Alcohol consumption can be recorded through production, export, import, and sales/taxation data. However, alcohol can also be produced and consumed outside of governmental control and remain unrecorded. In some cases, unrecorded APC represents an important proportion of a country's alcohol consumption, so it is vital to take this factor into account, in addition to recorded APC, when investigating a country's level of alcohol consumption.
Definition:
Unrecorded APC is defined as the unrecorded amount of alcohol consumed per adult (15+ years) in litres of pure alcohol. Unrecorded consumption refers to alcohol which is not taxed and is outside the usual system of governmental control, such as home or informally produced alcohol (legal or illegal), smuggled alcohol, surrogate alcohol (which is alcohol not intended for human consumption), or alcohol obtained through cross-border shopping (which is recorded in a different jurisdiction). Numerator: The amount of unrecorded alcohol consumed per adult (15+ years) during a calendar year, in litres of pure alcohol. Denominator: Midyear resident population (15+ years) for the same calendar year, UN World Population Prospects, medium variant. The three-year average of unrecorded APC is presented.
Method of measurement
The first priority in the decision tree is given to nationally representative empirical data; these are often general population surveys (e.g. STEPS survey). Second are specific empirical investigations, and third is expert opinion supported by periodic survey of experts at country level using modified Delphi-technique (nominal group technique).
Method of estimation:
Unrecorded alcohol consumption in litres of pure alcohol is estimated as a percentage of total alcohol per capita consumption in the population 15 years of age and older. Country–level proportions of unrecorded alcohol consumption are estimated using a regression analysis. Fractional response random intercepts regression models which account for clustering of data points within countries are used to estimate what percentage of total alcohol consumption is due to unrecorded alcohol consumption. Univariate models are fitted for alcohol consumption statistics and other predictors (urbanization, migration rates, malnutrition, sanitation, education levels, and per capita gross domestic product adjusted for purchasing power parity), (see Probst C, Fleischmann A, Gmel G, Poznyak V, Rekve D, Riley L, Rylett M, Shield KD, Rehm J. The global proportion and volume of unrecorded alcohol in 2015. Journal of global health. 2019;9(1)).
Method of estimation of global and regional aggregates:
Regional estimates are derived from population weighted averages of countries.
Preferred data sources:
Special studies
Representative surveys
Specific empirical investigations
Expert opinion through Delphi technique
Unit of Measure:
Litres of pure alcohol per person per year
Expected frequency of data dissemination:
Periodic
Expected frequency of data collection:
Periodic
Comments:
Preferred data sources: Special studies, representative surveys, specific empirical investigations, expert opinion through Delphi technique.
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