Faden Vivian B
Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2006 Jun;30(6):1011-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00115.x.
Alcohol is the drug of choice for youth in the United States. By 8th grade, more than 40% of youth have used alcohol; by 12th grade, almost 80% have done so (MTF, 2003). And many of these young people begin drinking at relatively early ages. On average, boys start drinking earlier than girls, and whites and Native Americans start drinking earlier than youth of other race/ethnicities. As alcohol consumption is such a high prevalence behavior among young people, it is crucial to understand the initiation of drinking as well as possible, so as to facilitate and inform interventions to delay this behavior. One facet of this involves investigating trends in the initiation of drinking.
Multiple years of data from 3 national surveys, Monitoring the Future (MTF)-1975 to 2003 for 12th graders, 1993 to 2003 for 8th and 10th graders; the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) [now called the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)]-1991 to 1998; and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)-1991 to 2003, were analyzed using joinpoint analysis to further understanding of trends in the initiation of drinking by youth. The present analysis examines whether the age of drinking initiation has changed over time and evaluates trends in the percentages of youth who start drinking by various grades.
Simultaneous examination of data from the 3 surveys indicates that 7th and 8th grades (when most youth are 13-14) are peak years for the initiation of drinking. Further, the present analysis shows that although the percentage of youth who start drinking early (before age 13) has declined (YRBSS, MTF), the average age of initiation of drinking for these "very early starters" did not change over the period 1991 to 1998 (NHSDA/NSDUH). At the same time, an upward shift in the "normative" age of initiation has occurred (NHSDA/NSDUH, MTF). Results of analyses by gender and race/ethnicity indicate similar trends over time.
A more nuanced understanding of the initiation of drinking can have important implications for prevention.
在美国，酒精是青少年首选的毒品。到八年级时，超过40%的青少年饮酒；到十二年级时，近80%的青少年饮酒（监测未来研究，2003年）。而且许多年轻人在相对较早的年龄就开始饮酒。平均而言，男孩比女孩更早开始饮酒，白人和美国原住民比其他种族/族裔的青少年更早开始饮酒。由于饮酒在年轻人中是一种高流行行为，尽可能地了解饮酒行为的起始情况至关重要，以便为延缓这种行为的干预措施提供便利并提供信息。这其中的一个方面涉及调查饮酒起始的趋势。
对来自三项全国性调查的多年数据进行分析，这些数据包括：针对十二年级学生的监测未来研究（1975年至2003年）、针对八年级和十年级学生的监测未来研究（1993年至2003年）；全国药物滥用家庭调查（1991年至1998年）[现称为全国药物使用和健康调查（NSDUH）]；以及青少年风险行为监测系统（1991年至2003年），采用连接点分析来进一步了解青少年饮酒起始的趋势。本分析考察饮酒起始年龄是否随时间变化，并评估不同年级开始饮酒的青少年百分比的趋势。
对三项调查数据的同步分析表明，七年级和八年级（大多数青少年13 - 14岁时）是饮酒起始的高峰期。此外，本分析表明，虽然过早开始饮酒（13岁之前）的青少年百分比有所下降（青少年风险行为监测系统、监测未来研究），但这些“极早开始饮酒者”的平均饮酒起始年龄在1991年至1998年期间没有变化（全国药物滥用家庭调查/全国药物使用和健康调查）。与此同时，“正常”饮酒起始年龄出现了上升趋势（全国药物滥用家庭调查/全国药物使用和健康调查、监测未来研究）。按性别和种族/族裔进行的分析结果表明，随着时间推移趋势相似。
对饮酒起始有更细致入微的理解可能对预防工作具有重要意义。
