Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the magnitude of gender differences in hazardous drinking among middle-aged people and to analyse whether these differences are associated with contextual factors, such as public policies or socioeconomic factors. Methods: Cross-sectional design. The study population included 50- to 64-year-old residents of 16 European countries who participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe project conducted in 2010–12 ( n = 26 017). We estimated gender differences in hazardous drinking in each country. To determine whether different social context or women’s empowerment variables were associated with gender differences in hazardous drinking, we fitted multilevel Poisson regression models adjusted for various individual and country-level variables, which yielded prevalence ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: Prevalence of hazardous drinking was significantly higher in men than women [30.2% (95% CI: 29.1–31.4%) and 18.6% (95% CI: 17.7–19.4%), respectively] in most countries, although the extent of these differences varied between countries. Among individuals aged 50–64 years in Europe, risk of becoming a hazardous drinker was 1.69 times higher (95% CI: 1.45–1.97) in men, after controlling for individual and country-level variables. We also found that lower values of the gender empowerment measure and higher unemployment rates were associated with higher gender differences in hazardous drinking. Conclusion: Countries with the greatest gender differences in hazardous drinking were those with the most restrictions on women’s behaviour, and the greatest gender inequalities in daily life. Lower gender differences in hazardous drinking seem to be related to higher consumption among women.

A partir de la revisión de los principales artículos científicos e informes así como del análisis de algunos datos secundarios, se evaluaron los problemas relacionados con el consumo de alcohol en España entre 1990 y 2011. En 2011 pudo ser atribuibles al alcohol el 10% de la mortalidad total y aproximadamente el 30% de la mortalidad por accidente de tráfico en la población de 15-64 años. En esta misma población al menos el 0,8% padecía trastornos por consumo de alcohol, el 5% adicional podía tener problemas que necesitaban evaluación y aproximadamente el 20% había tenido alguna intoxicación etílica aguda (IEA) en el último año. Las IEA supusieron aproximadamente el 0,5-1,1% de las urgencias hospitalarias. Los costes sociales totales del consumo de alcohol podrían representar el 1% del producto interior bruto. La probabilidad de daños relacionados con el consumo de alcohol es bastante mayor en hombres que en mujeres, con una razón hombre/mujer de mortalidad o daños graves relacionados con alcohol de 3/4, situación que apenas ha cambiado en los últimos 20 años. Los daños relacionados con alcohol han seguido una tendencia descendente, excepto la IEA. En el período 1990-2011 la tasa estandarizada de mortalidad relacionada con consumo de alcohol alcohol disminuyó a la mitad. Las grandes lagunas de conocimiento y las incertidumbres sobre los daños poblacionales relacionados con el alcohol en España justifican el apoyo institucional a su investigación y la puesta en marcha de un sistema integral de monitorización.

In order to assess emotional competence in children, it is necessary to have psychometrically sound measures. To the best of our knowledge, there is no available tool to assess emotional competence in children from 3 to 5 years old that assesses the five emotional competences of the Bisquerra model and can be easily and quickly answered in the school environment. The objective of this study is to develop a measure, the Emotional Competence Assessment Questionnaire (ECAQ), and to provide evidence of its psychometric quality. Qualitative evidence was obtained from a systematic review, from two expert committees and from five discussion groups. On the other hand, quantitative validity and reliability evidence was obtained from a sample of 1088 students and other smaller subsamples. The results suggest that the ECAQ is a short and easy-to-use tool, easily understood by administrators. The quantitative results confirm a general factor of emotional competence adjusted for three specific factors. This factor has excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The ECAQ has therefore been shown to be a promising tool for assessing emotional competence in children between 3 and 5 years of age.

To estimate the prevalence of hazardous drinking in individuals aged 50 and older who had or had had cancer in 17 European countries and Israel and to analyze the factors associated with their consumption. Cross-sectional study based on data from 2011 to 2013 SHARE surveys. A total of 69,509 individuals aged 50 or more from 17 European countries and Israel participated in the study. Prevalence of hazardous drinking in people with cancer was estimated (adapting the SHARE questionnaire to the AUDIT-C). To ascertain whether type of cancer or time since diagnosis were associated with hazardous drinking, Poisson regression models with robust variance were estimated, obtaining prevalence ratios (PR). Overall, 5.4% of participants reported having been diagnosed with cancer. Prevalence of hazardous drinking in people with cancer was 18% in women and 23% in men. After adjusting for various socioeconomic and health variables, no significant differences were observed between hazardous drinking and type of cancer [PR = 0.99 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.83–1.17) in people with alcohol-related cancers compared to non-alcohol related cancers] and time since diagnosis [PR = 1.01 (95% CI = 0.82–1.25) in people with a cancer diagnosed >5 years ago compared to those diagnosed ≤5 years ago]. Significant differences were found between hazardous drinking and smoking status and self-perceived health. In total, 20% of people diagnosed with cancer were hazardous drinkers, despite the known relationship between alcohol use and a worse prognosis of the disease and an increased likelihood of recurrence. Overall, 20% of people diagnosed with cancer were hazardous drinkers. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of hazardous drinking depending on the type of cancer (alcohol-related versus non-alcohol related cancers). Highest prevalence of hazardous drinking in people with cancer is found in smokers and people with good self-perceived health.