Tobacco and alcohol: Is the sum greater that its parts?
This study provides an epidemiological profile of the prevalence of tobacco use and its relation to alcohol use and misuse in the Canadian population and its various subgroups. We carried secondary data analyses of the Canadian Community Health Survey – cycle 2.1 (CCHS, 2003) including 134,072 participants representative of the population aged 12 and over, for an overall response rate of 80.7%. The results indicated that 3% of the population report being mere smokers and 57% are only drinkers whereas 20% use both substances. Drinkers are mostly men with higher income whereas smokers are mostly women with lower income. The concurrent use of tobacco and alcohol is significantly higher among young men aged 20 to 29 years and low-income individuals. Regular and occasional smokers drink bigger quantities of alcohol per week compared to previous smokers and non-smokers and are more likely to be excessive drinkers. Moreover, drinkers who do not smoke provide the highest self-evaluation of their health whereas smokers who do not drink provide the lowest self-evaluation. Disparity between socioeconomic groups in the prevalence and the concurrence of risky behaviours backs the need for targeted interventions that take into account concurrent use of alcohol and tobacco both in public health and in clinical settings.