LONDON – The World Health Organisation (WHO) on March 8 urged governments to consider gender when developing their alcohol policies, warning that industry marketing increasingly targeted women, who face greater health risks than men from lower levels of drinking.
The Geneva-based WHO said that there was good evidence that men, women and minority groups were affected differently by alcohol-related harms and that the industry tailored its marketing to target different genders.
“Despite this… alcohol control policies remain largely gender blind,” it said, calling on governments to consider gender when devising control measures.
The industry increasingly used gendered approaches to appeal to consumers, it continued, adding that it was vital to keep pace with these changing marketing tactics.
After broad successes in tackling the public health impact of other products like cigarettes, the WHO is increasingly turning its attention to addressing the harms linked to alcohol.
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