Alcohol consumption and associated problems in a birth cohort of 15 year olds.

AIMS This study documents patterns of alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse in a birth cohort of 965 Christchurch born children studied to the age of 15 years. Additionally, the study documents the associations between measures of alcohol consumption and a range of other aspects of adolescent development. METHOD Data on patterns of alcohol use, alcohol related problems and other aspects of adolescent development were collected at age 15 years on the basis of self report, parental reports and official records. RESULTS For most sample members the consumption of alcohol was both infrequent (28.4% were classified as nondrinkers and 23.9% had drunk alcohol only once or twice in the preceding year) and moderate. However, 6.7% reported weekly drinking and 3.3%-6.8% of the sample reported drinking the equivalent of at least 90 mL of pure alcohol on the last or typical drinking occasion. 19.1% of the sample reported experiencing problems as a result of their drinking and 4.9% of the sample met criteria for alcohol abuse. Measures of alcohol consumption were found to be highly associated with measures of daily cigarette smoking, cannabis use, sexual activity, police contact and depression. CONCLUSIONS While overall levels of alcohol consumption in this cohort were moderate there was evidence of a minority of adolescents who consumed alcohol frequently, in large amounts or who experienced alcohol related problems. Measures of frequent, heavy or problem alcohol use were found to be highly associated with a range of other aspects of adolescent development.