Seminar Series: Dr. Kevin D. Shield
An overview of the harms caused by alcohol at the individual and population level
Kevin D. Shield, PhD
Scientist
Institute for Mental Health Policy Research
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
Assistant Professor
Epidemiology division
Dalla Lana School of Public Health
University of Toronto
Short Biography:
Dr. Kevin D. Shield is a scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and an assistant professor in the epidemiology division of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Dr. Shield’s multi-disciplinary public health surveillance research programs on the measurement of alcohol consumption and the occurrence of alcohol-use disorders at the individual, regional, country and global levels generate scientific data that inform individuals, clinicians and policymakers on how best to reduce the public health harms caused by alcohol and other drugs.
Abstract:
The consumption of alcohol is causally linked to the risk of over 200 conditions, as defined by three-digit ICD-10 codes. Globally, the average alcohol intake per adult was 8.7 liters in 2019, with 1.2 liters attributed to unrecorded sources. However, in 2020, there was a decrease to 8.1 liters per adult, marking a 10.3% global reduction in alcohol consumption. Regarding heavy alcohol use, 15.3% of adults engaged in heavy episodic drinking in the past 30 days in 2019. Additionally, in 2019, 3.7% of adults (equivalent to 209 million individuals) received a diagnosis of alcohol dependence within the past year. An estimated 2.6 million deaths worldwide in 2019, accounting for 4.7% of all deaths, were attributable to alcohol use.
In Canada, alcohol was responsible for 17,000 deaths in 2020. The adverse effects stemming from alcohol use incurred a total economic cost of $19.7 billion in 2020, with $6.3 billion specifically attributed to healthcare expenses. To inform individuals about the risks associated with alcohol-related diseases, Health Canada mandated and funded the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) to update Canada’s 2011 low-risk drinking guidelines. These guidelines communicate that an individual consuming >0 to 2 drinks per week faces a low risk of mortality (with less than a 1 in 1000 lifetime risk of an alcohol-related death). Consuming >2 to 6 drinks per week presents a moderate risk (less than a 1 in 100 lifetime risk of an alcohol-related death), while consuming one or more drinks per day, on average, signifies a high risk of mortality (with a 1 in 100 or higher lifetime risk of an alcohol-related death).
Keywords:
Alcohol, Burden of Disease, Policy, Prevention, Addiction, Mental Health, Public Health, Modelling
Date: Friday, February 2nd
Time: 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Location: PHFM 3015 (Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine)
