[The Epoch Times, February 16, 2023](The Epoch Times reporter Wei Ji from Toronto) “The overall burden of disease (in Ontario hospitals) caused by alcohol and tobacco use is considerable,” the authors of the report wrote.
Public Health Ontario and Ontario Health recently released a report saying that reducing the amount of smoking and drinking in Ontario has the potential to reduce the huge medical burden caused by diseases caused by smoking and alcohol abuse.
Researchers estimate that more than 1,000 Ottawa residents die each year from smoking and an average of 264 from alcoholism.
Looking at Ontario, data from 2014 to 2018 show that each year, more than 16,000 people die from smoking-related diseases, and alcoholism kills an average of 4,330 people. The fatal diseases caused by smoking include cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and respiratory diseases, and the fatal diseases caused by alcohol abuse include infectious diseases, motor vehicle collisions, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and accidental injuries.
The report, which looked at the health-care burden of alcohol and tobacco use, estimated that in Ottawa each year, in addition to 264 alcohol-related deaths, 1,267 people were hospitalized and more than 11,000 emergency room visits.
While the province has been considering allowing beer to be sold in convenience stores, the report recommends that municipalities develop alcohol policies and municipal bylaws “to help manage alcohol supply, as the availability of alcohol is closely associated with increased consumption.”
As for tobacco, Ottawa is a leader in no smoking. Back in 2001, the city became one of the first cities to ban smoking in public places.
Ottawa has one of the lowest self-reported smoking rates in Ontario, according to the report. But the city’s residents are drinking at rates higher than the Ontario average of twice a week.
In Ottawa, on average, smoking accounts for 16.5 per cent of deaths, 7.8 per cent of hospitalizations and 3.2 per cent of emergency room visits per year among residents over the age of 35, the report said.
On average, alcohol accounts for 4.2 percent of deaths, 2.1 percent of hospitalizations and 3.9 percent of emergency room visits among city residents age 15 and older each year.
In Ontario, smoking was responsible for 17 per cent of deaths and alcohol was responsible for 4.3 per cent of deaths. In Renfrew County, smoking-related deaths topped 19.2 percent.
Editor in charge: Yue Yi
