The societal cost of alcohol consumption: an estimation of the economic and human cost including health effects in Sweden, 2002
Author
Summary, in English
This article estimates the societal cost of alcohol consumption in Sweden in 2002, as well as the effects on health and quality of life. The estimation includes direct costs, indirect costs and intangible costs. Relevant cost-of-illness methods are applied using the human capital method and prevalence-based estimates, as suggested in existing international guidelines, allowing cautious comparison with prior studies. The results show that the net cost (i.e. including protective effects of alcohol consumption) is 20.3 billion Swedish kronor (SEK) and the gross cost (counting only detrimental effects) is 29.4 billon (0.9 and 1.3% of GDP). Alcohol consumption is estimated to cause a net loss of 121,800 QALYs. The results are within the range found in prior studies, although at the low end. A large number of sensitivity analyses are performed, indicating a sensitivity range of 50%.
Department/s
Publishing year
2008
Language
English
Pages
351-360
Publication/Series
European Journal of Health Economics
Volume
9
Issue
4
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Springer
Topic
- Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Keywords
- Social cost
- Sweden
- Alcohol
- COI
- Quality of life
Status
Published
Research group
- Social Epidemiology
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1618-7601