Native Scots prone to alcohol related diseases

A study has shown that native Scots are more likely to die from alcohol-related causes compared to Scottish residents born in England or Wales.

The research, carried out by The Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford and the NHS Information Services Division, looked at the rates of alcohol-related deaths in Scotland between 2000 and 2005. These included death caused by alcoholic liver disease, accidents and certain cancers.

Researchers used 2001 Census data in addition to mortality data between the years 2000 and 2004 in order to gain information, and focused on the differences in alcohol-related mortality by country of birth.

Dr Neeraj Bhala, one of the authors of the study published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, from The University of Oxford, told The Journal: “This study does help in showing that there are high-risk groups, albeit someone’s country of birth is likely to represent other factors, e.g. culture of drinking. The most important message relates to showing how these alcohol-related deaths are preventable: that is the striking thing about these inequalities.”

The results of the study have shown that mortality from alcohol-related deaths is lowest for those born in Pakistan, England and Wales. Men born in England and Wales are 64 per cent less likely to die of alcohol-related causes than their Scottish-born counterparts. In addition, Pakistani-born men in Scotland are 72 per cent less likely to die of alcohol-related deaths. However, mortality from alcohol-related deaths is high for those born in Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and India.

One explanation for the differences in direct alcohol-related mortality by country of birth is socioeconomic status within the United Kingdom. It has also been suggested that culture may be another explanation, such as religious attitudes towards alcohol.

In Scotland, there are now almost 1,500 direct alcohol-related deaths per year, with the number of fatalities having more than doubled between 1991 and 2006.