EDINBURGH , Scotland, Mar 20, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Alcohol-related deaths
in England and Wales are twice as high among people born in Scotland or Ireland,
researchers found.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and the Office for National
Statistics also found that men born in India but living in England and Wales had
similar alcohol-related death rates as Scottish- and Irish-born people.
The team used information on deaths for England and Wales from 1999 to 2003 and
figures from the 2001 census to quantify the link between a person's country of
birth and the likelihood of dying from an alcohol-related condition.
The difference in alcohol-related deaths rates could be explained by cultural
differences in rates of alcohol consumption. For example, adults who are
Scottish or Irish have been shown on average to drink more than the recommended
limit of alcohol, the researchers said.
"Deaths from alcohol-related conditions, liver disease and liver cancer are
increasing in the (United Kingdom), but little is known about the role of
ethnicity or country of birth," Dr. Neeraj Bhala, the study leader, said in a
statement.
"These findings show significant differences in death rates by country of birth
for both alcohol-related deaths and liver cancer."
The findings are published in the Journal of Public Health.
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