Pediatrician

• NCJ Number: 166662
• Journal: American Journal on Addictions Volume: 5 Issue: 4, Supplement 1 Dated: (Fall 1996) Pages: 520-529
• Author(s): H Adger Jr; M J Werner
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Alcohol consumption by pediatric patients and their parents can have a significant impact on the health and development of children and adolescents, and pediatricians can prevent or reduce alcohol-induced impairments by providing education and guidance about the responsible use of alcohol and by initiating early intervention.

Abstract

Alcohol remains the drug of choice for adolescents. In 1992, almost 90 percent of high school seniors reported some experience with alcohol in the past, more than 50 percent reported use in the last month, and 3 percent reported daily use. Alcohol use contributes significantly to accidents, unintended injuries, homicide, and suicide which represent the leading causes of death among teenagers. Of equal concern is the impact of alcohol use on the cognitive and psychosocial development of young people. Moreover, children and adolescents who drink alcohol often engage in other risk-taking behaviors. There is a correlation between alcohol use and sexual activity for some adolescents, and most date rapes involve alcohol use by one or both partners. Pediatricians see not only alcohol-related problems of young people but also problems caused by parental drinking. About one in eight children in the United States has a parent with a past or a current drinking problem. Children with alcoholic parents often come to pediatricians with recurring and vague symptoms, such as fatigue, abdominal pain, or musculoskeletal complaints. Between 8 and 11 percent of women of childbearing age are either problem drinkers or alcoholics, and about 1.2 million infants are born annually following significant intrauterine exposure to alcohol. Specific roles of pediatricians in preventing alcohol- related problems are discussed that focus on anticipatory guidance and prevention, recognition, office-based interventions, and treatment. 34 references and 3 tables