Ball Jude, Crossin Rose, Boden Joseph, Crengle Sue, Edwards Richard
Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington.
Department of Population Health, University of Otago, Christchurch.
J R Soc N Z. 2022 Apr 20;52(4):450-471. doi: 10.1080/03036758.2022.2060266. eCollection 2022.
This narrative review summarises the latest evidence on the causes and consequences of substance use in adolescence and describes long-term trends in adolescent alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use in Aotearoa. Adolescence is a time of rapid brain development when young people are uniquely vulnerable to the risks of substance use. It is a major cause of health and social harm in this age group and can affect adult outcomes and the health of the next generation. Therefore, substance use trends are central to understanding the current and future state of child and youth wellbeing in Aotearoa. Adolescent use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis peaked in the late 1990s/early 2000s, then declined rapidly, and prevalence is now much lower than 20 years ago. However, levels of adolescent binge drinking remain high by international standards and disparities in tobacco and cannabis use by ethnicity and socioeconomic status are wide. Evidence suggests we may again be at a turning point, with-long term declines stalling or reversing in the past 2-5 years, and vaping emerging as a new risk. Greater investment in primary prevention is indicated, including restrictions on alcohol marketing and availability, and alleviation of poverty, racism and marginalisation.
本叙述性综述总结了关于青少年物质使用的原因和后果的最新证据，并描述了新西兰青少年酒精、烟草和大麻使用的长期趋势。青春期是大脑快速发育的时期，在此期间年轻人特别容易受到物质使用风险的影响。这是该年龄组健康和社会危害的主要原因，并且会影响成年后的状况以及下一代的健康。因此，物质使用趋势对于理解新西兰儿童和青少年福祉的现状及未来至关重要。青少年酒精、烟草和大麻的使用在20世纪90年代末/21世纪初达到峰值，随后迅速下降，目前的流行率比20年前低得多。然而，按照国际标准，青少年暴饮酒精的水平仍然很高，并且在烟草和大麻使用方面，不同种族和社会经济地位之间的差距很大。有证据表明，我们可能再次处于一个转折点，在过去2至5年中，长期下降趋势停滞或逆转，电子烟成为一种新的风险。这表明需要在一级预防方面加大投入，包括限制酒精营销和供应，以及缓解贫困、种族主义和边缘化问题。
