Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Do Ontarians Drink in Moderation? A Baseline Assessment Against Canadian Low Risk Drinking Guidelines

  • Published:
Canadian Journal of Public Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We used the 1997 Ontario Drug Monitor, a population-based, random-digit dialling survey of 2,776 adults, to obtain a baseline assessment of alcohol drinking by Ontarians against the 1997 low-risk drinking guidelines of the Addiction Research Foundation and the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Average weekly alcohol consumption and the frequency of exceeding the daily limit, estimated using the graduated frequency scale, were determined for the population overall, and by sex and age group (18–44 and 45+ years). Most Ontarians drank alcohol in a pattern associated with a low risk of health consequences. About 10% of women and 25% of men drank in a style associated with some increase in acute or long-term risk. Younger men were most likely to drink in a risky pattern. Most drinkers of middle age or older, for whom cardiovascular disease is a significant health risk, consumed alcohol in a pattern associated with cardiovascular benefit.

Résumé

L’indicateur de la consommation de drogues en Ontario 1997, un sondage téléphonique aléatoire mené auprès d’un échantillon représentatif de 2 776 adultes, a servi pour faire une évaluation de base de la consommation d’alcool parmi les adultes ontariens par rapport aux directives de la consommation à faible risque établies en 1997 par la Fondation de la recherche sur la toxicomanie et le Centre canadien de lutte contre la toxicomanie. Les chercheurs ont déterminé les moyennes hebdomadaires de consommation d’alcool et la fréquence à laquelle les limites quotidiennes étaient dépassées, estimées à l’aide de l’échelle de fréquence graduée, pour la population en général, et par sexe et groupe d’âge (18 à 44 ans, et 45 ans et plus). Pour la plupart, les habitudes de consommation d’alcool des Ontariens étaient associées à de faibles risques de conséquences pour la santé. Environ 10 % des femmes et 25 % des hommes buvaient de manière à accroître leurs risques aigus ou à long terme. Ce sont les jeunes hommes qui buvaient de manière plus risquée. La plupart des buveurs d’âge moyen ou plus âgés, qui courent un plus grand risque de maladies cardiovasculaires, consommaient l’alcool de manière à tirer les avantages cardiovasculaires de l’alcool.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Alcohol Drinking. Lyon: IARC, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Verschuren P. Health Issues Related to Alcohol Consumption. Brussels: ILSI Press Europe, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  3. United States Department of Health and Human Services. Eighth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health from the Secretary of Health and Human Services, September 1993. Washington, DC: National Institute of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH Publication No. 94-3699, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  4. United States Department of Health and Human Services. Ninth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health from the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Washington: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Smith-Warner S, Spiegelman D, Yaun S-S, et al. Alcohol and breast cancer in women: A pooled analysis of cohort studies. JAMA 1998;279:535–40.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Doll R, Forman D, La Vecchia D, Woutersen R. Alcoholic beverages and cancers of the digestive tract and larynx. In: Verschuren PM (Ed.), Health Issues Related to Alcohol Consumption. Brussels: ILSI Press Europe, 1993;125–66.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Longnecker MP. Alcohol consumption in relation to risk of cancers of the breast and large bowel. Alcohol Health and Research World 1992;16:223–29.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Longnecker MP, Orza MJ, Adams ME, et al. A meta-analysis of alcoholic beverage consumption in relation to risk of colorectal cancer. Cancer Causes and Control 1990;1:59–68.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Seitz H, Pöschl G. Alcohol and gastrointestinal cancer: Pathogenic mechanisms. Addiction Biology 1997;2:19–33.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ashley M, Rehm J, Bondy S. Health risks and benefits of alcohol consumption: Balancing disparate relationships for individual and population health. Tenth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, in press.

  11. Zakhari S, Wassef M. Alcohol and the cardiovascular system. NIAAA Research Monograph No. 31. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Chadwick D, Goode J. Alcohol and cardiovascular diseases Novartis Foundation Symposium 216. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, 1998.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  13. Fagrell B, DeFaire U, Bondy S. J Int Med (in press).

  14. Hawks D. A review of current guidelines on moderate drinking for individual consumers. Contemporary Drug Problems 1994;21:223–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Rehm J, Bondy S. Risk functions, low risk drinking guidelines, and the benefits of moderate drinking. Addiction 1996;91:1439–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Walsh G, Bondy S, Rehm J. Review of Canadian and international drinking guidelines. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Ashley M, Ferrence R, Room R, et al. Moderate drinking and health: Implications of recent evidence for clinical practice. Can Fam Phys 1997;43:687–94.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Sanchez-Craig M. How much is too much? Estimates of hazardous drinking based on clients’ self-reports. Br J Addiction 1986;81:251–56.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Sanchez-Craig M, Wilkinson DA, Davila R. Empirically based guidelines for moderate drinking: 1-year results from three studies with problem drinkers. Am J Public Health 1995;85:823–28.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. College of Family Physicians of Canada. Alcohol Risk Assessment and Intervention. Mississauga: College of Family Physicians of Canada, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Addiction Research Foundation/Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (ARF/CCSA). Moderate drinking and health: A joint policy statement based on the International Symposium on Moderate Drinking and Health, 30 April-1 May, 1993, Toronto, Canada. CMAJ 1994;151:13–16.

    Google Scholar 

  22. UK Inter-Departmental Working Group. Report on Sensible Drinking. London, UK: Department of Health, Crown Copyright: 3647 IP 5R December, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  23. UK Royal Colleges Report. Alcohol and the heart in perspective: Sensible limits reaffirmed. Report of a joint working group of the (UK) Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of General Practitioners. London, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  24. United States Department of Agriculture. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 1995. Washington: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Jackson R, Beaglehole R. Alcohol consumption guidelines: Relative safety vs absolute risks and benefits. Lancet 1995;346:716.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Smythe C. Reactions to the Know Your Score Pamphlet: Focus Groups with the General Public and Health Professionals. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation, November, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Ministry of Health of Ontario. A Framework for the Response to Alcohol and Drug Problems in Ontario. Toronto: Ministry of Health of Ontario, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Ashley M, Ferrence R, Room R, et al. Moderate drinking and health: Report of an international symposium. CMAJ 1994;151:809–28.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Ashley MJ, Goodstadt M, Ellis E, et al. A Report of the Committee to Recommend Draft Guidelines on Low-risk Drinking for the Province of Ontario. Low-risk Drinking Guidelines Project. Phase 1: Review of the Scientific Evidence. Toronto: Report submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Health, Substance Abuse Bureau, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Bondy S, Rehm J, Ashley M, et al. Low-risk drinking guidelines: The scientific evidence (in press).

  31. Adlaf E, Ivis F, Ialomiteanu A, et al. The Ontario Drug Monitor, 1996: Technical Guide. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Adlaf E, Ivis F, Ialomiteanu A, et al. Alcohol, Tobacco and Illicit Drug Use Among Ontario Adults: 1977–1996. The Ontario Drug Monitor, 1996. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Bondy S, Ialomiteanu A. Smoking in Ontario, 1991 to 1996. Can J Public Health 1997;88(4):225–29.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Adlaf E, Ivis F, Ialomiteanu A, et al. Ontario Drug Monitor, 1996: Technical Guide. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation, Ontario Addictions and Mental Health Services Corporation, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Northrup D. The 1997 Ontario Drug Monitor: A Survey of Ontario Residents. Technical documentation. Toronto: Institute for Social Research, York University, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Hilton ME. A comparison of a prospective diary and two summary recall techniques for recording alcohol consumption. Br J Addiction 1989;84:1085–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Rehm J. Measuring quantity, frequency and volume of drinking. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 1998;22(2 Suppl):4S–14S.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. StataCorp. Stata Statistical Software. College Station, TX: Stata Corporation, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Single E, Robson L, Xie X, Rehm J. The costs of substance abuse in Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  40. Xie X, Rehm J, Single E, Robson L. The Economic Costs of Alcohol, Tobacco and Illicit Drug Abuse in Ontario: 1992. ARF Research Document No. 127. Toronto: Addiction Research Foundation, 1996;1–159.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Single E, Easton B, Collins D, et al. International Guidelines for Estimating the Costs of Substance Abuse. Ottawa: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Bondy S. Overview of studies on drinking patterns and consequences. Addiction 1996;91:1663–74.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Rehm J, Ashley MJ, Room R, et al. On the emerging paradigm of drinking patterns and their social and health consequences. Addiction 1996;91:1615–21.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Rehm J, Ashley MJ, Room R, et al. Drinking Patterns and Their Consequences: Report from an International Meeting. Addiction 1996;91:1615–21.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Smart RG, Mann RE. Large decreases in alcohol-related problems following a slight reduction in alcohol consumption in Ontario 1978–1983. Br J Addiction 1987;82:77–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Mann RE, Smart RG, Anglin L. Reductions in liver cirrhosis mortality and morbidity in Canada: Demographic differences and possible explanations. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 1988;72:290–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Smart RG, Mann RE. Treatment, health promotion and alcohol controls and the decrease of alcohol consumption and problems in Ontario: 1975–1993. Alcohol and Alcoholism 1995;30:337–43.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Rehm J, Bondy S. Alcohol and all-cause mortality: An overview. In: Chadwick DJ, Goode JA (Eds.), Alcohol and Cardiovascular Diseases Novartis Foundation Symposium 216. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, 1998;223–36.

    Google Scholar 

  49. Rehm J, Sempos C. Alcohol and all-cause mortality. Addiction 1995;90:471–80.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Rehm J, Sempos CT. Alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality–questions about causality, confounding and methodology. Addiction 1995;90:493–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. English DR, Holman CDJ, Milne E, et al. The Quantification of Drug Caused Morbidity and Mortality in Australia, 1992. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Human Services and Health, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Maclure M. Demonstration of deductive meta-analysis: Ethanol intake and risk of myocardial infarction. Epidemiol Rev 1993;15:328–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Addiction Research Foundation Division, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Susan J. Bondy PhD, Mary Jane Ashley MD, Jürgen T. Rehm PhD & Gordon Walsh BA

  2. Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada

    Susan J. Bondy PhD, Mary Jane Ashley MD & Jürgen T. Rehm PhD

  3. Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario, 2075 Bayview Avenue, G-Wing, Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5, Canada

    Susan J. Bondy PhD

  4. Polytechnical University (Fachhochschule) Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Jürgen T. Rehm PhD

  5. Division on Mental Health and the Prevention of Substance Abuse, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

    Jürgen T. Rehm PhD

  6. Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Gordon Walsh BA

Authors
  1. Susan J. Bondy PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mary Jane Ashley MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jürgen T. Rehm PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Gordon Walsh BA
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan J. Bondy PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bondy, S.J., Ashley, M.J., Rehm, J.T. et al. Do Ontarians Drink in Moderation? A Baseline Assessment Against Canadian Low Risk Drinking Guidelines. Can J Public Health 90, 272–276 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404130

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404130

Search

Navigation