Non-consumption of alcohol: the adolescents’ point of view

The percentage of adolescents who do not drink alcohol seems to have increased in the Western world in the past years. In some contexts, as the norm among young people is to drink alcohol, young non-drinkers may be marginalized and/or stigmatized. Despite the publication of a few studies conducted in other countries on the reasons or experiences of young people who do not drink alcohol, there seems to be a gap in the literature about to what extent these reasons explain why adolescents drink less. Moreover, given that alcohol consumption is cultural, it is important to understand young people’s experiences and motivations to abstain from alcohol in a context such as Switzerland. The objectives of this qualitative research are to explore how young people define the term ‘abstinence’; to explore their opinions on the Dry January challenge; to assess the reasons why some young people decide not to drink alcohol; to assess the advantages and disadvantages of non-consumption of alcohol; to understand how young non-drinkers live their choice and how they are perceived/treated by their peers; to identify strategies used by non-drinkers to avoid alcohol use while still socializing with their friends. Between April and June 2022, we conducted 12 FG with young people aged between 14 and 20 years old for a total of 63 (36 females) participants. The average age of participants was 16.9 years [rank: 14-20 years], with a median of 16 years. Participants were separated by gender (female / male, no one from another gender category contacted us), age (14-15 / 16-17 / 18-20) and alcohol consumption (drinkers / non-drinkers). In order to extract the different themes and dimensions raised by the participants, we carried out a thematic content analysis, a method of extracting subjective interpretations and meanings using a process of classification and categorisation of the data. Discussions began with a broad question about the term “abstinence” as applied to alcohol use in an adolescent population. In addition to not always understanding the term, participants overall found it to be an inappropriate term for youth not drinking. Sexual or religious connotations, for example, were discussed in this line. This term was more widely accepted when referring to an adult population, especially when someone decides to become abstinent as a result of an alcohol-related problem. Then participants talked about the reasons for non-drinking among youth: religion, legal ages, parents and family rules, bad experiences, fear of losing control (especially among females), distaste, religion, health consciousness. In terms of prevention, the Dry January campaign was not well known by the participants and many wondered what the aim of such a challenge was if no follow-up beyond the month of the challenge was offered. While not demonizing alcohol consumption, youth called for more normalization of non-drinking and inclusion of non-drinkers in prevention to support them and make other youth aware of their presence. Experiences in terms of social life were mixed among the non-drinkers participants. For some, not drinking did not impact social life, while others reported feeling excluded and out of the norm. Questions and comments about not drinking from young drinkers were reported as particularly annoying. Some participants shared some strategies for hiding their non-drinker status and going unnoticed at parties to avoid remarks. Finally, non-drinkers are often designated as the “lifesavers” during parties to deal with youth who drink. This status can sometimes put them under pressure and lead them to stop attending parties. Based on these results, some recommendations can be made: • To use the term non-drinker rather than abstainer • To normalize non-consumption of alcohol, including within families • To make other young people, but also adults, aware of the pressure and exclusion that can be felt by non-drinkers • To make challenges like #DryJanuary more visible and improve communication around them, especially in terms of objectives and follow-up (after January 31, what will happen?) Find something similar but more targeted at young people; • To raise awareness among young people about their perceptions of non-drinkers and alcohol-free parties as boring; • To include non-drinkers in prevention, to reinforce their choice and/or as a way to feel support • To raise awareness on young non-drinkers being often identified as the ones who will help others at a party and may feel too much pressure • To open the discussion on alcohol use before legal age

Sexual consent: the adolescents’ point of view

As part of a survey on the mental health of young people aged 14-19 years in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, participants (N=1197) responded a few questions about sexual consent. The objective of this short report is to describe the results on this topic

Alcohol use and misuse among young people: What about abstainers? A quantitative approach

Youth’s alcohol use and misuse is a public health problem due to its potential consequences. Acute consequences include accidents, other mortality factors, use of other drugs, withdrawal and hangover, risky sexual behaviors, poorer school performance or family functioning; while chronic use leads to effects on bone density and growth, liver function, brain development and mental health. For this reason, to date, most research on alcohol among young people refers to the prevalence of use or misuse and abstinence is rarely addressed. In order to fill this gap related to abstainers, the objective of this research is to describe the characteristics of alcohol abstainers compared to other groups of drinkers, and whether abstinence evolves into alcohol use over time

Vaccination against human papillomavirus in Switzerland: simulation of the impact on infection rates

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection of particular interest because of its high prevalence rate and strong causal association with cervical cancer. Two prophylactic vaccines have been developed and different countries have made or will soon make recommendations for the vaccination of girls. Even if there is a consensus to recommend a vaccination before the beginning of sexual activity, there are, however, large discrepancies between countries concerning the perceived usefulness of a catch-up procedure and of boosters. The main objective of this article is to simulate the impact on different vaccination policies upon the mid- and long-term HPV 16/18 age-specific infection rates. Methods: We developed an epidemiological model based on the susceptible-infective-recovered approach using Swiss data. The mid- and long-term impact of different vaccination scenarios was then compared. Results: The generalization of a catch-up procedure is always beneficial, whatever its extent. Moreover, pending on the length of the protection offered by the vaccine, boosters will also be very useful. Conclusions: To be really effective, a vaccination campaign against HPV infection should at least include a catch-up to early reach a drop in HPV 16/18 prevalence, and maybe boosters. Otherwise, the protection insured for women in their 20s could be lower than expected, resulting in higher risks to later develop cervical cance

Interruptions de grossesse dans le canton de Vaud en 2021 : l’essentiel

Les interruptions de grossesse pratiquées en Suisse doivent obligatoirement être annoncées au Médecin cantonal. Dans le canton de Vaud, des analyses approfondies sont menées chaque année sur les informations ainsi récoltées. Quelles sont les dernières données ? Quelles sont les caractéristiques des femmes ayant eu recours à ce type d'intervention en 2021 et quelles sont les caractéristiques de ces interventions ? La crise sanitaire a-t-elle eu un impact sur l’accès aux interruptions de grossesse

La non-consommation d’alcool : le point de vue des jeunes (14-20 ans)

Ce rapport résume les points principaux de notre étude qualitative sur la non-consommation d’alcool chez les jeunes. Les résultats sont issus d’une analyse de contenu de 12 discussions en groupe (groupes focus) conduites entre avril et juin 2022 auprès de 63 jeunes (36 filles) âgé·es de 14 à 20 ans (moyenne d’âge 16.9 ans, médiane 16 ans) en Suisse romande. Les participant·es ont été vu·es séparément par âge (14-15 ans, 16-17 ans, 18-20 ans), genre et type de consommation (non-buveur·se / buveur·se). Les thématiques abordées ont été le terme « abstinence » à l’alcool, les raisons de ne pas boire d’alcool chez les jeunes, la vie sociale des jeunes non-buveur·ses, la prévention et la campagne Dry January. La méthodologie complète de l’étude peut être retrouvée dans le rapport global

Who eats healthily? A population-based study among young Swiss residents

Abstract Objective To assess whether Swiss residents aged 15-24 years follow current nutritional guidelines and whether differences exist according to gender and weight status. Design Cross-sectional national survey. Setting Switzerland. Subjects The 1786 participants (48·4 % women) were divided into overweight, normal weight and underweight. We used traditional BMI cut-offs for people ≥18 years of age (underweight = BMI < 18·5 kg/m2, normal weight = BMI ≥ 18·5 kg/m2 and <25 kg/m2, overweight = BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) and age- and gender-appropriate tables for people aged <18 years, with BMI calculated from self-reported weight and height. We performed bivariate analyses by gender, and then bivariate and multivariate analyses comparing overweight to normal weight people (excluding underweight, n 129, 71·6 % women) regarding adherence to recommendations for fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy products; physical activity; attitude towards body weight; depression, smoking and alcohol consumption. Results Overall, adherence to nutritional guidelines was low, particularly for vegetables and dairy products. Women had a higher adherence than men except for fish and dairy products. In the multivariate analyses, overweight women had a lower vegetable intake, were less satisfied with body weight and had more often been on a diet, whereas overweight men were less satisfied with body weight and wanted to lose weight more often than their normal weight peers. There were no significant differences for physical activity. Conclusions Overweight prevention programmes should target youth specifically by gender and promote an appropriate self-perception. Overweight women should be encouraged to eat more vegetables and men to be more sensitised on healthy food. Further research is needed to assess how to make nutritional guidelines more adaptable to young people's daily lif

Développement de plaintes somatiques chez les adolescents et jeunes adultes en Suisse

In this study we explored the development of somatic complaints among adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 30 years in Switzerland. Using data from the Transitions from Education to Employment (TREE) study, we applied a hidden Markovian model with covariates to cluster trajectories representing the sum of eight somatic complaints. The resulting groups differed mainly in terms of gender, reading literacy, and substance use. The trajectories of somatic complaints were also related to the number of critical events experienced by the respondents.Der Beitrag untersucht, wie sich in der Schweiz somatische Beschwerden bei Jugendlichen bzw. jungen Erwachsenen im Alter zwischen 16 und 30 Jahren entwickeln. Mit den Daten der TREE-Studie wurde ein verstecktes Markov-Modell mit Kovariaten gerechnet, um Verläufe von acht somatischen Beschwerden zu clustern. Die so gebildeten Gruppen unterscheiden sich signifikant bezüglich Geschlecht, kognitiven Fertigkeiten und Substanzkonsum. In den untersuchten Verläufen zeigen sich auch Zusammenhänge mit kritischen Lebensereignissen der Befragten.Nous avons exploré le développement de plaintes somatiques chez les adolescents et jeunes adultes âgés de 16 à 30 ans vivant en Suisse. Sur la base de données de l’enquête TREE (Transitions from Education to Employment), nous avons appliqué un modèle markovien caché avec covariables afin de classifier des trajectoires représentant la somme de huit plaintes somatiques. Les groupes obtenus diffèrent en termes de genre, de niveau de lecture et de consommation de substances. Les trajectoires de plaintes somatiques sont aussi liées au nombre d’événements de vie critiques dont les personnes interrogées ont fait l’expérience

Associations Between Online Pornography and Sexual Behavior Among Adolescents: Myth or Reality?

This study aimed to compare the sexual behavior of adolescents who were or were not exposed to online pornography, to assess to what extent the willingness of exposure changed these possible associations, and to determine the profiles of youths who were exposed to online pornography. Data were drawn from the 2002 Swiss Multicenter Adolescent Survey on Health, a self-administered cross-sectional, paper and pencil questionnaire. From the 7529 adolescents aged 16-20years, 6054 (3283 males) used the Internet during the previous month and were eligible for our study. Males were divided into three groups (wanted exposure, 29.2%; unwanted exposure, 46.7%; no exposure, 24.1%) whereas females were divided into two groups (exposure, 35.9%; no exposure, 64.1%). The principal outcome measures were demographic characteristics, Internet use parameters and risky sexual behaviors. Risky sexual behaviors were not associated with online pornography exposure in any of the groups, except that males who were exposed (deliberately or not) had higher odds of not having used a condom at last intercourse. Bi/homosexual orientation and Internet use parameters were not associated either. Additionally, males in the wanted exposure group were more likely to be sensation-seekers. On the other hand, exposed girls were more likely to be students, higher sensation-seekers, early maturers, and to have a highly educated father. We conclude that pornography exposure is not associated with risky sexual behaviors and that the willingness of exposure does not seem to have an impact on risky sexual behaviors among adolescent