Event highlights
The national training on alcohol screening and brief interventions (SBI), held in Zagreb on 1 December as part of the Evidence into Action Alcohol Project funded by the European Union, brought together primary health care providers and representatives of organizations for persons with disabilities from across the country for a full day of skill building, open discussion and practical exercises.
In the opening session of the training, Dr Iva Pejnović Franelić, Head of the WHO Country Office in Croatia, highlighted the scale of the challenge and the importance of strengthening prevention at primary care level:
“Alcohol consumption in Croatia remains high, above the WHO European Region average,” she said. “Youth drinking trends are especially worrying, with girls now drinking at similar or even higher levels than boys by age 15. Alcohol contributes to hundreds of preventable diseases, yet many people are unaware of the associated risks and harms, and patients are still not routinely screened to identify risky levels of alcohol consumption in primary care. The training supports providers with the tools and confidence they need to integrate SBI into everyday practice in ways that are accessible, respectful and disability-inclusive.”
Persons with disabilities often face multiple barriers to preventive care, from inaccessible communication formats to assumptions that alcohol use is not relevant to them. Drawing on data presented during the training, WHO experts emphasized that disability-inclusive SBI are essential to ensuring equitable care, reducing the health gap driven by noncommunicable diseases that cause many people with disabilities to die up to 20 years earlier than their peers.
The workshop was led by WHO/Europe’s experts and Dr Frederico Rosario, invited expert from Portugal, who guided participants through practical exercises that demonstrated how SBI techniques can be applied in real-world consultations. His interactive approach helped to translate technical guidance into everyday clinical decision-making, showing how even brief, supportive conversations can reduce alcohol consumption and improve patient outcomes, such as blood pressure, weight management, quality of sleep and overall well-being.
Participants also reflected on what makes alcohol so difficult to address in routine consultations – from persistent myths about alcohol to social norms, social pressure and stigma that can prevent people from seeking help.
Ljiljana Ćenan, a family doctor from Ivankovo, Croatia, underscored the value of the training:
“We receive regular trainings on hypertension, blood sugar and diabetes, but rarely on health risk factors like alcohol, yet alcohol is an enormous challenge in all age groups. It is especially difficult among young people, who are often pressured to drink and to drink heavily. This training gives us tools to start the conversation in a supportive way, which is exactly what we need.”
Event notice
On 1 December 2025, WHO/Europe will lead a national training on alcohol screening and brief interventions (SBI) in Zagreb, Croatia, co-organized with the Croatian Institute of Public Health and the WHO Country Office in Croatia. Conducted as part of the WHO-European Union Evidence into Action Alcohol Project (EVID-ACTION), the initiative brings together experts from WHO/Europe’s programmes on alcohol and drugs and on disability and rehabilitation, reflecting a joint commitment to strengthen disability-inclusive, person-centred primary health care.
Alcohol use remains one of the leading risk factors for ill health, premature mortality and disability in the WHO European Region. Primary health care is uniquely positioned to identify risks early, offer brief advice and support and reduce the burden of chronic diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, to which alcohol contributes substantially. Yet research shows that alcohol is often difficult to discuss in routine consultations, with stigma, time constraints and misconceptions acting as barriers to care, including towards patients with disabilities.
The training responds to WHO’s commitment to support Member States in implementing screening and brief interventions for substance-use problems, including alcohol, within non-specialist health-care settings. The training aims to build the confidence and capacity of Croatian primary health care providers to address alcohol use in a sensitive, evidence-based and non-judgmental way. A particular focus will be placed on ensuring that screening and brief intervention approaches are inclusive of people with disabilities, who often face disproportionate barriers to accessing preventive and support services.
Participants will be introduced to the WHO alcohol brief intervention training manual for primary care, recently translated into Croatian, which will support the roll-out and sustainability of SBI in health care settings across the country. Through practical exercises and discussion, the training will help providers strengthen communication skills, explore common challenges and embed alcohol-related risk assessment into everyday practice.
By delivering this training as part of EVID-ACTION, WHO/Europe aims to support Croatia in embedding SBI into everyday primary-care practice, advancing more equitable, high-quality health care for all and contributing to reduced alcohol-related harm.