A statistical report from the Health & Social Care Information Centre gives results from an annual survey of secondary school pupils in England carried out since 1982.
The survey asks about use of alcohol, drugs and smoking but also attitudes towards them and the links between the three behaviours. It breaks down results into gender, age and ethnicity and whether children are truanting or excluded from school. The report, tables and a summary can be downloaded here.
Key findings in relation to alcohol:
- Less than half of pupils (43%) had ever drunk alcohol. Boys and girls were equally likely to have done so. The proportion of pupils who have had an alcoholic drink increased from 12% of 11 year olds, to 74% of 15 year olds.
- One in ten pupils (10%) had drunk alcohol in the last week. This continues the downward trend since 2003, when a quarter (25%) of pupils had drunk alcohol in the last week.
- Pupils who had drunk in the last week had drunk an average (mean) of 12.5 units. Median consumption, a more reliable measure, was lower (8.0 units).
- Most pupils who had drunk alcohol in the last week had consumed more than one type of drink. Boys were more likely than girls to have drunk beer, lager or cider, whereas girls were more likely than boys to have drunk spirits, alcopops or wine.
- Half (50%) of pupils who had drunk alcohol in the last four weeks said that they had been drunk at least once during that time. Although 61% of them said that they had deliberately tried to get drunk, 39% said they had not.
- Pupils were more likely to drink alcohol if someone they live with does: 83% of pupils whose households did not include anyone who drank alcohol didn't drink themselves.
- The proportion of pupils who think it is OK for someone of their age to drink alcohol has fallen in recent years. In 2012, 28% of pupils thought that it was OK for someone of their age to drink once a week compared with 46% in 2003.
- The proportion of pupils who drank alcohol was lower in London than anywhere else; 31% of pupils in London had ever drunk alcohol. Outside London, the proportion of pupils who had ever drunk alcohol ranged from 36% in the West Midlands to 51% in the North East.
A previous report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found distinct regional differences in alcohol related harms experienced by young people, even though drinking behaviours in each area followed similar patterns. Download 'Local variations in youth drinking cultures' or the summary report.
The full HSCIC report also includes findings on patterns of drinking, where pupils get alcohol, beliefs and attitudes about drinking alcohol, sources of information that pupils found helpful, and personal and school characteristics associated with having drunk alcohol in the last week.
Earlier this year an event took place exploring 'Alcohol consumption in adolescence and early adult life: What are the consequences?'. The conference looked at the trends of alcohol consumption, and the health and social consequences of high consumption during the transition to adulthood. The influence of parents, school and family on adolescent drinking was studied in a Alcohol Research UK study, recently reported on APUK.
Further alcohol-related reports and guidance related to children and young people can be found here on the Alcohol Learning Centre, including the CMO guidance or see the Drinkaware web-page for parents. See here a post on IBA for young people.
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