DSICA
Column – Our Hotel – March 2007
Underage
drinking trends
By Gordon Broderick
The underage ‘drinking epidemic’ continues
to worsen. Young Australians are drinking more and are drinking more frequently
- or so you would believe if you accepted the line in the popular press. These
common perceptions are generated in part by shonky research - usually a one-off
yet to be released study: “young Australians binge at three times the rate
of their counterparts overseas”; “females as young as 13 consume
up to 30 standard drinks at a sitting”; “RTDs have caused an explosion
in underage drinking”. Such survey results are usually followed up by a
quick media grab showing the worst bacchanalian excesses of ‘schoolies
week’. We baby boomers are left shaking our heads about the decline in
the younger generation.
But before we condemn our youth, let’s look at
the evidence. First we need to examine to best available data. Of the surveys
that measure underage drinking, one of the best is the Australian Secondary School
Students’ Survey. This survey has been carried out every 3 years since
1984 and its sample size is large, ranging in different years from around 19,000
to 30,000 students. In the most recent survey 21,805 students were interviewed.
Even the best studies, however, may contain several sources of bias. For example,
by definition the secondary school survey excludes those who do not attend school.
Further, there may be a selection bias given that those who attend school more
regularly are more likely to be interviewed. In addition, the presence of teachers
in the rooms when the questionnaires are being completed may influence results.
In 1999 this figure was 29 per cent, but in the 2005 survey this occurred in
45 per cent of cases. Finally, in recent years the number of schools and number
of students within those schools participating in the survey has been declining.
Notwithstanding these issues, the capacity of the Secondary Students’ Surveys
to trace patterns of alcohol use over an extended period of time using similar
measures and sampling methodologies is particularly valuable.
The results of the 2005 Australian Secondary School Students’ Survey certainly
explode many myths alluded to in my introduction. Overall the levels of drinking
amongst adolescents has remained remarkably stable since 1984. The study summarises
the key finding since 1999 as: • “The proportion of students aged
between 12 and 15 drinking in their lifetime and in the month before the survey
decreased significantly between 1999 and 2005.
• In 2005, 82% of 12- to
15-year-olds had ever tried alcohol, which was significantly lower than that
reported in 2002 (86%) and 1999 (87%).
• Significantly fewer 12- to
15-year-olds had drunk in the past month in 2005 (34%) compared to 2002 (43%)
and 1999 (43%). The proportion of 16- and 17-year-olds that had ever tried alcohol
had not changed significantly between 1999 and 2005.
• Among older
students, 95% had tried alcohol in 2005 compared to 94% in both 2002 and 1999.
A similar proportion of older students had drunk in the past month in 2005 (68%)
compared to 2002 (68%) and 1999 (70%). • The proportion of students
aged between 12 and 15 drinking in the week before the survey decreased significantly
between 1999 and 2005.
• In 2005, 22% of 12- to 15-year-olds were current
drinkers, which was significantly lower than that reported in 2002 (29%) and
1999 (28%). The proportion of 16- and 17-year-olds drinking in the week before
the survey had not changed significantly between 1999 and 2005. Among older students,
47% were current drinkers in 2005 compared to 48% in 2002 and 51% in 1999.”
In
summary, the results suggest either stability in adolescent drinking patterns
or, more frequently, decline. Given the rise in popularity of RTDs over this
period, particularly among adolescent females, it suggests that while drinking
of all types (including harmful drinking) has remained the same or experienced
a slight decline, beverage preference has changed substantially. A central conclusion,
then, is the increased popularity of RTDs has very clearly not been a cause of
increased harmful drinking among adolescents.
