{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,9]],"date-time":"2026-04-09T16:47:03Z","timestamp":1775753223347,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769990400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Belgian Federal Science Policy Office","award":["DR\/94\/SUBOD"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DR\/94\/SUBOD"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,14]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Alcohol use is associated with a high burden of disease, resulting in economic consequences. In Belgium, 77% of the population over the age of 15 regularly consume alcohol. Therefore, the objective of this study is to provide updated estimates of the annual healthcare costs and productivity losses among the Belgian population. Data from the 2018 Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS) were linked with health insurance claims data. Healthcare costs were calculated on individuals\u2019 alcohol use patterns (current, former, abstainer). Lost productivity costs were calculated by multiplying the number of absence days by the national average wage cost per day. Univariate and multivariable regression analysis with negative binomial distribution and log link were performed to evaluate the average healthcare costs and indirect costs in relation to alcohol use, sociodemographic characteristics, and (behavioural) risk factors. Data from 10\u00a0829 individuals were available, of which 47.7% were men. A total of 76% subjects indicated that they currently drink alcohol. Compared to abstainers, significantly lower costs were found for current drinkers (\u20ac-470; P\u2009=\u2009.002). When looking at former drinkers, a significantly higher cost (\u20ac889; P\u2009=\u2009.02) was found compared with individuals who indicated that they never used alcohol. Taking into account that 7% of the Belgian population were former drinkers in 2018, the national costs for former drinkers equates to \u20ac711\u00a0288\u00a0900. Results of our study show that alcohol use has a large economic impact on the Belgian society. Especially former drinkers have a substantial impact on direct medical costs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/eurpub\/ckaf254","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,16]],"date-time":"2025-12-16T12:41:19Z","timestamp":1765888879000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The economic burden of alcohol in Belgium: incremental healthcare costs and lost productivity"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"36","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8410-6328","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pieter","family":"Vynckier","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Interuniversity Centre for Health Economics Research, Ghent University , Ghent,","place":["Belgium"]},{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Public health, Sciensano , Brussels,","place":["Belgium"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Masja","family":"Schmidt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Public health, Sciensano , Brussels,","place":["Belgium"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Nayani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Public health, Sciensano , Brussels,","place":["Belgium"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Leonor","family":"Guariguata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Public health, Sciensano , Brussels,","place":["Belgium"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Brecht","family":"Devleesschauwer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Public health, Sciensano , Brussels,","place":["Belgium"]},{"name":"Department of Translational Physiology, Infectiology and Public Health, Ghent University , Merelbeke,","place":["Belgium"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nick","family":"Verhaeghe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Interuniversity Centre for Health Economics Research, Ghent University , Ghent,","place":["Belgium"]},{"name":"Department of Public Health, Interuniversity Centre for Health Economics Research, Vrije Universiteit Brussel , Brussels,","place":["Belgium"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B1","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2022"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B2","author":"Our World in Data","year":"2024"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"809","DOI":"10.1007\/s40273-021-01031-8","article-title":"What are the economic costs to society attributable to alcohol use? A systematic review and modelling study","volume":"39","author":"Manthey","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pharmacoeconomics"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B4","author":"Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation","year":"2021"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B5","author":"Sciensano","year":"2019"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B6","volume-title":"The Social Cost of Legal and Illegal Drugs","author":"Lievens","year":"2016"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"50","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2017.03.005","article-title":"Economic consequences of legal and illegal drugs: the case of social costs in Belgium","volume":"44","author":"Lievens","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int J Drug Policy"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"283","DOI":"10.1093\/eurpub\/cky212.830","article-title":"Country report: the Belgian national burden of disease study 2020","volume":"28","author":"Devleesschauwer","year":"2018","journal-title":"Eur J Public Health"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/0778-7367-71-24","article-title":"Methodological basics and evolution of the Belgian health interview survey 1997\u20132008","volume":"71","author":"Demarest","year":"2013","journal-title":"Arch Public Health"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B10","author":"Intermutualistisch Agentschap"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B11","author":"Conseil Sup\u00e9rieur de la sant\u00e9","year":"2018"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B12"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B13","year":"2024"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1693","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-022-14105-9","article-title":"Health care costs and lost productivity costs related to excess weight in Belgium","volume":"22","author":"Gorasso","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B15","year":"2023"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B16","author":"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"298","DOI":"10.1016\/S0749-3797(01)00365-8","article-title":"The health and health behaviors of people who do not drink alcohol","volume":"21","author":"Green","year":"2001","journal-title":"Am J Prev Med"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B18","author":"World Health Organization"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B19","year":"2023"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e88041","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0088041","article-title":"Cost-effectiveness of preventive interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in Denmark","volume":"9","author":"Holm","year":"2014","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amepre.2007.09.035","article-title":"Primary care intervention to reduce alcohol misuse: ranking its health impact and cost effectiveness","volume":"34","author":"Solberg","year":"2008","journal-title":"Am J Prev Med"},{"key":"2026040911301818200_ckaf254-B22","year":"2016"}],"container-title":["European Journal of Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/eurpub\/article-pdf\/36\/2\/ckaf254\/66707622\/ckaf254.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/eurpub\/article-pdf\/36\/2\/ckaf254\/66707622\/ckaf254.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,9]],"date-time":"2026-04-09T15:49:19Z","timestamp":1775749759000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/eurpub\/article\/doi\/10.1093\/eurpub\/ckaf254\/8454833"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"references-count":22,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,14]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/eurpub\/ckaf254","relation":{},"ISSN":["1101-1262","1464-360X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1101-1262","type":"print"},{"value":"1464-360X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]]},"article-number":"ckaf254"}}