Sharp rise in children's binge drinking

Binge drinking among Maltese children, particularly 13-year-olds, has risen sharply over the last four years, according to the preliminary results of a new survey carried out by the Health Promotion Department.

The Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children Study 2006 shows a substantial increase in the number of 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds who indulge in alcohol compared to the same survey in 2002, said Health Promotion Department director Mario Spiteri.

A total of 21.5 per cent and 15.3 per cent of 13-year-old boys and girls respectively got drunk in the month prior to the survey - nearly three times as many as four years ago.

While the percentage of 11-year-olds who got drunk in "the last 30 days" was almost nonexistent four years ago, it rose to 9.7 per cent of boys and 4.9 per cent of girls in the 2006 survey.

The initial results also show that 29 per cent and 15.2 per cent of 15-year-old boys and girls respectively got drunk in the month under study.

It is envisaged that, in the case of 13-year-olds, Malta will outdo the other 34 countries taking part in the study so that it will top the list not just for 15-year-olds, who placed first in the 2002 survey when it came to the consumption of wines and spirits.

The 2002 study had shown an alarmingly high incidence in the use of alcohol, particularly among 15-year-olds, Dr Spiteri recalled.

Initial results show that the trend is not only continuing but is also being accentuated in younger age groups, namely 11 and 13-year-olds, he said.

The drinks of choice seem to be beer and wine - similar to the 2002 results - probably due to the fact that they are readily available and cheap, Dr Spiteri said, adding that the allure of alcohol is heightened by the fact that it is legal.

The strongest difference between boys and girls in the choice of beverage was in beer consumption, which is higher in males, although almost 50 per cent of their female counterparts in the 15-year-old bracket drink it too.

Otherwise, choice was not influenced by gender, the results showed.

The percentage of youths who drank alcopops - "the perfect drink to wean children onto alcohol because of the way they are packaged and marketed, and also due to their taste" - has also increased. Figures show that over half of 15-year-olds and close to half of 13-year-olds drink alcopops.

Thirteen years old was considered to be the age when children started experimenting, but the situation went beyond experimentation, Dr Spiteri said.

He expressed the hope that when the law that imposes tougher penalties on those who supply and sell alcohol to minors, which is being debated in Parliament this week, is enforced, it will go some way to correcting and improving the situation.

Trying to explain the deterioration of the situation, Dr Spiteri said the department's educational campaigns could not work without a concerted effort from legislators, the proper enforcement of the law and the collaboration of stakeholders.

"The entertainment environment, which is run by adults who want to make money, makes or breaks the situation and can hijack the positive effects of parents," Dr Spiteri said.

Peer pressure also played a part, while information and education alone were a waste of time, money and resources, he stressed.

The preliminary results of the HSCB needed to be studied in more depth and then sent abroad to be compared to the other 34 participating countries. But it was clear that Malta did not follow southern Mediterranean trends when it came to alcohol consumption, and was more on a par with northern European countries, the department's principal health promotion officer Marianne Massa said.

The launch of the results was yesterday accompanied by the publication of an information booklet, The Facts Masked By The Fun, on alcohol and young people. It was compiled by a fourth-year university pharmacy student, Maria Rita Agius, on the initiative of the Health Promotion Department.

Such a study, which looked into the alcohol habits of 14- to 25-year-olds, was more effective when carried out by peers, Dr Spiteri said. It was "a message from youths to youths".

The questionnaire, on which the booklet is based, was sent out over the internet and to some secondary schools, where it was circulated, together with a number of bars.

It shows that nine per cent of respondents were asked to show their ID when entering a bar, and five per cent when buying an alcoholic beverage; 93 per cent said they were well informed about the harmful effects of alcohol; 14 per cent were pressured by friends to drink; six per cent were involved in a traffic accident associated with alcohol; and 17 per cent also smoke when drinking.

University students suffered major alcohol problems in that they released pent-up stress by intentionally getting drunk at the weekend, Dr Spiteri said.

Those who consumed alcohol regularly - and in substantial amounts - at that age were "halfway to becoming alcoholics".

Bingeing has become part of the Maltese culture, entrenching itself firmly during the mid-1990s when the focus was on drugs and not on the alcohol problem that was allowed to spiral out of control, Dr Spiteri said. Before, drinking alcohol was connected to particular occasions, such as village feasts.