Low-Risk Drinking:
An Informational Presentation on
Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking
Guidelines (LRADGs)
Produced by the LRADG Public Health Working Group
October 2013
Presentation Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
Introduction to the LRADG Public Health Working Group
Introduction and Brief History of the LRADGs
Communications Best Practices
Resources to Support LRADGs
2
Introduction to the LRADG
Public Health Working Group
3
©iStockphoto.com/Nikada
Background: Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking
Guidelines Public Health Working Group
• Coordinate awareness and knowledge exchange strategies with Ontario
public health units (PHUs) and key provincial organizations
• Support PHUs to meet Accountability Agreement targets for 2011-2013
and 2014-16 through the performance management indicator:
• % of the population (19+) that exceed the Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking
Guidelines.
• Co-chaired by Laura Pisko, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
(MOHLTC) and Dr. Hazel Lynn, Grey Bruce Health Unit
4
Background: Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking
Guidelines Public Health Working Group
Objective: to clarify roles and responsibilities of partners, and produce a
knowledge exchange and dissemination plan for 2013-2014.
Organization
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Liquor Control Board of Ontario
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Ontario Public Health Association
Association of Local Public Health Agencies
Public Health Units
Public Health Ontario
Content Experts (invited as guests as needed)
5
Background:
Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol
Drinking Guidelines1
• Developed by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and endorsed
by all Canadian Health Ministers in November 2011
• Provide consistent messaging to adults (19+) to promote informed
alcohol choices and responsible use
• Contain key messages for specific groups i.e., youth, pregnant women,
specific circumstances, etc.
6
Background: Multi-sectoral
Stakeholders1
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•
•
•
•
•
•
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario
Smart Serve
LCBO/Parent Action on Drugs
Health and Safety Associations
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Transportation
Ontario College of Family Physicians
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Introduction and Brief History of
Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking
1
Guidelines (LRADGs)
Source: CCSA, 2013
9
Source: CCSA, 2013
What is a Standard Drink?1
10
Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol
Drinking Guidelines1
Guideline 1: Daily and weekly limits
Women
•
•
•
weekly limit of 10 drinks
no more than 2 per day
plan weekly non-drinking days
Men
•
•
•
weekly limit of 15 drinks
no more than 3 per day
plan weekly non-drinking days
Guideline 2: Special occasions
• Women: No more than 3 drinks
• Men : No more than 4 drinks
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Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol
Drinking Guidelines1
Guideline 3: When zero’s the limit
• Driving, using machinery or tools
• Taking medication or other drugs
• Doing dangerous physical activity
• Living with mental or physical health problems
• Alcohol dependent
• Pregnant or planning to be
• Responsible for the safety of others
• Making important decisions
12
Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol
Drinking Guidelines1
Guideline 4: Zero is safest
•
If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or are about to breastfeed
Guideline 5: Delaying drinking
•
If teens choose to drink, they should never drink more than 1-2 drinks at a time
and never more than 1-2 times a week.
•
Guidelines should never be exceeded as alcohol can harm the way the body and
brain develop.
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Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol
Drinking Guidelines
Burden 2
• Harmful use of alcohol is a leading
risk factor for premature death and
disabilities, including chronic
conditions, such as cirrhosis of the
liver along with acute events such
as road crashes, injury, and
violence
• Alcohol is carcinogenic:
there is no safe lower limit to the
risk of cancer associated with
alcohol consumption
©iStockphoto.com/Darija Cikac
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Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol
Drinking Guidelines
Burden 3
• Regular moderate-to-heavy alcohol
consumption has also been causally
associated with type-2 diabetes,
adverse cardiovascular outcomes, and
cardiovascular disease
• 17.8 per cent of drinkers report
engaging in hazardous or harmful
drinking
• Ontarians avoiding the unhealthy use
of alcohol have been shown to increase
life expectancy by up to three years
©iStockphoto.com/kcline
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Ontarians (aged 19+) exceeding
Canada’s LRADGs4
16
Source of information: 2009-10 Canadian
Community Health Survey
Indicator #13: % of population (19+) exceeding Low-Risk
Alcohol Drinking Guidelines, by Public Health Unit5
45%
% exceeding LRADG
40%
35%
30%
Ontario: 29%
25%
20%
15%
* Target is to reduce %. Achieving targets means
being below the target line.
17
2012 YE Performance
Baseline
2013 Target
Local and regional data6
• Formula uses data from the bi-annual self-reported Canadian Community
Health Survey (CCHS)
• Measures the proportion of population (19 years of age and older) who
reported consuming alcohol at levels that exceed Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol
Drinking Guidelines (Guidelines 1 and 2)
• Contact your local public health epidemiologist for the most current data
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9
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Home > Data & Analytics > Snapshots7
Communications Best Practices
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©iStockphoto.com/fabervisum
Communications Best Practices8
• Computer or web-based interventions have been shown to be
effective in reducing drinking behaviour, particularly among:
• Youth
• High-risk drinkers
• General population
• Students within university and college settings
• Media interventions have little effect on reducing alcohol
consumption among women, youth and the general population
• Media interventions have been shown to be effective in increasing
alcohol-related knowledge and awareness among women
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Communications Best Practices8
• Social norm campaigns have been
shown to be effective in modifying
normative perceptions,
• Social norm campaigns have mixed
evidence on their effectiveness for
behavioural consequences among
students within college and
university settings.
• Public health practitioners can help
to address the gap in research
evidence by evaluating relevant
interventions in this population.
©iStockphoto.com/fabervisum
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Resources to Promote
Canada’s LRADGs1
• LRADG Brochure
• Healthcare providers LRADG Guidelines
• LRADG Poster
• LRADG PowerPoint presentation
• Communicating alcohol-related risk
• LRADG Frequently asked questions
23
Resources to Promote LRADGs:
Screening, Brief Intervention and
Referral (SBIR)1
• A new alcohol web resource based on the Low-Risk Alcohol
Drinking Guidelines: www.sbir-diba.ca
• Developed by CCSA and expert advisory committee
• Offers a simple, three-step process to family physicians and
healthcare professionals for detecting and addressing
problematic alcohol consumption
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Need more information?
Please contact your local public health
unit for more information on low-risk
alcohol drinking and available resources
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©iStockphoto.com/fergregory
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines
[homepage on the internet]. 2012; [cited 2013 Aug 28]. Available from:
www.ccsa.ca/eng/priorities/alcohol/canada-low-risk-alcohol-drinkingguidelines/Pages/default.aspx
Cancer Care Ontario, Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health
Ontario). Taking action to prevent chronic disease: recommendations for a healthier Ontario.
Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2012.
Manuel DG, Perez R, Bennett C, Rosella L, Taljaard M, Roberts M, Sanderson R, Meltem T,
Tanuseputro P, Manson H. Seven more years: The impact of smoking, alcohol, diet, physical
activity and stress on health and life expectancy in Ontario. An ICES/PHO Report. Toronto:
Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and Public Health Ontario; 2012.
Statistics Canada. Canadian Community Health Survey. 2009-10.
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Indicator #13: % of population (19+) exceeding Low-Risk
Alcohol Drinking Guidelines, by Public Health Unit. 2013.
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Public Health Division. Technical Document: Public
Health Accountability Agreement Indicators 2011-13 . Version 3. January 17, 2012.
Public Health Ontario. Snapshots [homepage on the internet]. 2013; [cited 2013 Oct 11].
Available from:
http://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/DataAndAnalytics/Snapshots/Pages/default.aspx.
Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). Effectiveness of
approaches to communicate alcohol-related health messaging: review and implications for
Ontario’s public health practitioners. Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2013.
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