Effective Environmental Strategies for the Prevention

of Alcohol Abuse amond Adolescents in Europe

An overview of AAA-prevent

Underage drinking worldwide problem

Traffic crashes, risky driving behaviourIntended and unintended injuriesPrecursive to violenceAssociated with problem behavioursAffects brain developmentAssociated with alcohol related disorders later

Europe

Highest alcohol consumption among youngstersEspecially in western and eastern EuropeDivergent picture of prevalence ratesProblematic alcohol drinking is increasingInitiation age is loweringNumber of girls involved in heavy drinking is increasing

Preventive possibilities

Understanding patterns of alcohol useRelated to the country where you grow upRelated to risk factors which are associated with alcohol use

Sample

ISRD-sample (2006; see Junger-Tas et al., 2009, 2011)57.771 youngsters25 European countriesAge 12-16 years

Abstinence

Last month life time beer

Last month and life time spirits

Binge drinking beer

Binge drinking spirits

Europe and country

Theory

Family

Strong relation on adolescents use of alcohol both on how much and on how oftenFamily structure and family control/bonding protectFamily affluence as well as negative life events lead to more use

Alcohol use and Family Risk Factors (AOR)

School

Strong effect on alcohol useImportant setting to influence adolescent alcohol useSchool disorganization and social bonding show strong effects

Alcohol use and School Risk factors (AOR)

Peer

Inportant domain when relation with family becomes less and with friends strongerWe find here the strongest relationDelinquent friends or deviant behaviour

Alcohol use and Peer Risk factors (AOR)

Individu

Low self-control and Attitudes towards violence are related to alcohol useImportant factors for preventive action

Alcohol use and Individual Risk Factors (AOR)

Community/Neighbourhood

Bonding to neighbourhood decrease alcohol use of adolescentsAdolescents who live in disorganized neighbourhood use more alcohol

Alcohol use and Neighbourhood Risk Factors (AOR)

Multilevel analysis

Influence of country on alcohol useCombination of individual variables and country variablesAnalyzing patterns of use

ICC

Alcohol life time prevalence 14%Alcohol last month prevalence 9%Drunkeness 10%Binge drinking 10%

Multilevel class analyse as an example

Alcohol use everAlcohol use last monthDrunkenessBinge drinkingAbstainers

Latent classes traditional

Abstainers (37,1%)Moderate drinkers (39,6%)Heavy drinkers (23,3%)

Latent classes of countries

LOW drinking countries (n=12.879; N=7: Bosnia-Herz., Cyprus, France, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Spain).low drinking countries (n=16.179; N=6: Armenia, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden)heavy drinking countries (n=17.865; N=8: Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Estonia)HEAVY drinking countries (n=10.101; N=4: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithunia)

Multilevel classes

HEAVY heavy

LOW

Low Total

Abstainers16,40 (1657/2,9)

32,21(5754/10,1)

58,77(7686/17,4)

30,1(6157/10,8)

37,14%(21,254)

(Moderate drinkers52,97(5351/ 9,3)

39,05(6976/12,2)

29,52(3861/6,7)

44,26(7166/12,5)

40,81%(23,354)

Heavy drinkers30,62(3093/ 5,4)

28,74(5135/8,9)

11,71(1532/2,7)

17,65(2856, 5)

22,05%(12,616)

Total 10,101 17,865 12,879 16,179 57,224

Multilevel analysis of prevention

FamilySchoolPeersIndividuNeighbourhoodCountry

Effective programs

TargetGroupAgeRisk FactorMethodLiteratureOrganisationEvaluation

Thanks!

Harrie JonkmanHJonkman@Verwey-Jonker.nl

Majone SteketeeMSteketee@Verwey-Jonker.nl