A new report examining the decline in youth drinking since the turn of the century has been released as part of a new four-year study which aims to examine the patterns and causes of the decline in youth drinking.
Whilst based on previously released data, it brings together the Smoking Drinking and Drug Use amongst Young People in England surveys (SDD) and Health Surveys for England (HSE) findings 'to present the most comprehensive picture to date of the downturn in alcohol use among young people aged 8 to 24'.
As such the report details the much discussed significant decline in overall drinking patterns amongst children and young people in England, a picture similarly seen across the UK and to some extent across Europe more widely.
Among 16-17 year-olds in England, the proportion who reported drinking nowadays fell from 88% in 2001 to 65% in 2016 and the decline over the same time period for 16-24 year-olds was from 90% to 78%. Positive trends have been particularly pronounced amongst younger children, with the proportion of 8-12 year-olds who have ever had an alcoholic drink falling from 25% in 2002 to 4% in 2016, and amongst 11-15 year-olds from 61% in 2003 to 38% in 2014.
Questions of course are asked over the level of drinking amongst those that do drink. Whilst there have been positive indications that heavy drinking has also been falling, the report notes 'changes in the amount drunk are obscured by changes to the survey methods over time' - see here for details.
The releases also coincides with a new World Health Organization (WHO) report detailing adolescent drinking rates across the continent, which also supports the positive trend, though highlights the most significant declines have been seen in England, Ireland and Nordic countries which 'traditionally have had higher prevalence'. The most recent European wide survey data in 2014 also suggests prevalence of drunkenness in England remains above the European average, whilst England was also the only country where prevalence was higher amongst girls than boys. This may be consistent with findings from the SSE which found of those aged 11-15, girls (11%) were more likely to have been drunk in the last four weeks than boys (7%).
Cautious optimism?
The overall picture of drinking amongst children and young people therefore is certainly one of continuing shift away from alcohol use in England over the last 14 years. Inevitably there are those who highlight that whilst such changes must be celebrated, there is still the need for further attention and policy action. The report states that 'the risk exists that underage drinking, like smoking, becomes concentrated in a small, high-risk population and exacerbates existing health and social inequalities.'
Last year Dr John Holmes, University of Sheffield, told the Science media Centre that "the problem of youth drinking has not gone away" and as such "while we should welcome a generally improved picture, we should not be complacent about the problems that remain”, notably that the SSE indicated 23% of 15 year olds reported having been drunk in the last four weeks. As such a nearly a quarter of 15 year olds may be risking serious harm according to the CMO guidance and studies on the effects of adolescent alcohol use on the brain.
Disentangling the likely causes?
The new report says that evidence to explain the significant falls in youth drinking is 'neither robust enough, nor extensive enough to draw firm conclusions on which of these suggestions are correct'. However it acknowledges potential drivers as 'economic factors, demographic shifts including immigration from non-drinking cultures, the rise of internet-based technologies, shifts in parenting behaviour, changing social norms, improved enforcement of underage sales restrictions and improved child well-being.' Further it notes that 'other work has postulated that the experiences, behaviours and psychology of contemporary youth indicates the arrival of a new generation, succeeding Generation X and the Millennials.'
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. However, the current research may suggest isolating single primary causes within a complex culture shift may be overly-simplistic. The future scope of the research will therefore include examining 'how reductions in alcohol use are connected to wider shifts in young people’s health and leisure related activities', utilising various qualitative research methods alongside future survey monitoring.
Policy implications?
With new national alcohol strategies for both England and Scotland reportedly forthcoming, it is notable how trends in alcohol-related measures feature in the advocacy of certain policy directions. Certainly, ongoing media attention to 'binge drinking' problems amongst young people has continued despite falls, although arguably attention has more recently been shifting towards older adults where use has not been in decline. As such, whilst many will advocate for further policy levers in seeking to reduce alcohol-related harms, few can argue that all policy interventions ultimately exist in the real-world context of complex multiple influences.
There's been a dramatic fall in the number of young people drinking alcohol, @ScHARRSheffield research has concluded. We spoke to Melissa Oldham of @SARG_ScHARR to find out more. pic.twitter.com/AS1PeZOqSD
— The University of Sheffield (@sheffielduni) October 8, 2018
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