Durham launches alcohol-cancer awareness campaign

Health department focuses on post-secondary kids, highlighting relationship between alcohol and cancer

DurhamRegion.com
Sept. 14, 2014
By Judi Bobbitt

As post-secondary students head back to classes and another school year, the Region of Durham is hoping to impart a lesson on drinking alcohol and its link to cancer.

The Region’s health department has launched a September awareness campaign highlighting the link between alcohol and eight types of cancer, including colorectal, breast, colon, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, larynx and liver. The Region plans to place billboards and advertisements in Durham shopping malls and bus shelters, says Bisi Agiri-Saliu, public health nurse. She did not have a dollar figure for the campaign, which will focus on post-secondary students, an age group the health department says statistically shows a high rate of heavy drinking.

“Based on the evidence, alcohol should be avoided as even a small amount can increase cancer risk,” says Ms. Agiri-Saliu. The health department cites a Cancer Care Ontario report that says alcohol is linked to 1,000 to 3,000 cancer cases in Ontario every year, and says just one in three Canadians is aware of the correlation between drinking and cancer.

“Alcohol is such a part of our culture,” notes Ms. Agiri-Saliu. “We’re trying to de-normalize that. We love alcohol; it’s our favorite drug. We should consider the health effects.”

But the perception of how much students drink may be different from reality, says Nona Robinson, associate vice-president of students at Trent University.

“Generally speaking, things have changed,” says Ms. Robinson, noting organized university orientation week activities don’t include alcohol, and education campaigns focus on the impacts of heavy drinking, student safety and harm reduction.

She notes the school’s “tiny” pub and says the university focuses on alcohol education “without driving it so far underground” that a student would hesitate to report a friend in trouble.

While there is a still a culture among students around being away from home and experimenting with newfound freedom, “A lot of our students just choose not to drink,” says Ms. Robinson.