Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Religion and Health
Published in: Journal of Religion and Health 6/2017

01-12-2017 | Original Paper

Religion, Alcohol Use and Risk Drinking Among Canadian Adults Living in Ontario

Authors: Andrew Tuck, Margaret Robinson, Branka Agic, Anca R. Ialomiteanu, Robert E. Mann

Published in: Journal of Religion and Health | Issue 6/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

This research examines (1) the association between risk drinking and religious affiliation and (2) differences between religions for risk drinking among adults living in Ontario, Canada, for Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, other religious groups and the non-religious. Data are based on telephone interviews with 16,596 respondents and are derived from multiple cycles (2005–2011) of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) Monitor survey, an ongoing cross-sectional survey of adults in Ontario, Canada, aged 18 years and older. Data were analysed using bivariate cross-tabulations, Mann–Whitney U nonparametric test and logistic regression. Alcohol use and risk drinking occur among members of all religious groups; however, the rate of drinking ranges widely. Risk drinking is significantly associated with religion. When compared to the No religion/Atheist group, several religious groups (Baptist, Christian, Hindu, Jehovah’s Witness, Jewish, Muslim/Islam, Non-denominational, Pentecostal, Sikh and Other religion) in our sample have significantly lower odds of risk drinking. Risk drinkers also attended significantly fewer services among several religions. Results suggest that there are differences in the risk drinking rates among Canadian adults, living in Ontario, by religion. It appears that religious traditions of prohibition and abstention do hold sway among Canadian adults for some religious groups.
Footnotes
1
The CAMH Monitor employs American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) eligibility-adjusted response rate calculation (see Ialomiteanu and Adlaf 2012 for more information).
 
2
Note: The low-risk drinking guidelines measure was not asked in 2010.
 
Literature
Agic, B., Mann, R.E., & Kobus-Matthews, M. (2011). Alcohol use in seven ethnic communities in Ontario: A qualitative investigation. Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy, 18(2), 116–123.
Agic, B., Mann, R. E., Tuck, A., Ialomiteanu, A., Bondy, S., Simich, L., et al. (2016). Alcohol use among immigrants in Ontario, Canada. Drug and Alcohol Review, 35(2), 163–205. doi:10.​1111/​dar.​12250.CrossRef
AlMarri, T. S. K., & Oei, T. P. S. (2009). Alcohol and substance use in the Arabian Gulf region: A review. International Journal of Psychology, 44(3), 222–233.CrossRefPubMed
Assanangkornchai, S., Conigrave, K. M., & Saunders, J. B. (2002). Religious beliefs and practice, and alcohol use in Thai men. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 37(2), 193–197.CrossRefPubMed
Babor, T. F., Higgins-Biddle, J. C., Saunders, J. B., & Monteiro, M. G. (2001). AUDIT: The alcohol use disorders identification test. Guidelines for use in primary care (2nd ed.). New York: World Health Organization.
Basinger, D., & Basinger, R. (2009). Predestination and free will. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Bernards, S., Graham, K., Kuendig, H., Hettige, S., & Obot, I. (2009). ‘I have no interest in drinking’: A cross-national comparison of reasons why men and women abstain from alcohol use. Addiction, 104, 1658–1668.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Bloomfield, K., Gmel, G., & Wilsnack, S. (2006). Introduction to special issue ‘gender, culture and alcohol problems: A multi-national study’. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 41(suppl. 1), i3–i7.CrossRefPubMed
Bulut, E., & Ebaugh, H. R. (2014). Religion and assimilation among Turkish Muslim Immigrants: Comparing practicing and non-practicing Muslims. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 15(3), 487–507.CrossRef
Caetano, R., Clark, C., & Tam, T. (1998). Alcohol consumption among racial/ethnic minorities: Theory & research. Alcohol Health & Research World., 22(4), 233–238.
Cann, C. K. (2016). Mothers and spirits: Religious identity. Alcohol and Death. Religions, 7(7), 94–104.
Chitwood, D. D., Weiss, M. L., & Leukefeld, C. G. (2008). A systematic review of recent literature on religiosity and substance use. J. Drug Issues, 38(3), 653–688.CrossRef
Cochran, J. K., Beeghley, L., & Bock, E. W. (1988). Religiosity and alcohol behavior: An exploration of reference group theory. Sociological Forum, 3(2), 256–276.CrossRef
Cramer, D. (1993). Living alone, marital status, gender and health. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 3, 1–15.CrossRef
Engs, R. C., Hanson, D. J., Gliksman, L., & Smythe, C. (1990). Influence of religion and culture on drinking behaviours: A test of hypotheses between Canada and the USA. British Journal of Addiction, 85, 1475–1482.CrossRefPubMed
Ghandour, L. A., Karam, E. G., & Maalouf, W. E. (2009). Lifetime alcohol use, abuse and dependence among university students in Lebanon: Exploring the role of religiosity in different religious faiths. Addiction, 104, 940–948.CrossRefPubMed
Graham, K., & Braun, K. (1999). Concordance of use of alcohol and other substances among older adult couples. Addictive Behaviors, 24(6), 839–856.CrossRefPubMed
Grentz, S. J. (2000). Theology for the community of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing.
Harford, T. C., Hanna, E. Z., & Faden, V. B. (1994). The long-and short-term effects of marriage on drinking. Journal of Substance Abuse, 6, 209–217.CrossRefPubMed
Heron, C. (2003). Booze: A distilled history. Toronto: ON: Between The Lines. InterVarsity Press.
Hjern, A., & Allebeck, P. (2003). Alcohol-related disorders in first- and second generation immigrants in Sweden: A national cohort study. Addiction, 99, 229–236.CrossRef
Keene, M. (2000). Christian life. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes.
Kim, W. (2012). How gender and religion influence alcohol use in elderly Korean immigrants. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 31(2), 173–192.CrossRef
Klaus, B. D., & Triplett, L. O. (1991). National leadership in pentecostal missions. In M. A. Dempster, B. D. Klaus, & D. Petersen (Eds.), Called and empowered: Global mission in Pentecostal perspective (pp. 225–241). Peabody: Hendrickson.
Kunz, J. L., & Giesbrecht, N. (1999). Gender, perceptions of harm, and other social predictors of alcohol use in a Punjabi Community in the Toronto Area. Substance Use and Misuse, 34(3), 403–419.CrossRefPubMed
Luczak, S. E., Prescott, C. A., Dalais, C., Raine, A., Venables, P. H., & Mednick, S. A. (2014). Religious factors associated with alcohol involvement: Results from the Mauritian Joint Child Health Project. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 135, 37–44.CrossRefPubMed
Mademan, R. B. (2006). Revivals and revivalism. In P. Finkelman, J. E. Lewis, P. S. Onuf, J. L. Pasley, J. Stagg, & M. Zuckerman (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the new American nation: The emergence of the United States, 1754–1829 (pp. 94–98). Charles Scribner’s Sons: Detroit.
McAndrews, S., & Voas, D. (2011). Measuring religiosity using surveys. Survey Question Bank: Topic Overviews 4. University of Manchester, UK.
McKenzie, M. M., Modeste, N. N., Marshak, H. H., & Wilson, C. (2015). Religious involvement and health-related behaviors among black seventh-day adventists in Canada. Health Promotion Practice, 16(2), 264–270.CrossRefPubMed
Michalak, L., & Trocki, K. (2006). Alcohol and Islam: An overview. Contemporary Drug Problems, 33(4), 523–562.
Michalak, L., Trocki, K., & Bond, J. (2007). Religion and alcohol in the U.S. National Alcohol Survey: How important is religion for abstention and drinking? Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 87, 268–280.CrossRefPubMed
Naimi, T. S., Brewer, R. D., Mokdad, A., Denny, C., Serdula, M. K., & Marks, J. S. (2003). Binge drinking among US adults. JAMA, 289(1), 70–75.CrossRefPubMed
Neumark, Y. D., Rahav, G., Teichman, M., & Hasin, D. (2001). Alcohol drinking patterns among Jewish and Arab Men and Women in Israel. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 62, 443–447.CrossRefPubMed
Newman, I. M., Shell, D. F., Li, T., & Innadda, D. (2006). Buddhism and adolescent alcohol use in Thailand. Substance Use and Misuse, 41, 1789–1800.CrossRefPubMed
Poelmans, E., & Swinnen, J. F. M. (2011). A brief economic history of beer. In J. F. M. Swinnen (Ed.), The economics of beer (pp. 3–28). Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRef
Reinert, D. F., & Allen, J. P. (2002). The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT): A review of recent research. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 26(2), 272–279.CrossRefPubMed
Rowthorn, A. (2000). The liberation of the laity. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock.
Saunders, J. B., Aasland, O. G., Babor, T. F., De la Fuente, J. R., & Grant, M. (1993). Development of the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT): WHO collaborative project on early detection of persons with harmful alcohol consumption BII. Addiction, 88, 791–804.CrossRefPubMed
Single, E. W., Brewster, J. M., MacNeil, P., Hatcher, J., & Trainor, C. (1995a). The 1993 general social survey I: Alcohol use in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health/Revue Canadienne de Sante’e Publique, 86(6), 397–401.
Single, E. W., Brewster, J. M., MacNeil, P., Hatcher, J., & Trainor, C. (1995b). The 1993 general social survey II: Alcohol problems in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health/Revue Canadienne de Sante’e Publique, 86(6), 402–407.
Statistics Canada. (2013a). Immigration and ethnocultural diversity in Canada. National Household Survey, 2011. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 99-010-X2011001. Ottawa, Ontario.
Steel, D. N., & Thomas, C. C. (1963). The five points of calvinism: Defined, defended, and documented. Philadelphia: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co.
Szaflarski, M., Cubbins, L. A., & Ying, J. (2011). Epidemiology of alcohol abuse among US immigrant populations. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 13(4), 647–658.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
Torchalla, I., Li, K., Strehlau, V., Linden, I. A., & Krausz, M. (2014). Religious participation and substance use behaviors in a Canadian sample of homeless people. Community Mental Health Journal, 50, 862–869.CrossRefPubMed
Varriano, J. (2011). Wine: A cultural history. London: Reaktion Books.
World Health Organization (WHO). (2014). Global status report on alcohol and health 2014. Geneva, Switzerland.
Zernov, N. (1940). The sacrament of confession in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Theology, 40(237), 203–220.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Religion, Alcohol Use and Risk Drinking Among Canadian Adults Living in Ontario
Authors
Andrew Tuck
Margaret Robinson
Branka Agic
Anca R. Ialomiteanu
Robert E. Mann
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Religion and Health / Issue 6/2017
Print ISSN: 0022-4197
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6571
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-016-0339-z

Other articles of this Issue 6/2017

Journal of Religion and Health 6/2017 Go to the issue

Original Paper

Reduced Sense of Coherence Due to Neuroticism: Are Transcendent Beliefs Protective Among Catholic Pastoral Workers?

Original Paper

Examination of the Role of Religious and Psychosocial Factors in HIV Medication Adherence Rates

Original Paper

Distinguishing Between Self-Classified Religious and Spiritual Groups of Emerging Adult Males: Conceptual and Psychometric Challenges

Original Paper

Religion in Motion: Continuities and Symbolic Affinities in Religion and Sport

Original Paper

Masturbation: Scientific Evidence and Islam’s View

Original Paper

Smoking Prevalence Among Users of Primary Healthcare Units in Brazil: The Role of Religiosity