July 2010 - Program Updates

Alcohol Policy Network (APN)

Another Successful Alcohol Policy Forum

Attracting over 100 motivated health promotion professionals, the 7th annual Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity Forum in March 2010 was a great success. For this event, public health professionals, addiction counselors, and policy-makers gathered from across the province to discuss actions that need to be taken based on current research and strategies that address alcohol-related harm:

  • High-Risk Alcohol Consumption;
  • Physical Inactivity;
  • Poor Mental Health;
  • Tobacco Use/Exposure;
  • Unhealthy Eating.

The Forum began with Nancy Langdon (Chair of the OPHA Alcohol Workgroup) and Dr. Norman Giesbrecht looking back at previous Forums and the steps that followed those events, challenges of today, agenda setting for public health, and the role of the OPHA Alcohol Workgroup in effecting change. Dr. Thomas Babor, from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, then focused on summarizing the contents of his landmark book Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity (2nd edition, 2010), looking at strategies for minimizing alcohol-related harm, and addressing the role of alcohol consumption in the global burden of disease. Dr. Maristela Monteiro, from the Pan American Health Organization, brought an international perspective to the Forum, highlighting the impact of alcohol consumption on the burden of disease in the region of the Americas and discussing the process of developing the WHO global alcohol strategy and Canada’s role in this.

Following this, the Ministry of Health Promotion presented along with two health units who have worked on developing municipal alcohol strategies in their areas. The Forum wrapped up with a panel discussion including Denise DePape from the BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport, Andrew Murie from Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, and Dr. Thomas Babor. Each panel presenter spoke about the “How To’s” in developing healthy public policy. Participants were given the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters and discuss next steps with the information in small group discussions.

Through evaluations, many participants outlined the value of the Forum in being an aid when preparing letters and presentations in support of policy change. One participant indicated that what was learned in this Forum will aid in “advocating on behalf of public health to stop the privatization of the LCBO”, while another participant indicated that the material presented at the Forum would be used to “encourage the inclusion of alcohol in our municipal drug strategy and work to enhance our alcohol policy”.

An extensive evaluation of the Forum has been completed and a three-month follow-up evaluation took place in June. The evaluations will help to improve next year’s Forum while assisting health professionals with alcohol policy creation moving forward.

Analysis on Alcohol Advertising

Health Canada’s Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, Controlled Substances and Tobacco Directorate, is currently developing a situational analysis of alcohol in Canada and has recently approached OPHA to assist. Health Canada is currently exploring their role in addressing alcohol-related harm while addressing significant gaps which remain in existing Canadian alcohol-related literature, particularly with respect to the regulation of advertising and marketing of alcoholic beverages.

As such, OPHA will be undertaking research and producing a report to add a current perspective on alcohol advertising in Canada. The report will provide a content and thematic analysis of Canada-wide alcohol advertisements and an analysis of the level of compliance of these advertisements with existing regulations. The report will also put forth policy recommendations at a federal level stemming from the literature.

OPHA is working closely with the Alcohol Policy Network along with researchers from the University of British Columbia. The report is scheduled to be submitted to Health Canada in early Spring 2011.

Alcohol and Community-Based Violence

Both alcohol use and violence share some common physiological, social, and economic variables. While the link between alcohol consumption and violent behaviour has been well established, the mechanisms – social and environmental influences – by which this occurs, are not fully understood. The Alcohol Policy Network recently researched this association to gain a better understanding of the contributing factors associated with alcohol-related violence.

This research provided ample basis for providing direction and recommendations for informing public health policies to reduce alcohol’s contribution to community-based violence. Eight strategies and 21 recommendations are proposed which follow a coordinated, comprehensive health promotion approach incorporating healthy public policy and community action along with the ‘four pillars’ of substance misuse: prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and enforcement.

The complete systematic review, Alcohol and Community-based Violence: A Systematic Review, is available for download from the APN website. There is also a shorter From Evidence to Action: Reducing Harm from Alcohol and Community-based Violence document available.