GUELPH – There’s new guidance about alcohol consumption and how it affects health – and a recent public health survey suggests many people aren’t aware of the risks.
The new guidelines, combined with Premier Doug Ford’s expanded sale of alcohol in the province last fall, had local public health officials wondering if and how attitudes have changed around alcohol consumption as it relates to health.
The 2023 document Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health, by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, replaces Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines with accurate, current information on alcohol and health.
And the biggest change is that having even a few drinks per week is “now linked to a risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke,” states the report presented to the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) board of health on March 5.
“Three standard drinks per week are now linked to an increased risk of several types of cancers, including breast and colon cancer, and seven standard drinks or more per week are linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.”
So one to two drinks per week is considered low-risk consumption, three to six drinks per week is now considered medium risk, and seven or more drinks per week is high risk for negative health outcomes.
In her presentation, health promotion supervisor Kyley Alderson said this, along with the expanded sale of alcohol, made it an “opportune time” for a survey of attitudes and behaviours.
The survey was conducted from Aug. 1 to Sept. 18 last year and captured 2,565 responses, which Alderson called “an incredible number.”
Forty-six per cent were Guelph residents; 38% were from Wellington County and 16% from Dufferin County, which aligns with the population distribution of WDGPH.
The survey identified knowledge gaps:
- 42% of respondents didn’t know that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease;
- 14% didn’t know that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of cancer; and
- 14% didn’t know there is no safe level of alcohol to consume during pregnancy.
It also identified that 27% of respondents were not drinkers, 37% were low-risk drinkers, 16% moderate-risk drinkers and 13 % high-risk drinkers. Seven per cent did not answer the question.
Overall, males under 30 had less knowledge about the health risks associated with alcohol consumption.
At the same time, a higher proportion of males under age 30 engaged in moderate- to high-risk drinking, many of them binge drinking.
As for a proximity to alcohol retailers, 20% of respondents lived less than 500 metres from an alcohol retailer, 35% lived one kilometre away, 24% lived 2.5km away, and 14% lived more than 2.5 km from an alcohol retailer.
The survey identified youth and young adults as a priority population for education initiatives in 2025.
Alderson said public health will do another survey later this year and compare the results.
Board member Duncan Bell, who is a physician, recommended posting signs about the new alcohol consumption guidelines in places where people wait, such as doctors’ offices and laboratories, as they might be more inclined to read it.
Although the numbers did not paint a rosy picture of alcohol consumption overall, board chair George Bridge was optimistic that the new, science-based information would have a positive impact on drinking habits.
“If people know, they’ll change their ways,” he said.
