Trends in public opinion on alcohol policy measures: Ontario 1989-1998.

OBJECTIVE: This article presents trend data concerning public opinion on alcohol policy in the Canadian province of Ontario over a 10-year period (1989-98), highlights the currently debated issue of private venues for retail alcohol sales and assesses correspondence between public opinion and actual and proposed policy decisions. METHOD: Selected policy-related items from nine probability surveys on representative samples of male and female Ontario adults (range of unweighted n 's: 953 to 1,947) were analyzed by means of logistic regression. RESULTS: We found strong support for the status quo for a number of items, including beer and liquor store hours, corner store sales and taxes. Across all years, less than 6% of the total sample wanted to lower the legal drinking age. Over time, a linear trend showed a gradual but not entirely consistent development of attitudes among the Ontario public, favoring relaxation of some controls. However, contrary to this trend, disapproval of retail sales in corner stores increased significantly from 1992 to 1996. Demographic breakdown shows that relaxation of controls is most favored by those who report consumption of five or more drinks per occasion at least weekly over the past 12 months, and most strongly opposed by women and nondrinkers. Of those who seldom or never consume five or more drinks per occasion, the majority express satisfaction with the status quo. CONCLUSIONS: These data call into question the suitability of changes in alcohol policy that would diminish controls. It is of particular interest that there seems to be little public support for privatization proposals in the province. Public opinion against comer store sales of alcoholic beverages increased over time.

Prevalence of problem gambling in adolescents: findings from the 1999 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of gambling disorders in adolescent students in Ontario. METHOD: Data were based on a random survey of 2371 Ontario students in grades 7 to 13 using the South Oaks Gambling Screen revised for adolescents (SOGS-RA). RESULTS: In total, 5.8% of students met the criteria for past-year problem gambling, and an additional 7.5% met the criteria for at-risk gambling. Gambling disorders were significantly higher among male students than female, but did not differ significantly by age or region. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of gambling disorders among adolescents warrants thorough investigation and ongoing monitoring.

Nonmedical drug use among adolescent students: highlights from the 1999 Ontario Student Drug Use Survey.

BACKGROUND: During the 1990s, rates of nonmedical drug use among adolescents escalated. We assessed data from 5 cycles of the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey for overall trends in the proportion of students reporting illegal drug use between 1991 and 1999. METHODS: The survey is a repeated, cross-sectional, 2-stage cluster-design survey of students enrolled in grades 7, 9, 11 and 13. Outcome measures were prevalence of use of 17 drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, over the 12 months preceding the survey. RESULTS: The rates of drug use increased between 1993 and 1999. The 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the differences in proportions between 1997 and 1999 indicated significant increases in the overall use of 6 drugs: alcohol (95% CIdiff 6.1, 1.9-10.3), cannabis (95% CIdiff 46.3, 0.2-8.4), glue (95% CIdiff 2.3, 1.3-3.3), other solvents (95% CIdiff 5.0, 3.1-6.3), barbiturates (95% CIdiff 1.9, 0.4-3.4) and hallucinogens such as mescaline and psilocybin (95% CIdiff 3.5, 0.8-6.9). Fewer grade 7 students in 1999 than in earlier cohorts reported using alcohol or cigarettes by age 9. INTERPRETATION: The public health implications of the findings are mixed. On the positive side, there is no evidence of increases in early onset of drug use. On the negative side, the overall proportion of students reporting illegal drug use has continued to rise.

Predictors of health risk behaviours among young adults: analysis of the National Population Health Survey.

This paper examines the individual and social determinants of physical inactivity, daily smoking, heavy drinking, and overall risk behaviour among 1,395 Canadians aged 20-24 in the 1994 National Population Health Survey. Logistic regression was used to estimate models of risk behaviour using the following variables: sex, mastery, self-esteem, sense of coherence, chronic stress, psychological distress, social support, income adequacy, education, and main activity (working, looking for work, attending school, other). Results of the analysis indicate that the most consistent predictors were chronic stress and main activity. Thus, social context appears to be an important influence on risk-related behaviour, and should be taken into account in approaches designed to promote health behaviours.

Community effects of the opening of the Niagara casino.

AIMS: The impacts on the community of the opening of a casino in Niagara Falls are studied. DESIGN: The study uses a pre/post design for the community data, with pre/post data from Ontario as a whole as a comparison. SETTING: The study site is the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, where a casino opened in early December, 1996. PARTICIPANTS: Using random-digit dialing, telephone interviews were conducted with adult residents of Niagara Falls in 1996 and 1997, and with adult residents of Ontario in 1995 and 1997. MEASUREMENTS: Aside from demographic variables, measures included general attitudes to gambling, expectations about (1996) and experiences with (1997) the casino's opening, extent of participation in 11 types of gambling and 18 items on problems with gambling: five key items from a standard gambling problems score (SOGS), five life-area problems items, and items on pressures from others concerning the respondent's gambling and on gambling problems among family and friends. FINDINGS: Attitudes to gambling remained stable in Niagara Falls, while there was some evidence of decline in approval in Ontario as a whole. While strong majorities of 1996 respondents had expected many positive and negative effects on The Community of the Casino's opening, Significantly fewer respondents in 1997 reported actually experiencing most of these effects. While a small increase in employment was found, it fell far below projections, a result probably reflecting displacement effects. The rate and level of casino gambling increased in Ontario, but increased even more in Niagara Falls, with little displacement of other gambling. Reported gambling problems increased significantly in Niagara Falls for two of 10 gambling problem items and for the short SOGS score, while rates were generally stable or declining in the province. Pressure from others about gambling rose significantly in Niagara Falls (in contrast to the province), and reported rates of family members or friends with gambling problems also rose substantially. There was an increasing trend in Niagara Falls for all 18 problem indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The casino's opening brought more gambling by local residents, and an increase in reported gambling problems; yet support for the casino, already strong, if anything grew. At least in the short term, problems from the increased availability of gambling manifested themselves not in the public arena but rather in the arena of private life.

Smoking in Ontario, 1991 to 1996.

Surveys by the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario have produced annual estimates on smoking prevalence since 1991. This report describes the three series of telephone surveys from which these data are drawn as well as future plans to monitor tobacco use in Ontario. In addition to provision of updated descriptive results, the methodology and limitations of the data are discussed. Prevalence data for 1996 are presented from the Ontario Drug Monitor, a telephone survey of Ontario adults (n = 2721). The overall prevalence of smoking in Ontario was 27% (95% confidence interval: 25% to 29%); 23% smoked daily (95% confidence interval: 21% to 25%). There is no evidence of any decline in the prevalence of smoking since 1991, and no sex differences were found in smoking prevalence. Future reports will update trend data and provide robust regional estimates.