Excess alcohol intake is associated with many negative effects and is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. World Health Organization has established a global plan with 10 primary policy areas and interventions and six important action areas to reduce alcohol’s negative effects. However, alcohol intervention programs face several challenges that can hinder their success in assisting patients with alcohol consumption reduction and cessation. The objective of this scoping review was to identify the barriers to the implementation of alcohol intervention programs. The Joanna Briggs Institute recommendations and PCC (participants, concepts, context) eligibility criteria were used for the review. A combination of search phrases was used to narrow the literature search to 2014–2024 English-language papers and original research articles with full access. After removing duplication, 3,846 articles remained from the 5,128 found. After further exclusions, 19 eligible studies were included in this review. Five main barriers to care were identified: service-level barriers, barriers to care seeking, stigma, socio-cultural barriers, and external barriers. Robust regulations and implementation are necessary to effectively address service levels and external barriers. To enhance help-seeking behaviors, alcohol screening should be implemented, strict management policies for alcohol use disorders should be enforced, and accessible alternatives should be provided. Additionally, public health initiatives should focus on changing societal perceptions to counteract alcohol normalization. These efforts must involve both communities and workplaces.

Citations

• Health behaviors, lifestyle factors, and healthcare challenges in family medicine: a comprehensive review of recent evidence from Asian populations
  Joung Sik Son
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(4): 215.     CrossRef

Background
Adolescence is an essential stage of a child’s development, transitioning them into adulthood. During this time, they are vulnerable to various social issues, such as experimenting with alcohol, among others. Although alcohol consumption was proven to be detrimental to physical and cognitive development toward adulthood, and almost one in 10 Malaysian adolescents aged 13 years and above are current drinkers, studies concerning the driving factors are still scarce. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine alcohol use among 244 adolescents in Nabawan, Sabah.
Methods
This study assessed the associations between alcohol use and three potential factors: demographic, environmental, and psychological. Respondents who were selected through stratified proportionate random sampling answered a set of assessment tools.
Results
Results showed that 30.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.91–36.48) of Nabawan adolescents use alcohol. Analysis revealed that older age adolescents 18 years and 19 years, respectively (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.93; P=0.021; aOR, 5.38; P=0.003), having parents (aOR, 4.11; P=0.001) and peers (aOR, 11.57; P<0.001) who consume alcohol were significantly associated with alcohol use. Unexpectedly, good parental monitoring (aOR, 2.46; P=0.019) and discussing serious problems with parents (aOR, 3.86; P=0.001) were significantly associated with alcohol use.
Conclusion
Conclusively, policies on alcohol-related harm reduction and prevention should be developed, especially school-based programs, programs addressing family functioning, and parent-child communication, among others, should be further looked into. Future research on the school environment, adolescents’ drinking motives, and the development of practical adolescent-friendly alcohol screening tools are recommendations for improvements.

Citations

• Health behaviors, lifestyle factors, and healthcare challenges in family medicine: a comprehensive review of recent evidence from Asian populations
  Joung Sik Son
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(4): 215.     CrossRef