Factors associated with alcohol consumption, problem drinking, and related consequences among high school students in Taiwan

This research evaluated the risk factors associated with alcohol consumption, problem drinking, and related consequences among high school students in Taiwan. A total of 779 10th grade students from four randomly selected high schools in eastern Taiwan were included in the survey. Survey data were self-reported by students and analyzed using logistic regression methods. The results showed that alcohol consumption and problem drinking was 2.22-2.71-fold greater in male than in female adolescents. Parents and peer groups were the determinants influencing alcohol consumption, and these influences could be enhanced particularly by the drinking behaviors of fathers and peer groups, and the relationship of students with their peer groups. The probability of developing adolescent problem drinking was fourfold greater in students whose fathers had habits of drinking. Ethnicity had a notable impact on the risk of problem drinking. The occurrence of problem drinking among indigenous adolescents was 2.98-fold higher than among Hans, indicating a diversity of biological factors, social norms, and expectation for alcohol drinking between these two ethnic groups. This study suggests that a policy for preventing alcohol abuse among high school students should start by addressing the two major associated problems: a need to earn peer group recognition, and the lack of family support among at-risk students.     

Factors associated with Indigenous youths' abstinence from drinking

The proportion of youth who abstain from alcohol use decreases during adolescence but little attention has focused on factors associated with abstinence. No research has examined this question for Indigenous youth, many of whom live in communities experiencing high rates of alcohol-related health problems. Using data from a longitudinal study of Indigenous youth (n = 649, ages 10–17 years) in the U.S. and Canada, the current study investigates factors associated promoting or decreasing abstaining from alcohol use. Results from generalized linear growth models demonstrate that abstinence declines significantly during adolescence. In concurrent models, caretaker monitoring and school adjustment increased the odds of abstaining, and frequency of smoking cigarettes and number of best friends who drink decreased the odds. In lagged analysis, only school adjustment, smoking, and peer drinking remained significant. Time-stable characteristics moderated several time-varying associations. This study has important implications for programs aimed at encouraging alcohol abstinence.     

Health Behaviors Among School-Aged Children: a Cross Sectional Study in Lebanese Private Schools

There is insufficient data on health-risk behaviors of school students in Lebanon. The objective of our study is to provide data about the prevalence of cigarette and waterpipe smoking as well as alcohol drinking patterns among school students, focusing on gender differences and searching for tobacco and alcohol uses’ predictors. The dissemination of such information is required in order to promote health and assist the local authorities in Lebanon in designing tobacco and alcohol control prevention programs with a particular attention to youth. Using a convenient sample of Lebanese students, aged between 11 and 20 years, a cross-sectional study was carried out in nine private schools in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. A standardized questionnaire was used for collecting data related to socio-demographic characteristics, tobacco and alcohol consumption, entourage consumption, and health-related behaviors. Additional questions related to the general perception of personal health and life satisfaction, social activities, physical activity and sedentary behavior, school environment, family and peer relationships were also included in the questionnaire. The summary of responses is analyzed using two methods: bivariate and multivariable analyses. Among 1982 participants, 10.3, 16.9, and 42.4 % are cigarette smokers, waterpipe smokers, and alcohol consumers respectively. Higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption are found out among boys as opposed to girls (p?<?0.001). We identified that a significant association exists between tobacco and alcohol consumption based on age, district, socioeconomic status, connectivity with family, family and entourage influence, days spent with friends, drunkenness and binge drinking, energy drink consumption, weight status, self-rated health, electronic media communication, and last quarter average (aOR going from 0.50 till 0.87 for protective factors and inverse relationships and from 1.19 till 5.80 for positive associations). Substantial proportions of school students in Lebanon adopt risky behaviors. Health-promotion activities need to be established in order to decrease the occurrence of such behaviors and prevent deleterious health outcomes.     

生活习性与帕金森病关系的研究

目的 探讨生活习性与帕金森病(PD)的关系。方法 选取在北京地区55岁以上PD患病率调查中确诊及在北京协和医院帕金森病研究中心诊治的患者共114例；以及性别、民族及居住地与其匹配的对照者205名的一般资料及吸烟、饮茶、饮酒等生活习性进行调查，并加以相关分析。结果 吸烟者和饮茶者患PD的危险性低于对照组，OR值分别为0．538(95％CI：0．290，0．998)和0．199(95％CI：0.114，0．346)。饮酒者与PD关联无统计学意义。结论 生活习性中吸烟和饮茶同PD存在负相关，即有保护作用，而饮酒与PD的发病无关。     

Explaining educational differences in adolescent substance use and early sexual debut: the role of parents and peers

Previous studies from a wide variety of European countries have demonstrated that low educated adolescents engage more frequently in health risk behaviors compared to high educated adolescents. The present study investigates the mediating roles of parental knowledge and time spent with peers in this relationship. Data were retrieved from a nationally representative sample of 12- to 16-year old Dutch adolescents (N=5422). Risk behaviors were measured by adolescents' report of daily smoking, binge drinking and cannabis use in the previous month, and sexual debut before age 17. Low educated adolescents indicated that their parents had less knowledge on their whereabouts and reported spending more time with peers than high educated adolescents. Both factors mediated the relationship with health risk behaviors. These results hint to parenting practices and adolescent peer relations as points of reference for prevention and intervention work aiming to reduce educational inequalities in adolescent health risk behaviors.     

A case-control study on cigarette,alcohol, and coffee consumption preceding Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, coffee consumption and Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: We selected subjects affected by idiopathic PD, with a Mini-Mental State Examination of > or =24, and controls matched 1 to 1 with cases by age (+/- 2 years) and sex. Controls were randomly selected from the resident list of the same municipality of residence of the cases. We assessed cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and coffee consumption preceding the onset of PD or the corresponding time for controls using a structured questionnaire, which also evaluated the duration and dose of exposure. Using conditional logistic regression analysis, we calculated adjusted OR and 95% CI. RESULTS: We interviewed 150 PD patients and 150 matched controls. Cigarette smoking (ever vs. never smokers OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.41-1.05, p = 0.08) did not show a statistically significant association with PD. We observed an inverse association between alcohol drinking (ever vs. never OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.39-0.97, p = 0.037) and coffee consumption (ever vs. never OR = 0.16, 95% CI 0.05-0.46, p = 0.0001) and PD. These associations remained significant after adjustment for other covariates: OR for ever vs. never alcohol consumption was 0.62 (95% CI = 0.43-0.89, p = 0.009) and that for coffee drinking 0.19 (95% CI = 0.07-0.52, p = 0.001). Heavy coffee consumption confirmed the inverse association between coffee and PD (more than 81 cup/year vs. none: OR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.08-0.47, p < or = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with previous studies, our results suggest an inverse association between coffee drinking, alcohol consumption and PD. The multiple inverse association observed may indicate a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors.     

Alcohol use among 10th-graders: Distinguishing between high-intensity drinking and other levels of use

IntroductionDrinking at levels beyond standard binge drinking thresholds poses particularly high risks to youth. Few studies have examined high-intensity drinking (HID; 10+ drinks in a row) in high school students and none have tested whether peer drunkenness and parental knowledge (e.g., about youth's whereabouts) distinguish between binge and high-intensity drinkers.MethodsWe used data from the Monitoring the Future study collected from nationally-representative samples of U.S. 10th graders (modal age 16 years old) in 2016–2018 (n = 14,824; 48.3% girls, 46.8% boys). We conducted multinomial logistic regression to examine odds of drinking at one of four mutually-exclusive levels: HID in the past 2 weeks, binge (5+) drinking in the past 2 weeks, any alcohol use in the past year, and no alcohol use in the past year.ResultsLow parental knowledge and peer drunkenness were both associated with higher odds of each drinking level, including HID vs. binge, binge vs. alcohol use, and alcohol use vs. no alcohol use. Boys had higher odds than girls of HID compared to binge drinking and of no alcohol use compared to alcohol use.ConclusionsParent and peer risk factors differentiate HID from other levels of drinking.     

Targeting adolescent risk-taking behaviors: the contributions of egocentrism and sensation-seeking

Tremendous resources are spent each year developing programs and messages targeting adolescent risk behavior. Adolescents are often reasonably well educated about methods for health promotion such as preventing HIV infection, yet they fail to act accordingly. One widely used individual difference variable, sensation-seeking, has been incorporated in health message design to some extent, but it fails to take development into account. Research on adolescent egocentrism suggests adolescents experience personal fable which can lead to an exaggerated sense of invulnerability. The present study sampled adolescents and college students to examine relative contributions of egocentrism and sensation-seeking to risk-taking behavior. Results indicate a latent factor labeled risk-seeking (primarily indicated by disinhibition and risk-taking personality, and to a lesser degree by invulnerability, experience-seeking, boredom susceptibility, and thrill and adventure-seeking) indeed predicted a latent factor labeled delinquent behavior (primarily indicated by alcohol consumption and delinquency, and to a lesser degree by drug use, drinking and driving, and risky driving). Other results indicate consistently high personal fable combined with high sensation-seeking explained most risk-taking behavior. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Stressful psychosocial school environment and suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents

Purpose

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death during adolescence worldwide. This study, using a sample of Chinese adolescents, examines associations of a stressful psychosocial school environment with suicidal ideation, which were rarely investigated so far.

Methods

A total of 1,004 Chinese students (468 boys and 536 girls) from Grade 7–12 were recruited into our questionnaire survey. Psychosocial school environment was measured by the effort–reward imbalance questionnaire adapted to the school setting, and suicidal ideation was assessed by a standardized question. Multivariate logistic regression was applied, adjusting odds ratios for age, gender, grade, smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, family wealth, and self-rated health.

Results

In school settings, 10.86 % students reported suicidal ideation during the last 6 months, which was found to be significantly related to both effort and reward. Remarkably, effort–reward imbalance was associated with elevated risk of suicidal ideation (odds ratio = 1.77, 95 % confidence interval = 1.34–2.35).

Conclusions

This study finds significant associations between a stressful psychosocial school environment in terms of effort–reward imbalance and suicidal ideation in Chinese adolescents. Preventive actions aiming at reducing this imbalance may define a promising approach towards a healthy psychosocial school environment.     

泸州市在校大学生饮酒现状及危险因素

目的调查泸州市在校大学生饮酒现状,探讨大学生危险和有害饮酒的危险因素,为有效防治大学生危险和有害饮酒提供依据。方法采用分层整群随机抽样,于2015年3月10日-20日抽取四川省泸州市四所高校共1381名大学生,采用自编一般情况调查问卷、自编饮酒情况调查问卷和酒精使用障碍筛查量表(AUDIT)对其进行现场匿名调查。结果曾饮酒率为73.3%,目前饮酒率51.1%,过量饮酒率41.0%,醉酒率为24.0%,危险和有害饮酒检出率为20.8%。男生曾饮酒率(83.4%vs.60.8%)、危险和有害饮酒率(30.9%vs.8.3%)均与女生比较差异均有统计学意义(χ~2=88.39、57.39,P均0.01)。性别、初次饮酒年龄、自评饮酒依赖状况、自评饮酒量、过去一年的饮酒天数、醉酒天数、饮酒导致的不良结果、最近一年豪饮的频数8个变量是饮酒者发生危险和有害饮酒行为的危险因素(OR=0.248~1.647)。结论泸州市在校大学生男生曾饮酒率及危险和有害饮酒发生率均高于女生。男生、初次饮酒年龄越小、自我感觉酒依赖状况越重、饮酒量越高、近一年饮酒和醉酒以及豪饮的天数越多、饮酒导致了不良后果的容易成为危险和有害饮酒者。     

Alcohol use disorders and the use of treatment services among college-age young adults

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the utilization of and the perceived need for alcohol treatment services among college-age young adults (18-22 years) according to their educational status: full-time college students, part-time college students, noncollege students (currently in school with the highest grade level below college), and nonstudents (N=11,337). This breakdown of young adults had not been addressed previously. METHODS: Secondary analyses were conducted on data from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. RESULTS: Full-time college students (21%) were as likely to have an alcohol use disorder as nonstudents (19%), but were more likely than part-time college students (15%) and noncollege students (12%). Only 4% of full-time college students with an alcohol use disorder received any alcohol services in the past year. Of those with an alcohol use disorder who did not receive treatment services, only 2% of full-time college students, close to 1% of part-time college students, and approximately 3% of young adults who were not in college reported a perceived need for alcohol treatment. Full-time college students were less likely than noncollege students to receive treatment for alcohol use disorders. All young adults with an alcohol use disorder were very unlikely to perceive a need for alcohol treatment or counseling. CONCLUSIONS: College-age adults have a high prevalence of alcohol use disorders, yet they are very unlikely to receive alcohol treatment or early intervention services or to perceive a need for such services. Underutilization of alcohol-related services among college-age young adults deserves greater research attention.     

Factors Associated with Perceived Depression of Korean Adults: Secondary Data from the Korean Community Health Survey

This study was aimed to identify factors related with Korean adults’ depression in a community population using secondary data from the Korean Community Health Survey. The results showed factors associated with the Korean adults’ perceived depression were subjective health, alcohol drinking, smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hours of sleep, activity impairments, and stress. Result of this study proposes that community mental health services are required to the population who has problems of activity impairment due to acute or chronic health status, which suggests having mental health problems such as alcohol drinking, smoking, depression, or stress.     

Risk factors for alcohol use among male adolescents and emerging adults in Haiti

This study examined risk factors associated with alcohol use in the past 3 months among young men aged 15-24 in Haiti using data from the 2000 Enquête Mortalité, Morbidité et Utilization des Services. Findings indicate that life-time smoking, multiple sexual partnerships, witnessing inter-parental conflict in childhood, disruption of parental monitoring, and residing in communities with high levels of youth drinking differentiated experimenters from abstainers. Youth out-of-school employment and co-residence with adults who had a history of drunkenness were among risk factors associated with regular alcohol use. The greater was the number of risk factors to which a young man was exposed, the higher were the probabilities of alcohol experimentation and regular use. The findings call for prevention strategies at the family and community levels and for initiatives that focus on sexual and non-sexual individual behaviour change.     

Preventing alcohol problems: the implications of a case-finding study in Christchurch, New Zealand

In 1986 the Christchurch Psychiatric Epidemiology Study obtained 1498 interviews using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Respondents were from a probability sample of adults aged 18-64 years. This article reports results relevant to preventing alcohol problems. The symptoms most likely ever to be experienced were types of heavy drinking (7-22%) and their consequences such as blackouts (13%). Thirty-two percent of men and 6% of women had met criteria for alcohol disorder prior to interview. The predictors of alcohol disorder were gender, childhood conduct disorder symptoms, early drunkenness, family breakdown and age of leaving school. Cohort effects were clear for onset of drunkenness and alcohol problems. The median duration of alcohol problems was at least 10 years, indicating scope for secondary prevention. General practice and hospitals appeared to be the most suitable places for intervention.     

Randomized Trial of a Community-based Alcohol-related HIV Risk-reduction Intervention for Men and Women in Cape Town South Africa

Background  HIV is devastating southern Africa and alcohol use is closely related to HIV transmission risks. Purpose  The current study tested the efficacy of a brief single-session HIV–alcohol risk-reduction intervention for men and women who drink at informal alcohol serving establishments (i.e., shebeens) in South Africa. Methods  A randomized community field trial recruited men (N = 117) and women (N = 236) through outreach and chain referrals. Participants received either: (a) 3-h theory-based behavioral HIV–alcohol risk-reduction intervention that focused on skills training for sexual negotiation and condom use or (b) 1-h HIV–alcohol information/education control group. Participants were followed up for 3 and 6 months post-intervention with 89% retention. Results  The risk-reduction intervention demonstrated significantly less unprotected intercourse, alcohol use before sex, numbers of sex partners, partners met at drinking establishments and greater condom use relative to the control group. However, intervention effects were moderated by alcohol use; lighter drinkers demonstrated significantly more intervention gains than heavier drinkers in the risk-reduction condition. Intervention effects occurred at 3 months follow-up and dissipated by 6 months. Conclusions  A brief HIV risk-reduction intervention reduced sexual-risk behaviors among drinkers in South Africa. However, intervention effects were weakest for those who drink heaviest. Our results provide a basis for establishing HIV prevention in alcohol serving establishments in South Africa. Research is needed to identify multi-level intervention models that can reduce risks among heavier drinkers and sustain behavior changes over time. National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Grants R21-AA014820 and R01AA017399 supported this research.     

齐齐哈尔市高中学生人格障碍的流行病学研究

目的 描述齐齐哈尔市高中学生人格偏离和人格障碍的流行强度。方法 通过现况调查、病例对照研究、队列研究、社区干预试验的方法，按照ICD-10和DSM-Ⅳ的标准，采用人格诊断问卷第四版（PDQ-4）、国际人格障碍检查表（IPDE）、父母养育方式问卷（EMBU）和一般情况问卷，来调查齐齐哈尔市高中学生人格障碍的流行病学研究。结果 齐齐哈尔市高中学生人格偏离的现患率低于国外患病率，且随年龄增长而下降，有明显自愈趋势；人格障碍的患病率和发病率亦处于较低水平；高一出现人格偏离者高三时人格障碍发病率明显高于人格正常者。结论 证实对于人格障碍的发生，广义遗传因素的作用约占85%；人格障碍的家庭环境危险因素是父母关系不良和否认拒绝型及过度保护型养育方式，同时也证实了社区人群预防人格障碍发生的青春期心理健康教育的干预模式对青少年是行之有效的，可以促进高中学生群体精神卫生水平的提高。     

Prevalence and correlates of delayed sleep phase in high school students

PurposeTo investigate prevalence and correlates of delayed sleep phase, characterized by problems falling asleep in the evening and rising at adequate times in the morning, in a large sample of Norwegian high school students.MethodsA randomized sample of 1285 high school students (aged 16–19 years) participated in an internet based study answering questions about sleep habits, height, weight, smoking, alcohol use, school grades, and anxiety and depression symptoms. Delayed sleep phase was operationalized as difficulties falling asleep before 2 a.m. at least three nights per week together with much or very much difficulty waking up in the morning.ResultsThe results show a prevalence of delayed sleep phase of 8.4%. In all, 68% of these students (5.7% of the total sample) also reported problems advancing their sleep period as well as one daytime consequence (oversleeping at least two days a week or experiencing much/very much sleepiness at school). Delayed sleep phase was associated with lower average school grades, smoking, alcohol usage, and elevated anxiety and depression scores.ConclusionsDelayed sleep phase appears to be common amongst Norwegian adolescents and is associated with negative outcomes such as lower average school grades, smoking, alcohol usage, and elevated anxiety and depression scores.     

Drinking frequency and quantity and risk of suicide among men

Background Individuals who die from suicide commonly have consumed alcohol immediately beforehand, often in large quantities. However, prospective cohort data on regular alcohol use as a risk factor for suicide are lacking. Method As part of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 47,654 men free of cancer prospectively reported their drinking habits, including average use, drinking frequency, and typical maximal use on repeated occasions beginning in 1986. Participants were followed for death to 2002. Results A total of 136 men died from suicide during follow-up. Quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking day tended to be associated with a greater risk of suicide mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio among men consuming 30.0 or more grams (more than two drinks) per drinking day of 2.42 (95% confidence interval, 0.75–7.80; P-trend 0.05). Average alcohol consumption, drinking frequency, and binge drinking were not independently associated with risk. The apparent relationship of quantity consumed per drinking day with risk was not substantially changed by adjustment for serious illness or other dietary factors and was most notable for suicide associated with firearm use. Conclusions Among men, risk of death from suicide tends to be associated primarily with quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking day, not with drinking frequency or overall alcohol consumption. This finding supports guidelines that limit consumption among men who choose to drink alcohol to two drinks or less per drinking day.     

A package of interventions to reduce school dropout in public schools in a developing country

OBJECTIVE: School dropout rates are staggeringly high in developing countries, even for elementary school children. This study aims to assess the feasibility and initial efficacy of a package of interventions tailored to reduce school dropout in public schools in an urban city in Brazil. METHOD: Two public schools with similar high rates of dropout in elementary grades were selected. In one of them, a package of universal preventive interventions was implemented during a school year, including two workshops with teachers, five informative letters to parents, three meetings with parents at school, a telephone helpline at school, and a 1-day cognitive intervention. For children who stayed ten consecutive days out of school without reason, mental health assessment and referral to mental health services in the community were offered. In the second school, no intervention was implemented. RESULTS: After this 1-year intervention, there were significant differences between the two schools in rates of both dropout (P < 0.001) and absenteeism in the last trimester (P < 0.05; effect size = 0.64). In the intervention school, 18 (45%) youths returned to school after intervention among the 40 at-risk students. Moderate engagement of school staff was the main logistic problem. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that programs combining universal primary preventive strategies and interventions focused on at-risk students can be implemented and useful in developing countries to reduce school dropout.     

Alcohol Consumption among Female University Students in Israel: a Cross Sectional Study of Background Characteristics and Drinking Patterns

This cross sectional study examined alcohol use, binge drinking and other problem behavior among Israeli university female students. Scant information is known about Israeli university student alcohol use and related problem behavior. Academic study discipline status (e.g., social work, nursing and other non-helping disciplines) was hypothesized to be a predictor of university student alcohol use and problem behavior rates. Study hypotheses were supported, in part. Academic discipline (social work and nursing) differentiated rates of alcohol use, binge drinking and other problem behavior. However, when grouped into helping and non-helping academic disciples, few differences were evidenced. Students drink more beer, wine and hard alcohol than those 20 years ago at the same university; however, fewer students drive after drinking. Present results, albeit restricted, reflect increased drinking but less driving after drinking after an intensive campaign to curb such problem behavior. Further research is needed of alcohol use and problem behavior for policy, prevention and treatment purposes. Such research should include regular monitoring throughout the country regardless of gender status and academic discipline.