
A major alcohol policy modelling project funded by the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Over the past decade, the United States is experiencing stagnation and declines in life expectancy due to an increase in mortality from poisoning, suicide, motor vehicle-related injuries, chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis, pneumonia and diabetes mellitus– for all of which alcohol use is a causal risk factor. The SIMAH project investigates the role of alcohol use in these developments, with a focus on socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity as modifying factors in the link between alcohol use and mortality. Through simulation of the effects of different alcohol control interventions, SIMAH will provide tangible approaches to reverse the current decrease in life expectancy in the United States, while focussing on preventing further increases in health inequalities.