Long-term Trends in Drinking Habits Among Swedish Teenagers: National School Surveys 1971-1999

• NCJ Number: 197214
• Journal: Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2002 Pages: 253-260
• Author(s): Barbro Andersson; Helen Hansagi; Kerstin Damstrom Thakker; Bjorn Hibell
• Date Published: September 2002
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey; Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study profiled trends in drinking habits among Swedish students 15- to 16-years-old through school surveys from 1971 to 1999.

Abstract

The samples were drawn by Statistics Sweden as nationally representative random systematic cluster samples. The sampling units were school classes drawn with a probability that was proportional to class size. The surveys were self-administered by an average of 6,000 students per year. Alcohol consumption was measured by using quantity/frequency questions regarding regular beer (2.8-3.5 percent alcohol by volume); strong beer (over 3.5 percent alcohol by volume); alcopops/sweet cider (approximately 4.5 percent alcohol by volume); wine; and spirits. In Sweden, strong beer, alcopops/sweet cider, wine, and spirits are sold only in government-controlled alcohol monopoly retail stores, where the legal purchasing age is 20 years old. Regular beer is sold in grocery stores, and the legal age for purchasing is 18 years old. Findings from the surveys show that the highest proportion of alcohol consumers among both boys and girls (approximately 90 percent) occurred in the 1970's. The percentage of alcohol consumers decreased to approximately 80 percent in the 1980's and remained at that level through the 1990's. The estimated average annual consumption of pure alcohol was 4 liters for boys in 1977. It decreased to 2.1 liters in 1988 and increased to 3.9 liters in 1999. The tendency was similar for girls, with 3.5 liters consumed in 1977, approximately 1.5 liters in the 1980's, and 2.3 liters in 1999. Also, frequent binge drinking and intoxication were reported by the largest proportions in the 1970's; the consumption decreased in the 1980's, and increased again among both boys and girls in the first part of the 1990's. Hence, although fewer of the students in this age group were alcohol consumers at the end of the 1990's compared with the 1970's, those who drank in the late 1990's were approaching the high consumption levels of the 1970's. The beverages of choice were beer and spirits. 6 figures and 32 references