The latest figures on drinking amongst pupils aged up to 15 have been released in Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use Among Young People in England - 2016.
The survey report presents information on the percentage of pupils who have ever smoked, tried alcohol or taken drugs and explores the attitudes of school children towards smoking and drinking, last released in 2015. The latest figures however include a revised question relating to alcohol use meaning the data is not directly comparable to previous years.
Whilst the 2016 data suggests a significant improvement over the last 15 years as part of a trend in more abstemious younger generations, the figures prompted some speculation that the positive downward trend may be ending, albeit that further data will be needed.
In 2016, 44% of pupils said they had ever drunk an alcoholic drink, rising to 73% for 15 year olds. Ten per cent of pupils said they had drunk in the last week, drinking an average (mean) of 9.6 units that week. Pupils who drank in the last week were most likely to have drunk beer, lager or cider.
Nine per cent of pupils said they had been drunk in the last four weeks, including 7% of pupils who had been drunk once or twice, and 2% more often. Girls (11%) were more likely to have been drunk in the last four weeks than boys (7%). Nearly a quarter (23%) of 15 year olds reported having been drunk in the last four weeks.
Of pupils who obtained alcohol in the last four weeks, most reported being given it by parents or guardians (70%), given it by friends (54%), or to take it from home with permission (41%). Pupils who drank alcohol were most likely to do so in their own home (62%), at parties with friends (43%), or at someone else’s home (41%). Drinking at parties with friends and at someone else’s home becomes more common as pupils get older.
Pupils who lived with people who drank alcohol were more likely to drink themselves. Only 3% of pupils who lived with only non-drinkers had drunk alcohol in the last week, versus 21% of pupils who lived with three or more people who drank. Of all 11-15 year olds, 50% reported parents disapproving of their drinking, ranging from 69% of 11 years olds to 26% of 15 year olds.
In 2016, 50% of all pupils agreed that it was ok to try alcohol to see what it’s like, down from 67% in 2003. However this figure is slightly up on 2014 (48%) and suggests a stabalised trend since 2010, similarly to perceptions .
The most commonly held belief among young people was that pupils of their own age drank to look cool in front of their friends (74%). Other common beliefs were to be more sociable with friends (63%), because it gave them a rush or a buzz (63%) and because their friends pressured them into it (61%).
A large majority of young people (77%) considered their parents to be a source of helpful information about drinking alcohol. In relation to different forms of media, TV was the most popular source of helpful information about drinking (59%), with the internet also being a popular choice (58%).
Revised methodology and comparison data
For the 2016 survey, the first question on ever having drank was changed to “Have you ever had an alcoholic drink – a whole drink, not just a sip?'. This replaced the previous question "Have you ever had a proper alcoholic drink – a whole drink, not just a sip? Please don’t count drinks labelled low alcohol". NHS Digital state the reason for the change was that 'in general, pupils thought the use of the word ‘proper’ meant the question referred to spirits only. They were also unaware of what would be considered a ‘low alcohol’ drink and some assumed low alcohol would include beer, cider, cocktails and alcopops.'
As such, the report states that 'whilst this means the survey now gives an improved picture of the proportion of young people who have drunk alcohol, comparisons with previous years are not possible.' Whilst noting the change in the wording is relatively minor, the change may have impacted on subsequent questions because some of these were only asked of those pupils who answered ‘yes’ to the initial question.
There are however a number of surveys which have sought to gauge drinking amongst school age children and younger people. In 2015 the 'What about YOUth' survey involved over 120,000 fifteen year olds in England whilst Drinkaware's Monitor survey explored how children and parent's attitudes and behaviours are linked to young people's drinking. Whilst none dispute the overall positive downward trend over recent decades, health groups are keen to highlight there is no room for complacency and alcohol consumption among young people in the UK remains higher than the European average.
Last year Public Health England (PHE) published a new 'data and intelligence summary' with a supporting blog by PHE's national director highlighting that whilst there has been a significant fall since 1990 in the number of 11-15 year olds who had tried alcohol, by the age of 17 half of all girls and almost two-thirds of boys drink alcohol every week. In 2016 an IAS report explored the reasons behind the downward trend in young people's drinking, suggesting improvements in parenting and the reduced affordability of alcohol as the most likely contributory factors.
Dr John Holmes, Sheffield Alcohol Research Group (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, told the Science media Centre in relation to the latest figures:
“It is clear that there is much less drinking among schoolchildren now than there was 15 years ago. This may lead to big improvements in young people’s health today and adult health in the future.
However, the problem of youth drinking has not gone away. Among those who do drink, there are worrying figures. For example, 23% of 15-year-olds have been drunk in the last four weeks while, among 15-year-olds who had drunk alcohol in the last week, 17% drank above the adult drinking guidelines. Therefore, while we should welcome a generally improved picture, we should not be complacent about the problems that remain.”
See here for all Young People tagged posts. 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. See here a post on IBA for young people.
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