Alcohol |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Heavy Drinking EpisodesHeavy drinking is defined as four or more drinks within a single event for women, and five or more drinks for men. In 2017/18, within the Health Unit region, an estimated 24.5% (age-standardized) of persons 19+ years of age met or exceeded the heavy drinking limit at least once a month. In 2019/2020, within the Health Unit region, an estimated 28.8% (age standardized) of persons 19+ years of age met or exceeded the heavy drinking limit at least once a month. This was significantly higher when compared to Ontario at 17.7%. Last updated: October 30, 2023 Data source: Canadian Community Health Survey, 2019/20 Categories of Drinking RiskWith Canada's new Guidelines on Alcohol and Health released in 2023, formerly Low Risk Drinking Guidelines, highlighted below are the percentage estimates for moderate and high risk levels associated with weekly alcohol consumption. Across 2015/16, 2017/18 and 2019/2020, in the Health Unit region, 17.0%, 14.0%, and 19.0% respectively, of the legal age persons (age-standardized) reported having 3-6 drinks a week which corresponds to moderate risk with regards to alcohol harms. The 2019/2020 Health Unit region percentage was not statistically different when compared to the Ontario estimate of 14.9%. High risk alcohol consumption in the Health Unit region for 2015/16, 2017/18, and 2019/2020 was identified as 17.0%, 21.0%, and 20.7% respectively, of legal aged persons (age-standardized) reported having seven or more drinks per week. The 2019/2020 percent estimate was not statistically different when compared to Ontario at 14.8%. Last updated: October 30, 2023 Visit the PHO Snapshots Alcohol Use page for more detail. Please see the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction’s report entitled Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health: Final Report for more information. Emergency Department Visits Attributable to AlcoholIn 2021, within the Health Unit region, there were approximately 805 emergency department visits per 100,000 individuals (age-standardized) where the only reason for the visit was alcohol related. This was significantly higher than the provincial rate of 543 visits per 100,000 individuals (age-standardized). Last updated: October 30, 2023 Visit the PHO Snapshots Alcohol Harms page for more detail. Hospitalizations Attributable to AlcoholIn 2021, within the Health Unit region, there were approximately 352 hospitalizations per 100,000 individuals (age-standardized) where the only reason for being hospitalized was alcohol related. This was significantly higher than the provincial rate of 211 hospitalizations per 100,000 individuals (age-standardized). Last updated: October 30, 2023 Visit the PHO Snapshots Alcohol Harms page for more detail. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cannabis |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Community Cannabis SurveyIn the fall of 2018, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (NBPSDHU) surveyed residents of Nipissing and Parry Sound districts, aged 16 and older, to learn about their recreational cannabis use, attitudes towards cannabis, and knowledge of harm reduction messages related to cannabis. View the 8 Key Findings from the 2018 Community Cannabis Survey Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for all cannabis-related harms
Last updated: July 5, 2023 Visit the PHO Snapshots Cannabis Harms page for more detail. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cigarettes and Other Tobacco |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Smoking
Table 1. Age-Standardized Percentage (95% CI) of Individuals Aged 18 Years or Older Who Smoke Cigarettes Daily or Occasionally, by Region, 2015 – 2020
*Estimate is significantly different from the provincial estimate Last updated: November 1, 2024. Visit the PHO Snapshots Self-Reported Smoking page for more detail. Daily UseOn average, an adult daily or occasional smoker in the Health Unit region smoked approximately 15 cigarettes a day in 2019/20, significantly higher compared to the provincial average (Table 2). Table 2. Age-Standardized Average (95% CI) Number of Cigarettes Smoked Daily by Individuals Aged 18 Years or Older Who Smoke Cigarettes Daily or Occasionally, by Region, 2015 – 2020
*Estimate is significantly different from the provincial estimate Smoking by age group
Table 3. Age-Standardized Percentage (95% CI) of Individuals Aged 18 Years or Older Who Smoke Cigarettes Daily or Occasionally, by Age Group (Time Period) & Region, 2015-2018 Combined and 2019/20
*Estimate is significantly different from the provincial estimate |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Illicit drugs |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Illicit drug use in adults
Visit the PHO Snapshots Cannabis Harms page for more detail. Illicit drug use among expectant mothers
Visit our Reproductive and Child Health page for information on maternal health. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opioids |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018 Report: Morbidity and Mortality (Death)This report summarizes opioid-related emergency department visits & deaths in the Health Unit region, and makes comparisons to Ontario rates in the overall population and by sex and age group. Highlights:
Read the full report: Opioid-Related Morbidity and Mortality in the Health Unit Region - 2005 - 2017 (July 2018). Nipissing Parry Sound Online Overdose Reporting SystemThe Nipissing Parry Sound Online Overdose Early Warning System tracks real-time data related to overdoses and negative drug reactions. Local agencies and emergency services in Nipissing and Parry Sound Districts submit reports of overdoses and negative drug reactions to the Health Unit. The Health Unit summarizes the information collected in the dashboard below. As a passive data collection tool, and an early warning surveillance system, this dashboard is a glimpse into the substance use within our region and therefore, may not coincide with other substance related overdose data sources or reports for our region. Updated weekly, the dashboard contains a series of interactive graphs that allows users to understand and investigate substance related trends locally. For additional information pertaining to opioid surveillance in Ontario, please refer to Public Health Ontario's Interactive Opioid Tool and the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network's (ODPRN) Opioid Indicator Tool. |