Primary students show high rates of alcohol use
Australian primary and secondary school aged children are drinking alcohol at twice the rate of their American counterparts, a new study has shown.
The study by Murdoch Childrens Research Institute's Centre for Adolescent Health revealed that by age 110 half of the children surveyed in Australia had drunk a full glass of alcohol. By age 154, close to one third were binge drinking. Australian children also reported much higher levels of tobacco and inhalant use, while US students had a higher rate of marijuana use.
The study was carried out to compare the Australian 'harm minimisationprevention' approach to drinking alcohol with the American 'zero tolerance' policyattitude. Study leader A/Professor John Toumbourou said "with Christmas approaching many families in Australia will are inappropriately introduceing their primary school age children to small sips of alcohol. Families often do this, with the intention of encouraging a moderate, 'European style' pattern of alcohol use. Our study shows this approach is not working."
The findings come at a time when alcohol related hospital admissions have been found to be steadily increasing across all states of Australia.
"Early introduction of alcohol to children can lead to heavy drinking in secondary school and is also associated with alcohol related harm in early adulthood", he said.
6,000 students from Victoria, Australia and Washington, USA were surveyed in an effort to identify youth drug use patterns as a part of the International Youth Development Study, an ongoing collaboration between the University of Washington and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.