Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of the consumption of alcohol to mortality in Catalonia during 1994, as well as its importance in premature death.
Methods: This study used data on causes of death in Catalonia during 1994 from the "Servei D'Informació i Estudis de la Direcció General de Recursos Sanitaris del Departament de Sanitat i Seguretat Social de Catalunya" (Information and Study Service of the Directorate General for Health Care Resources, Catalonian Department of Health and Social Security). The figures attributable to alcohol are based on those used in the study on alcohol-related mortality in the United States in 1987.
Results: In 1994 5.3% of deaths in Catalonia were related to the consumption of alcohol. The mortality rate was 6.5% for men, and 3.9% for women. The diagnostic category which most contributed to the number of deaths was that of malignant neoplasias (29.3%). The study of premature deaths show that accidents were the major cause (52.3%). In this diagnostic category car accidents were the main cause of potential years of life lost (PYLL). The average PYLL for each death attributable to alcohol up to the age of 65 was 7.5.
Conclusions: This study shows the scale of alcohol as a public health problem in Catalonia.