RESEARCH NEWS
This page presents summaries of research from the past 6 months on underage drinking and other alcohol-related issues. The research summaries can be accessed by category (e.g., brain and behavior) by clicking on the headings along the right side of this page. The summaries are taken from the Leadership’s newsletter, the Weekly Update. If you would like to obtain past news articles from our archives, please contact the Webmaster at webmaster@alcoholfreechildren.org.
July 31, 2008
FAMILY MEALS SERVE AS A PROTECTIVE FACTOR DURING ADOLESCENCE, ESPECIALLY FOR GIRLS
Results of a five-year longitudinal study to be published in the August 2008 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health discusses the impact of family meals on the behavioral choices of adolescent girls, specifically, that girls who had reported five or more family meals per week had significantly less substance use than did the females who did not have regular family meals. To read more about this study, click here .
In another article in the same issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, authors compare the relative influence of risk and protective factors across several domains on adolescent substance abuse as observed in a large sample of Pennsylvania Youth (2005 Pennsylvania Youth Survey). Results of the study suggest that risk factors were stronger predictors of substance use outcomes compared with the protective factors, regardless of grade level or substance use type. Results also suggest that relations between risk and protective factors and alcohol and other drug outcomes may vary across adolescence. The article abstract notes that “Findings provide support for the social development model, which proposes that adolescent substance use is associated with factors across multiple spheres of influence. Age-related differences in these associations suggest that effective interventions to reduce adolescent substance use may need to emphasize different domains of risk and protective factors at different stages of adolescent development.” [Source: Cleveland, M.J., Feinberg, M.E., Bontempo, D.D., and Greenberg, M. T. The role of risk and protective factors in substance use across adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health 43 (2008) 157-164.]
July 17, 2008
AGE OF INITIATION OF ALCOHOL USE HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN LAST TEN YEARS
According to recently released data from the national 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), the percentage of students who reported having drunk alcohol for the first time before age 13 years did not change significantly from 1991 to 1999 (32.7% to 32.2%), but it decreased from 1999 to 2007 (32.2% to 23.8%). For more information on the Age of Initiation and other data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, click here to view the articles in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly.
June 26, 2008
STUDY OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BARS AND RESTAURANTS LEADS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
Guidelines about moderate drinking are based on a standard drink defined in the U.S. as one that contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol, typically the amount of alcohol found in 5 ounces of table wine. In a study expected to be published in the September issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, researchers found that servings of wine and spirits in restaurants and bars are often 50 percent larger than the standard drink used in guidelines. That means that people may be consuming more alcohol than expected. Lead author William Kerr, a senior scientist at the Public Health Institute's Alcohol Research Group, and his colleagues analyzed 480 drinks collected in 80 bars and restaurants in Northern California. According to the study, the type of establishment, the region of Northern California, and the gender of the bartender did not seem to affect the sizes of the drink.
[Source: Bar Drinks Pack More Punch Than Thought, June 18, 2008, Health Day Reporter, by Randy Dotinga, http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=616599.]
June 19, 2008
STUDY SHOWS CONSUMPTION OF ENGERY DRINKS IS A POTENTIAL PREDICTOR OF RISK BEHAVIOR
A March 2008 study in The Journal of American College Health found that the consumption of energy drinks is a potential predictor for risky behavior in college students. While the relationship has not been studied in a younger population, the consumption of these drinks may be an indicator that these young people may be especially drawn to taking risks. Energy drinks have come onto the scene relatively recently and are popular with young people including middle and high school students. According to The New York Times, May 26, 2008, about one-third of 12 to14 year olds say they consume energy drinks regularly. Health researchers and school officials are concerned since these drinks have been linked to reports across the country of nausea, abnormal heart rhythms, and emergency room visits. More information on this newly released research can be found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24831859.
June 19, 2008
CANADIAN REPORT ON AVOIDABLE COSTS OF ALOCOHOL ABUSE
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Canada recently released a report that systematically estimated avoidable costs associated with alcohol abuse. The report found that implementing six interventions would save about $1 billion per year and approximately 800 lives. Dr. Jürgen Rehm, CAMH Senior Scientist, and his team focused on six interventions: (1) increasing taxes on alcohol, (2) lowering the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) legal limit from 0.08 percent to 0.05 percent, (3) implementing a zero tolerance BAC for all drivers under age 21, (4) increasing the legal minimum drinking age from 19 to 21 years of age, (5) making bars safer by enforcing drinking laws, and (6) completing routine screening by health care professionals (brief interventions).
For details on the savings for each intervention as well as the combined benefits visit: Avoidable Costs of Alcohol Abuse 2002-Full Report or Avoidable Costs of Alcohol Abuse 2002- Highlights
June 12, 2008
CDC STUDY ON BINGE DRINKING PRESENTED AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR EPIDEMIOLOGISTS
Binge drinking accounts for approximately half of the 75‚000 alcohol-attributable deaths in the United States every year. Dr Timothy Naimi‚ Medical Officer‚ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)‚ presented research on binge drinking behavior at the Conference of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) held June 8-12‚ 2008‚ in Denver‚ CO. Dr. Naimi's findings‚ generated from a CDC study that examined data from 14‚150 respondents to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey Binge Drinking Module during 2003-2004‚ included information about the location of most binge drinking‚ the beverage most often consumed‚ and the association with subsequent risky behavior.
Dr. Naimi reported that almost half of the binge drinking occurred in public places‚ with 20 percent of those who reported binge drinking in bars and clubs also reporting that they subsequently operated a motor vehicle; two-thirds of the time‚ beer was the beverage of choice; and 20 percent of underage respondents reported being able to buy their own alcohol at a store‚ bar‚ or restaurant although they are not of age to purchase alcohol legally.
[Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/publicinterest/‚ June 6th‚ 2008. No Safety in Binge Drinking Numbers: Data Show That Most Bingers are Not Alone in Drinking‚ Consequences. Search Archives.]
April 10, 2008
Study Shows That Extreme Binge Drinking On 21st Birthdays Still Common
A report on the Today Show cited a New York Times story about the ritual of having 21 or more alcoholic drinks on one’s 21st birthday, which appears to be more common than expected. A new study from University of Missouri of 2,518 students showed that among students who drank alcohol to celebrate their 21st birthdays, 34 percent of the men and 24 percent of the women reported having 21 or more drinks. Based on the data, researchers estimated that half of the men and more than a third of the women had blood alcohol levels of 0.26 or higher, the level at which a person is severely impaired and at risk for choking on vomit or serious injury. Interest in the ritual may be spreading because people who attempt or succeed at the ritual post videos and photos of their binges on YouTube, Flickr, or MySpace. Clayton Neighbors, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors in Seattle, is studying Internet-based interventions to combat the ritual. In a study of 316 students, those given Web-based information about drinking prior to their 21st birthdays drank less than students who didn’t receive the information. “One of the problems is a lot of these kids don’t realize that 21 drinks in an hour can kill you,’’ he said. One group that addresses this issue, Be Responsible About Drinking (B.R.A.D.), was started by family and friends of a Michigan State University student who died from extreme drinking on his 21st birthday. The group sends young people birthday cards prior to their 21st birthdays warning them about the dangers of alcohol poisoning. The site also includes numerous charts showing how drinks affect blood alcohol levels. April 03, 2008
SAMHSA Releases New NSDUH Statistics On Underage Drinking
SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) released updated statistics on March 31 about underage drinking. The statistics appeared in The NSDUH Report, Quantity and Frequency of Alcohol Use among Underage Drinkers. According to the report, combined 2005 and 2006 data indicate that an annual average of 28.3 percent of persons aged 12 to 20 in the United States (an estimated 10.8 million annually) drank alcohol in the past month. Also, underage youth who drank in the past month used alcohol an average of 5.9 days and consumed an average of 4.9 alcoholic drinks on the days they drank. And, people under the legal age consumed, on average, more drinks per days on the days they drank in the past month than drinkers of legal age (4.9 drinks versus 2.8 drinks). See a related article in the September 6, 2007 Weekly Update.April 03, 2008
NIAAA’s APIS Announces Update Of Alcohol Policy Information
The Alcohol Policy Information System (APIS), a project by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, announces its latest update of State-by-State alcohol policies. The January 1, 2007 update is posted to the APIS Web site and covers the period 1/2/2006 through 1/1/2007. Among the most prominent changes related to underage drinking are the following: Hawaii and North Carolina have adopted laws that explicitly prohibit underage consumption of alcohol; Hawaii has adopted license suspension procedures for use of false IDs by minors to obtain alcohol; Oklahoma has targeted suppliers of false IDs to minors by adopting a provision prohibiting their lending, transfer, sale, and production; Connecticut, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island have adopted laws to impose criminal liability on those who host underage drinking parties; and North Carolina and Wyoming have adopted keg registration laws. For more information go to the APIS Web site; of particular interest is the Web page Highlight on Underage Drinking. March 20, 2008
Curbing Teen Drinking Difficult In Urban Areas
A new study has shown that a 3-year prevention program for Chicago middle-schoolers did not keep them from drinking or using drugs, despite the program’s previous success in rural Minnesota, where it reduced alcohol use 20 to 30 percent. The researchers studied 5,812 6th- 7th-, and 8th-graders in 61 public schools in mostly low-income communities in Chicago. The schools were grouped into neighborhood study units assigned randomly either for intervention or to serve as controls. Participating schools used an alcohol prevention curriculum in the classroom; these sessions were led by students. The family component included homework assignments that parents and children could complete together, organized events for families, and educational postcards sent to parents. The community components included youth-led community service projects and community organizing. At the end of the Chicago study, year-end surveys showed no difference in alcohol use between the children who took part in the project and those who did not. Lead author Kelli Komro says in a news release: “The intervention found to be effective in rural areas was not effective here, which really surprised us. This is an important finding to realize this program was not enough. The bottom line is this: Low-income children in urban areas need more, long-term intensive efforts.” Of the three program components, the family interventions were the most effective. One community activity worked well: in the neighborhoods where teams went to stores that sold alcohol and asked them not to sell to underage youth, selling alcohol to minors decreased by 64 percent. The study appears in the April 2008 Addiction (Vol. 103, pp. 606-618) (see abstract). March 20, 2008
Research Summaries Available On Campus Prevention Programs
The U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Center (HEC) for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention offers a monthly selection of summaries of recently published research on campus-based AODV prevention programs, with a special focus on the scope of the problem and promising strategies and interventions. The articles for February 2008 are accessible on the HEC Web site. The citations come from 15 peer-reviewed journals that serve as the primary source of college alcohol and other drug abuse and violence prevention articles and from keyword searches conducted in online research databases. March 13, 2008
Study Of Drinking Patterns Of 6th-Graders In Chicago
Reuters reports that a new study of more than 4,000 6th-graders in Chicago schools has found that 17 percent of the children used alcohol in the past year. The study compares those who reported alcohol use in the past year to those who reported no use in a multiethnic, urban sample of sixth graders in 61 schools in Chicago in 2002. The study found that young adolescent alcohol users drink at higher rates than their peers throughout adolescence and appear to be less amenable to intervention. These children were more likely than their peers to get into fights, shoplift, or get into trouble at school. They also had a range of risk factors for early drinking, including delinquent or violent behavior, lack of adult supervision out of school, and having friends who drink alcohol. The researchers conclude that alcohol prevention should start in grade school and involve parents. Lead researcher Dr. Keryn Pasch, of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, suggests that school-based programs include take-home assignments or other activities that involve parents. She recommends that parents look for “teachable moments,” such as when drinking is portrayed on television. In addition, parents should not only tell their children not to drink, but also teach them how to refuse alcohol. The findings are reported in the journal Health Education & Behavior (OnlineFirst, February 26) (see abstract).
March 13, 2008
NSDUH State Data Released
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released substance abuse data by State derived from its most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The report, “State Estimates of Substance Use from the 2005-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health,” includes rates for underage drinking and binge drinking, illegal drug use, serious mental illness, and tobacco use. According to the report, past month alcohol use for youths aged 12 to 17 decreased nationally from 17.1 to 16.6 percent between 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. Four States showed decreases in this age group: California (16.2 to 14.7 percent), Indiana (17.1 to 14.6 percent), South Dakota (22.0 to 18.4 percent), and Wisconsin (22.6 to 19.3 percent). Nationally, binge alcohol use among youths aged 12 to 17 fell from 10.5 percent to 10.1 percent in 2005-2006. The District of Columbia had the lowest binge-drinking rate in this age group at 7.3 percent and Montana had the highest at 15.3 percent. SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline says in a press release, “This report shows that although states may be uniquely affected by serious public health problems like underage drinking, every state and region must confront these issues. By highlighting the nature and scope of the challenges affecting each state, we can help focus and target substance abuse and mental illness prevention and treatment resources.” March 13, 2008
Earlier Parental Supervision May Curb College Drinking
Parental monitoring during high school has a protective effect on later college drinking, according to a study published last week. A press release says the researchers from the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland College Park interviewed more than 1,200 students as part of the College Life Study, an ongoing investigation of health-risk behaviors in college students, including alcohol and other drug use. The students were surveyed during the summer before they attended a large public university in the mid-Atlantic to assess their perception of parental rule-setting, supervision, consequences, and monitoring during the last high-school year as well as their alcohol consumption over the past year. The students were later followed up with a personal interview to assess their drinking during their first year of college. Among the study results were that higher levels of parental supervision were associated with lower levels of high-school drinking. Although parental supervision did not directly influence drinking in college, there was evidence that the more the students drank in high school, the more they drank in college. The authors point out that these results call into question the opinion of many parents that “responsible drinking” should begin in high school. Further research is needed to explore the extent and type of parental supervision that could reduce students’ drinking in college. The authors write: “In summary, the transition to college marks a high-risk period for escalation of alcohol consumption. Parents and prevention practitioners can benefit from evidence that points to specific parenting practices that might help reduce the risk for heavy drinking, while at the same time allow for appropriate levels of autonomy that are critical for young adult development.” The research was published in the online journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy (3:6) (see abstract).
Please note: The “Research News” page contains articles published within the past 6 months. If you would like to obtain archived research articles, please contact the Webmaster at webmaster@alcoholfreechildren.org.
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