Attitudinal and Social Correlates to Recent Alcohol Use among Youth

The present study examined recent alcohol use (past 30 days) among 7th 12th grade students (N = 54,366) in 133 schools. Results indicated that the majority of students felt alcohol use was harmful and difficult to access. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that students at highest risk for recent alcohol use were those who perceived alcohol use to be fairly easy/very easy to access, felt use was not harmful/somewhat harmful, and had parents and peers who disapproved of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. These findings should be considered when developing programs to prevent underage drinking. INTRODUCTION Recent alcohol use among youth remains a significant health problem in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2008). Nearly half of high school students (44.7%) report using alcohol in the past 30 days, with students in higher grade levels reporting the most frequent use. Recent alcohol use is higher among Hispanic (47.6%) and White youth (47.3%) than AfricanAmerican youth (34.5%). In addition, one in four (26.0%) students report that they have engaged in recent episodic heavy drinking, defined as five or more drinks in a row. Concerning perceived harm of alcohol use, trends indicate the majority of students do not perceive alcohol consumption as harmful (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2008). According to the 2007 Monitoring the Future Study, 14.9% of 8th graders, 11.6% of 10th graders, and 8.3% of 12th graders perceived trying one or two drinks of alcohol as harmful. Research indicates that perceived harm of alcohol use has a direct effect on intention to use alcohol (Stephens et al., 2009). Youth with greater perceived harm report fewer intentions to use alcohol than do their peers. Similar to perceived harm, as grade level increases student disapproval of alcohol use decreases. Most 8th graders (54.0%) disapprove of others consuming one or two drinks of alcohol use compared to onethird of 10th (39.5%) and 12th graders (31.0%) (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2008). Students in 8th and 10th grades are more likely than 12th grade students to disapprove of others consuming alcohol in any form (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2008). Perceived access to alcohol is positively correlated with recent alcohol use (Lipperman-Kreda, Paschall, & Grube, 2009). Research has found that formal and informal access to alcohol increases alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among youth (Foley, Altman, Duran & Wolfson, 2004; Treno, Grube, & Martin, 2003). Youth who access alcohol through direct purchase or through social groups such as family and friends tend to drink more frequently than their counterparts (Treno, Lee, Freisthler, Remer, & Gruenewald, 2005; Treno, Gruenewald, Lee, & Remer, 2007). Ease of access is correlated with being African American, being older, and having a parent who uses alcohol (Treno, Ponicki, Remer, & Gruenewald, 2008). Underage alcohol consumption is associated with several family and peer factors. At the family level, risk factors include parental approval of youth alcohol use, poor parental monitoring, and parental drinking which may increase alcohol use as a normative behavior (Barnes, Reifman, Farrell, & Dintcheff, 2000; Beck, Boyle, & Boekeloo, 2003; King, Vidourek, & Wagner, 2004; Wickrama, Conger, Wallace, & Elder, 1999). Conversely, family protective factors include strong family connectedness, high levels of parental involvement, supportive parent-child relationships, and clear rules against alcohol use and consistent enforcement of such rules (National Institute on Drug Abuse Keith A. King, PhD, CHES, is a Professor at Health Promotion and Education, University of Cincinnati. Rebecca A. Vidourek, PhD, CHES, is an Assistant Professor at Health Promotion and Education, University of Cincinnati. Please send all correspondence to Dr. Keith A. King, Professor Health Promotion and Education Program, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 210068, ML 0068, 526 TC, Cincinnati, OH 452210068, Email: [email protected] King & Vidourek