Risky Alcohol Consumption and Its relation to Consequent Behavioral Problems in European Teenagers
Young people in today´s Europe report increasing trends of risk behaviors. According to ESPAD 2011 results, on average, 57% of the European students had been drinking alcohol during the 30 days prior to the survey. The analytical aim of the paper is to investigate possible links between the leisure time activities of teenagers and their risky alcohol consumption and also their experienced behavioral problems related to alcohol use.
METHODS:
This paper reveals the patterns of binge drinking influencing the quality of life of young people based on the statistical analysis of the comparative data from the European School Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). It uses individual data for the 103 143 students European students from 32 countries and aims to move further from the aggregate level to the individual one. The analysis was undertaken using SPSS Statistics version 18.0. Binary logistic regression models were conducted. Modeled binary variables were behavioral problems related to the alcohol use during the last 12 months.
RESULTS:
The results of the analysis show one prominent result - a strong relation between health risk behavior of teenagers and going out in the evenings (to discos, cafés, parties etc.). "Going out" in the evenings as the activity when 15 and 16-year-old teenagers are most prone to health risk behavior. As regards the behavioral problems experienced after alcohol use, the most serious are relational problems in family, individual problems and incidents and individual fights (in boys).
CONCLUSIONS:
Drinking is considered a part of Czech culture, it is not surprising that the teenagers follow the examples set by their peers or parents as regards the risk behavior and life style. Since it is impossible to ban teenagers from going out or restrict their movement during their leisure time, strategies must be focused mainly on on parental or school control.