Any PR guru worth their salt knows a story about children drinking has a strong chance of making some headlines. Churchill Insurance recently demonstrated this with a new survey reporting half of parents with children under 14 allow them to drink at home, making it into plenty of the nationals - BBC.
But why so much attention to issue? Interest in children and adolescent's drinking is likely to be driven by many factors, including perhaps the apparent complexity of the question 'is it OK to give my child alcohol?'. On the one hand, parents might recognise alcohol as a potentially dangerous drug, but may also say supervised drinking at home is safer and teaches 'responsible' alcohol use. The argument may sound logical, but is not exactly supported by the CMO's evidence.
Last year The Guardian's 'Should I let my children try alcohol?' looked at some of the more recent research on early life drinking as a risk factor for alcohol misuse in later life, questioning the French custom of introducing children to wine with meals. Later in the year media also responded to figures showing drinking levels were higher amongst young people from more affluent areas, with The Independent declaring 'Middle class parents more likely to turn their children to alcohol'. Indeed evidence appears to show children are more likely to drink if living with drinkers, and higher income groups do typically drink more.
Certainly the link between early onset drinking and increased risk of alcohol problems down the road has been established for some time, with young teen drinkers often quoted as being four times more likely to develop dependence. Evidence on the specific effect of alcohol on the developing adolescent brain though is still emerging.
Readers will of course know that levels of alcohol use and harms amongst young people have fallen significantly over recent years, mainly attributed to better parenting and price. Whilst a positive shift, health groups point out that rates are still higher than the European average and may start to turn again, as appears to be the case with adult's consumption. Indeed mean average alcohol consumption in the last week among underage drinkers has seen a recent rise - up from 8.2 units in 2013 to 9.8 in 2014.
The survey reports that:
- 49% of parents with children under the age of 14 [had] let them drink alcohol at home, with 8% of these parents letting their children drink alcohol in the home at least once a month
- Of those who allow their children to consume alcohol in the home, 34% do so to help 'prevent their offspring rebelling'.
- 24% do so because they 'see nothing wrong with their children drinking alcohol'.
- 32% said allowing them to drink in the home allows them to monitor their child’s alcohol consumption.
- 10% of parents highlighted that tighter identification checks have made it harder for their children to purchase alcohol themselves, so they make it available at home.
Readers may note that other surveys will be far more robust, including the recent 'What about YOUth' survey of over 120,000 fifteen year olds in England (62% reported that they had previously had a whole alcoholic drink), or figures from smoking, drinking and drug use amongst school pupils mostly aged 11-15 in England.
Drinkaware's recent Monitor survey also explored how attitudes and behaviours are linked to young people's drinking, finding an important link with parental involvement. It also reported that 12% of 10-17 year-olds who drink have suffered a serious harm as a result (hospitalisation, being in a fight, trouble with the police or being a victim of crime). Drinkaware has a range of information targeting parents, including a 'prevent your child from drinking' page.
Whilst the revised adult guidelines may be considered under attack, alcohol health groups are likely to hope for further parental understanding of the 'no safe level' evidence for children. Parenting therefore is seen as important, but calls for tougher controls over marketing, price and availability will also continue.
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