As a result of a recent survey by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), health professionals have expressed alarm about the rising alcohol consumption in Rwanda.
According to the poll, the country’s alcohol consumption would rise from 41% in 2013 to 48% in 2022.
5,676 people between the ages of 18 and 69 from all four provinces of Rwanda participated in the study, which aimed to collect information on several risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Participants were asked questions face-to-face and had their physical and biochemical characteristics measured.
Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, the minister of health, released some of the survey’s findings on Twitter while highlighting the necessity of reversing Rwanda’s rising alcohol consumption. He issued a warning that excessive alcohol consumption is linked to NCDs, including some forms of cancer.
“We need to stop this trend. In order to live longer, better lives and stay safe, avoid alcohol or drink in moderation. Alcohol is forbidden for anyone under the age of 18, in addition to being more hazardous to children and teenagers, he added.
A decline in strong episodic drinking, from 23.5 percent in 2013 to 15.2 percent in 2022, was also discovered in the survey. The percentage of adults (15+ years) who have consumed at least 60 grams of pure alcohol on one occasion in the previous 30 days is known as heavy episodic drinking.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 60 grams of pure alcohol are about comparable to six standard alcoholic beverages.
The Director of RBC’s NCDs Division, Dr. Francois Uwinkindi, welcomed the decline in heavy drinking as a positive development but underlined the need for additional progress as the nation keeps up its fight against NCDs. He recommended enacting new laws restricting alcohol use as well as raising public awareness.
In a recent report, the WHO stated that “there is no safe level of alcohol consumption that does not affect health.” The article established a connection between alcohol intake and several cancers, including prevalent varieties like bowel cancer and female breast cancer.
To enable people to make educated decisions, epidemiologist and physician Albert Tuyishime recommended for increased public awareness initiatives.
While giving advice on how to stop smoking or binge drinking is vital, the choice ultimately belongs to the individual, he noted.
Tuyishime also underlined the necessity for additional research to uncover the causes of places with higher than average rates of heavy drinking. With this knowledge, tailored actions might be made for these particular areas.
In terms of the provinces, Kigali had the lowest rate of heavy alcohol consumption at 10.5%, followed by the Northern province with 15.8%, the Southern province with 15.1%, the Eastern province with 13.8%, and the Western province with 19.1%.
