Citation

Bendtsen P, Damsgaard MT, Huckle T, Casswell S, Kuntsche E, Arnold P, de Looze M, Hofmann F, Hublet A, Simons-Morton B, Ter Bogt TF, Holstein BE. Addiction 2014; 109(11): 1857-1868.

Affiliation

National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/add.12681

PMID

25041190

Abstract

AIMS: To analyse how adolescent drunkenness and frequency of drinking were associated with adult drinking patterns and alcohol control policies. PARTICIPANTS, DESIGN, SETTING: Cross-sectional survey data on 13- and 15-year-olds in 37 countries who participated in the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Study in 2010 (n=144,788) were linked to national-level indicators on alcohol control policies and adult drinking patterns. MEASUREMENTS: Outcome measures were self-reported weekly drinking and life time drunkenness (drunk once or more). Data were analysed using multilevel logistic regression models.

FINDINGS: In the mutually adjusted models, adolescent drunkenness was significantly associated with high adult alcohol consumption (odds ratio (OR) = 3.15 among boys, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.13-4.64, OR girls = 2.44, CI= 1.57-3.80) and risky drinking patterns in the adult population (OR boys = 2.02, CI= 1.33-3.05, OR girls = 1.61, CI= 1.18-2.18). The level of abstainers in the adult population was also significantly associated with girls' drunkenness; a 10% increase in the number of abstainers in a country reduced the odds of drunkenness with 21% (OR = 0.79, CI= 0.68-0.90). Weekly drinking was significantly associated with weak restrictions on availability (OR boys= 2.82, CI=1.74-4.54, OR girls = 2.00, CI=1.15-3.46) and advertising (OR boys= 1.56, CI= 1.02-2.40, OR girls = 1.79, CI= 1.10-2.94).

CONCLUSIONS: A high level of adult drinking and limited alcohol control policies predicted high alcohol use among adolescents in this cross-national study of adolescents in 37 countries.

Language: en