Alcohol consumption among 11-15 year olds is increasing
This is the conclusion drawn in the recent report 'Young Teenagers and Alcohol in 1996' by the Office for National Statistics.
Although there is not a greater number of children in this age group drinking alcohol, those who do are consuming more. The average number of units drunk per week has more than doubled from 0.8 in 1990 to 1.8 in 1996 (1.9 in Scotland). This average is based on all children, not just those who had drunk during the week preceding the survey.
The author of the report, Eileen Goddard, says, "The average conceals wide variation in the amounts children of this age drink. The overwhelming majority had drunk little or nothing in the previous seven days, and most of the remainder had drunk only modest amounts. However, at the other end of the scale, 5 per cent of boys and 3 per cent of girls had drunk 15 or more units in the previous week." It would be interesting were a long-term study of children in this last group carried out to ascertain what proportion developed dependency problems.
Although the drinking behaviour of most children appears to be relatively modest, "a small but significant proportion of those aged 15" (3 per cent of both sexes) said that they drank virtually every day.
Fifty-two per cent of drinkers in their early teens identified their own home or that of a friend as the place where they usually drank. Twenty-three per cent said they drank at parties, 13 per cent in pubs, 13 per cent in clubs or discos. Twenty-five per cent said they drank in places other than those mentioned, presumably being those who drank outside in the street or in parks.
Over 70 per cent of 11 year olds who drink said they did so with their parents. Of the 15 year olds, far more drank with friends (60 per cent) than with parents (20 per cent).
Whilst it is illegal for anyone under 18 to purchase alcohol, whether it be in pub, off-licence, supermarket, shop, or other outlet, half of those who drink (about 30 per cent of all children aged 11-15) admitted doing so.
The report finds that "by far the most common place of purchase was the off-licence, mentioned by 27 per cent of drinkers. The next most frequently mentioned was a shop or supermarket, where 13 per cent said they bought alcohol. One drinker in ten bought alcohol in pubs or bars. Pupils appear to be able to buy alcohol at an earlier age in shops and off-licences than in pubs or clubs."
The author of the report concedes that over- and under-reporting are possible sources of statistical inaccuracy. One 11 year old boy was excluded as he claimed to have drunk 250 units during the week preceding the report. The three pupils who placed themselves in 50 to 87 units group were included. It might be thought that children of this age are more inclined to exaggerate their consumption as opposed to the tendency to under-estimate among adults. It is obvious that anyone abusing alcohol at significant levels is likely to be an unreliable source of accurate statistical data. "It can be assumed, however," says Eileen Goddard, "that since the results compared in this report are from surveys conducted in the same way and using the same methods of collecting information, non-sampling errors will be similar on each survey and so will not affect comparisons."
Given the huge publicity surrounding alcopops the report's findings in that field are of considerable interest. The main concern has been whether alcopops have encouraged children to drink who might not otherwise have done so. The report makes the point that this question cannot be answered from a single survey. It does, however, say that the "survey provides some support for the suggestion that those who drink alcopops may do so because the taste of alcohol is masked by the addition of fruit juice and cola, but little for the contention that were it not for the availability of alcopops, many children would not be drinking at all...It has also been suggested that alcopops are particularly attractive to very young drinkers: however, even the youngest groups covered by this survey were less likely to drink alcopops than they were to drink beer, lager and cider." Whilst there is little comfort in findings which show a preference for traditional alcoholic beverages amongst children who drink, it is significant that the cynical marketing of the young with alcopops does not appear to have worked. The fact that a tactic does not succeed cannot be claimed as proof of different intentions in the first place.
The drink industry's Portman Group has also issued a report, 'Drinking with Design: Alcopops, Designer Drinks and Youth Culture', by Kevin Brain and Professor Howard Parker. Having dismissed the over-reaction of the tabloid press, they nevertheless conclude that alcopops "have certainly found their way into the drinks preference of thirteen and fourteen years olds. Since this concern was one of the corner-stone predictions of the 'regulation' panic then the findings of our survey support these concerns."
Mr Brain and Professor Parker identify high-alcohol designer drinks, especially ciders such as Pulse, as a much greater danger than alcopops. A significant percentage of the young people questioned in their survey indicated that their choice of drink was governed by the desire "to get pissed quicker".
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Portman Group Taskforce More teenagers are drinking more per session, according to a taskforce set up by the Portman Group. Its report, 'Under the Influence', arrives at the following conclusions :
The members of the Taskforce were: Douglas Allsop, Executive Director of The Scottish Council on Alcohol; Cass Edwards, formerly Director of Fundraising at Youth Clubs UK; Charlotte Owen, '19' Magazine's Agony Aunt; Lynne Friedli, Senior Manager, Alcohol Programme, Health Education Authority; Anne Norton, Chairman of the Magistrates' Association's Licensing Committee; Simon Ward, Strategic Affairs Director, Whitbread plc; Allan Charlesworth, Assistant Chief Constable (Designate), Association of Chief Police Officers; and Jean Coussins, Portman Group Director, who was chairman of the Taskforce. |