their habit of alcohol consumption develops various problems
at the psychological and physiological levels. Practically all investigations of the way of life,
including diet, exercise, caffeine, and liquor, depend on persistent review and honest detailing
of one's propensities over numerous years. It might be that grown-ups who are healthy take

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part in progressively social exercises and appreciate moderate measures of liquor (Rowland,
et. al., 2018).
Strength of Moreland City Council well-being plan (2017 to 2021)
 To reduce the harm caused by alcohol and other drugs across the municipality:
Under this plan, the official authorities are planned to make more policies regarding the
consumption of alcohol. It is expected that passing new rules, the consumption of alcohol
and other drugs will be decreased.
 Guiding people to consume nutritious food: The city council is planning to encourage
people to enhance their immunity power by consuming nutritious food and vegetables.
According to this plan, the official authorities will take use of social media platforms for
spreading awareness (moreland.vic.gov.au, 2020).
 The city council plan resultant in making Moreland residents more physically active:
Reducing alcohol misuse will resultant in making citizen health and it will focus on
making them more physically active.
 The positive attribute of this plan is that it is connected in the well defined manner with
the progressive and sustainable city perspective. The well-being plan of Moreland
outlines the key health and safety issues in Moreland. Moreover, it also identifies the
effective measures that can improve the community's health and wellbeing
(moreland.vic.gov.au, 2020).
The identified gap of the plan:
 It can be analysed that citizens are already aware of the harmful effects of alcohol
consumption but still citizens consume alcohol. So, the council authorities should
focus on motivating the people to reduce their alcohol consumption instead of
spreading awareness about the harmful effects of alcohol and other drugs.

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 The council wants to make their citizens physically active in this context they should
also encourage their citizens to adopt various healthy habits such as exercise,
breathing exercises, etc (Hobden, et. al., 2018).
 The plan is focusing less on mental wellbeing. The majority part of the plan is
focusing on the physiology wellbeing of the citizens but it is suggested that the
council should pay more attention to focusing on the mental well-being of the citizens
because urges for drinking, thinking negative thoughts, drinking alone, etc. all are the
challenges arises from the psychological level. Thus, it is important to include the
attributes of the mental wellbeing plans (Crossin, et. al., 2019).

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Conclusion
It is concluded that the problem of alcohol misuse is the worldwide problem. At the global
level, in 2016, fit is also noted that over 3 million people were due to overconsumption of the
alcohol. However, due to overconsumption of the alcohol, a greater number of male deaths as
compare to the female. Apart from this, 5 determinants of the health are also discussed in this
report. Moreover, these determinants also linked with the Dahlgren and Whitehead 1991
model. Health and well-being plan of City of Moreland is selected. The strength of this plan
well being plan is that the official authorities are focusing on making their citizen physically
more active, empowering people to consume nutritious food, etc.

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References
Aihw.gov.au. (2020) Alcohol, tabacco & other drugs in Australia. [Online] Available at:
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/alcohol/alcohol-tobacco-other-drugs-australia/contents/
drug-types/alcohol [Accessed on: 10th April, 2020].
Boffa, J., Tilton, E. and Ah Chee, D. (2018) Preventing alcohol-related harm in Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander communities:'The experience of an Aboriginal Community
Controlled Health Service in Central Australia'. Australian journal of general
practice, 47(12), p.851.
Crossin, R., Scott, D., Arunogiri, S., Smith, K., Dietze, P.M. and Lubman, D.I. (2019)
Pregabalin misuse‐related ambulance attendances in Victoria, 2012–2017: characteristics of
patients and attendances. Medical journal of Australia, 210(2), pp.75-79.
Gannessperpa. (2020) Dahlgren and Whitehead 1991. [Online] Available at:
http://gannessperpa.over-blog.com/2020/01/dahlgren-and-whitehead-1991-book.html
[Accessed on: 10th April, 2020].
Hobden, B., Bryant, J., Carey, M., Baker, A.L., Farrell, M., Oldmeadow, C., Mattick, R.P.,
Shakeshaft, A. and Sanson-Fisher, R. (2018) Finding the optimal treatment model: a
systematic review of treatment for co-occurring alcohol misuse and depression. Australian &
New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 52(8), pp.737-750.
Wilson, S., Harrison, K., Hummerston, B., Ivers, R. and Conigrave, K.M. (2018)
Standardised alcohol screening in primary health care services targeting Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. Addiction science & clinical practice, 13(1),
pp.10-20.