Changes in Alcoholic Beverage Choice and Risky Drinking among Adolescents in Europe 1999–2019

This paper explores trends in beverage preference in adolescents, identifies related regional differences, and examines cluster differences in key drinking measures. Data were obtained from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), covering 24 European countries between 1999 and 2019. Trends in the distribution of alcoholic beverages on the participants’ most recent drinking occasion were analysed by sex and country using fractional multinomial logit regression. Clusters of countries based on trends and predicted beverage proportions were compared regarding the prevalence of drinkers, mean alcohol volume and prevalence of heavy drinking. Four distinct clusters each among girls and boys emerged. Among girls, there was not one type of beverage that was preferred across clusters, but the proportion of cider/alcopops strongly increased over time in most clusters. Among boys, the proportion of beer decreased, but was dominant across time in all clusters. Only northern European countries formed a geographically defined region with the highest prevalence of heavy drinking and average alcohol volume in both genders. Adolescent beverage preferences are associated with mean alcohol volume and heavy drinking at a country-level. Future approaches to drinking cultures need to take subpopulations such as adolescents into account

Changes in Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19 Pandemic Are Dependent on Initial Consumption Level: Findings from Eight European Countries

Evidence suggests that changes in alcohol consumption during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic were unevenly distributed over consumer groups. We investigated possible inter-country differences in how changes in alcohol consumption are contingent on initial consumption (before or at the start of the pandemic), and how changes in consumption translate into possible changes in the prevalence of heavy drinking. We used data from the European Survey on Alcohol use and COVID-19 (ESAC) conducted in Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain, and the UK (N = 31921). Past-year alcohol consumption and changes in consumption were measured by AUDIT-C. Drinking habits were compared according to percentiles of pre-pandemic consumption levels, below versus above the 90th percentile. Across countries, drinkers in the highest 10% for pre-pandemic consumption increased their drinking during the pandemic, whereas absolute changes among those initially drinking below this level were modest. The percentage of people reporting >28 alcohol units/week increased significantly in seven of eight countries. During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol consumption in the upper decile of the drinkers increased as did the prevalence of heavy drinkers, in contrast with a declining consumption in other groups in the sample

Nye tall om ungdom: Bruk av alkohol og cannabis blant ungdom i perioden 1995–2011

Denne artikkelen beskriver utviklingen av alkohol- og cannabisbruk blant norsk ungdom i perioden 1995–2011. Dataene som benyttes, er fra ungdom i tiende klasse (15–16-åringer) i den norske delen av The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). Resultatene viser at den kraftige økningen i rusmiddelbruk frem mot årtusenskiftet har blitt etterfulgt av en markant nedadgående trend – særlig med hensyn til alkoholbruk. De unges bruk av cannabis har også avtatt i nyere tid, men det var ingen ytterligere reduksjon fra 2007 til 2011. Resultatene samsvarer med funn fra andre undersøkelser av rusmiddelbruk blant ungdom i Norge

Nye tall om ungdom: Bruk av alkohol og cannabis blant ungdom i perioden 1995–2011

Denne artikkelen beskriver utviklingen av alkohol- og cannabisbruk blant norsk ungdom i perioden 1995–2011. Dataene som benyttes, er fra ungdom i tiende klasse (15–16-åringer) i den norske delen av The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). Resultatene viser at den kraftige økningen i rusmiddelbruk frem mot årtusenskiftet har blitt etterfulgt av en markant nedadgående trend – særlig med hensyn til alkoholbruk. De unges bruk av cannabis har også avtatt i nyere tid, men det var ingen ytterligere reduksjon fra 2007 til 2011. Resultatene samsvarer med funn fra andre undersøkelser av rusmiddelbruk blant ungdom i Norge

Collectivity of Drinking Behavior Among Adolescents: An Analysis of the Norwegian ESPAD Data 1995-2011

AIMS – The aim of the current study was to test empirically two predictions from Skog’s theory of collectivity of drinking behavior, using time series data from Norwegian adolescents. The two specific predictions were: 1) A change in mean alcohol consumption is positively associated with a change in the proportion of heavy drinkers, and 2) A change in mean alcohol consumption is positively associated with a change at all consumption levels. DATA & METHODS – The present analyses are based on ESPAD data collected from Norwegian adolescents (15–16 years) in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. The relationship between mean consumption and the proportion of heavy drinkers was analyzed by regressing the proportions of heavy drinkers at each time point on the consumption means at each time point. In order to assess whether adolescents at all consumption levels, from light to heavy drinkers, changed collectively as mean consumption changed, we regressed log-transformed consumption means on the log-transformed percentile values (P25, P50, P75, P90 and P95). The analysis was restricted to adolescents who had consumed alcohol in the last 30 days (total n = 7554). RESULTS – The results showed a strong relationship between mean alcohol consumption and the proportion of heavy drinkers. An increase in mean consumption was also associated with an increase at all consumption levels, from light to heavy drinkers. CONCLUSION – The results of the current study are in line with the theory of collectivity of drinking behavior. The findings of this study suggest that by reducing the total consumption of alcohol among adolescents, consumption and risk of harm may be reduced in all consumer groups

Are changes in binge drinking among European adolescents driven by changes in computer gaming?

INTRODUCTION There is currently no good explanation for the decline in adolescent drinking reported for many Western countries in recent years. As modern computer gaming is highly exciting and socially rewarding, it may function as a substitute for adolescent binge drinking. We hypothesized a negative correlation between country-level changes in computer gaming and binge drinking. METHODS We analysed within-country changes based on data from 15-16 year-old pupils (n = 517 794) participating in the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs from 1995 to 2015. Binge drinking in the last 30 days (5+ units on one occasion) was regressed on frequency of computer gaming and three control variables measuring the frequency of engagement in other hobbies, reading books and going out (to a disco, cafe, etc.). RESULTS Descriptive data showed no general decline in binge drinking across European countries. In contrast to our prediction, the association between binge drinking and computer gaming was not negative [b = 0.26, one-sided 95% confidence interval (-∞, 0.47), P = 0.98, Bayes Factor = 0.21]. We found the same pattern of result in a secondary analysis on six Nordic countries that have experienced declines in adolescent drinking recent years. In analyses with covariates reflecting engagement in other activities, we only observed statistical evidence for an effect of going out. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS A substantial decline in adolescent binge drinking during the years 1995-2015 is only evident in some European countries, and it is likely not caused by increased computer gaming

The declining trend in adolescent drinking: do volume and drinking pattern go hand in hand?

Traditionally, adolescent drinking cultures differed between Nordic and Mediterranean countries; the former being characterised by low volume and relatively frequent heavy episodic drinking (HED). Across these drinking cultures, we examined the associations between alcohol volume and HED with respect to (i) secular trends at the country level and (ii) individual-level associations over time. The data stem from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) conducted among 15–16-year-olds in Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, France and Italy, employing six cross-sectional surveys from 1999 to 2019 (n = 126,126). Both consumption volume and HED frequency decreased in all Nordic countries and displayed a curvilinear trend in France and Italy. In all countries, consumption volume and HED correlated highly over time at the country level. At the individual level, the correlation was positive but with a varying magnitude over time and between countries. In 1999/2003, the alcohol volume–HED correlation was significantly higher in the Nordic compared to the Mediterranean countries but became significantly weaker in Finland, Norway and Sweden and remained stable in France, Iceland and Italy during the period. In conclusion, while trends in consumption volume and drinking patterns went hand in hand at the aggregate level, the association at the individual level weakened over time in several Nordic countries, along with the substantial decline in adolescent drinking since 2000

Alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic: self-reported changes and motives for change.

BACKGROUND: In Europe, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a range of restrictive measures, which may have impacted alcohol consumption. We explored perceived changes in alcohol consumption, their association with sociodemographic characteristics and past year alcohol consumption, and self-reported reasons for change after CO-VID-19 restrictions in Norway. METHOD: A web-based survey was sent to Norwegians aged 18 years and older in June-July 2020. Respondents reporting any past year alcohol use (n = 1,200) were asked whether they drank less, approximately the same, or more after the COVID-19 restrictions compared to before and reasons for drinking less or more. RESULTS: Almost a third (29.9%) reported they drank less, whereas 13.3% reported they drank more. Females, younger respondents, and Oslo residents were more likely to report both less and more drinking (p values between 0.001 and 0.029). Past year alcohol use was associated with less drinking (OR = 0.93; p < 0.001) and more drinking (OR = 1.07; p < 0.001). More drinking was also associated with living with child(ren) (p = 0.023) and high educational level (p = 0.029). The most frequently reported reasons for drinking less pertained to fewer social occasions and less on-premise drinking, whereas reasons for drinking more pertained to treating oneself to something good and fewer consequences of drinking more. CONCLUSIONS: After the COVID-19 restrictions were implemented, a substantial proportion of Norwegians changed their drinking behaviour

Changes in alcohol consumption during the covid-19 pandemic—small change in total consumption, but increase in proportion of heavy drinkers

Little is known about possible changes in alcohol consumption distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. We estimated how individual changes in alcohol consumption during the pandemic translated into changes in: (i) mean consumption; (ii) dispersion of consumption distribution; and (iii) prevalence of heavy drinkers. We employed data from two independent web-surveys of Norwegian adults collected between April and July 2020 and limited to those reporting past year alcohol consumption (N1 = 15,267, N2 = 1195). Self-reports of changes in drinking behavior were quantified, assuming change being relative to baseline consumption level. During the pandemic, we found a small increase (Survey 1) or no change (Survey 2) in estimated mean alcohol consumption (which parallels to total consumption). However, in both surveys, the dispersion of the distribution increased significantly (p < 0.001). For most respondents, an average modest decline in consumption was found. However, the small fraction with the highest baseline consumption increased their consumption substantially, and in effect, the proportion of heavy drinkers increased markedly (p < 0.001). In conclusion, quantifications of reported changes in alcohol consumption during the pandemic suggest that the upper 5 to 10% of the drinkers increased their consumption and hence the prevalence of heavy drinkers increased, despite little or no change in total alcohol consumption. View Full-Text Keywords: alcohol use; changes; COVID-19; Norway; heavy drinkers; distribution of consumptio