www.ulb.ac.be/esp/sipes

Nathalie MoreauAnne Hublet

Alcohol use in 15-18 year olds in Belgium.Results from the Health Behaviour in School-aged

Children study.

Content

• Aim and background of the study• Methodology• Results

• Descriptives• Alcohol drinking during last 30 days• Early alcohol experimentation• Drunkenness in last 30 days• Early drunkenness experimentation• Binge drinking (FWB)

• Conclusions• Strengths and weaknesses

Aims

• To improve the understanding of young people's health and well-being, health behaviours and their social context

• To support actors in youth health promotion with useful data: regional (Flemish and French governments/communities, Flemish Institute for Health Promotion, ...) and international (WHO, Unicef, ...)

• To facilitate planning, development and evaluation of policies

Background

• HBSC initiated in 1982 by Norway, Finland and England

• 1983-1984 : 1st survey (5 countries)

• 2009-2010 : 8th survey (43 countries/regions in Europe and North America)

• 2013-2014 : 9th survey (in full preparation now)

• A collaborative project between national research teams, in partnership with WHO

• Surveys every 4 years using standard international protocol in all countries

Overview of countries in 2009/2010

1983/84 1985/86 1989/90 1993/94 1997/98 2001/02 2005/06 2009/10

1 England2 Finland3 Norway4 Austria5 Denmark*

1 Finland2 Norway3 Austria4 Belgium (French)5 Hungary6 Israel7 Scotland8 Spain9 Sweden10 Switzerland11 Wales12 Denmark*13 Netherlands*

1 Finland2 Norway3 Austria4 Belgium=5 Hungary6 Scotland7 Spain8 Sweden9 Switzerland10 Wales11 Denmark*12 Netherlands*13 Canada14 Latvia*15 N Ireland*16 Poland

1 Finland2 Norway3 Austria4 Belgium (French)5 Hungary6 Israel7 Scotland8 Spain9 Sweden10 Switzerland11 Wales12 Denmark13 Netherlands14 Canada15 Latvia16 N Ireland17 Poland18 Belgium (Flemish)19 Czech Republic20 Estonia21 France22 Germany23 Greenland24 Lithuania25 Russia26 Slovak Republic

1 Finland2 Norway3 Austria4 Belgium (French)5 Hungary6 Israel7 Scotland8 Spain9 Sweden10 Switzerland11 Wales12 Denmark13 Canada14 Latvia15 N Ireland16 Poland17 Belgium (Flemish)18 Czech Republic19 Estonia20 France21 Germany22 Greenland23 Lithuania24 Russia25 Slovak Republic26 England27 Greece28 Portugal29 Rep. of Ireland30 USA

1 Finland2 Norway3 Austria4 Belgium (French)5 Hungary6 Israel7 Scotland8 Spain9 Sweden10 Switzerland11 Wales12 Denmark13 Canada14 Latvia15 Poland16 Belgium (Flemish)17 Czech Republic18 Estonia19 France20 Germany21 Greenland22 Lithuania23 Russia24 Slovak Republic25 England26 Greece27 Portugal28 Rep. of Ireland29 USA30 Macedonia, tfyr31 Netherlands32 Italy33 Croatia34 Malta35 Slovenia36 Ukraine

1 Finland2 Norway3 Austria4 Belgium (French)5 Hungary6 Israel7 Scotland8 Spain9 Sweden10 Switzerland11 Wales12 Denmark13 Canada14 Latvia15 Poland16 Belgium (Flemish)17 Czech Republic18 Estonia19 France20 Germany21 Greenland22 Lithuania23 Russia24 Slovak Republic25 England26 Greece27 Portugal28 Rep. of Ireland29 USA30 Macedonia, tfyr31 Netherlands32 Italy33 Croatia34 Malta35 Slovenia36 Ukraine37 Bulgaria38 Iceland39 Luxembourg40 Romania41 Turkey

1 Finland2 Norway3 Austria4 Belgium (French)5 Hungary6 Israel7 Scotland8 Spain9 Sweden10 Switzerland11 Wales12 Denmark13 Canada14 Latvia15 Poland16 Belgium (Flemish)17 Czech Republic18 Estonia19 France20 Germany21 Greenland22 Lithuania23 Russia24 Slovak Republic25 England26 Greece27 Portugal28 Rep. of Ireland29 USA30 Macedonia, tfyr31 Netherlands32 Italy33 Croatia34 Malta35 Slovenia36 Ukraine37 Bulgaria38 Iceland39 Luxembourg40 Romania41 Turkey42 Albania43 Armenia

International structure

1. International Coordinating Centre 

2. Scientific Development Group  

3. Methodology Development Group

4. Policy Development Group

Methodology

• Standard international protocol

• Sampling• Questionnaire (content, translation and sections/questions

order)• Survey administration• Data coding and entering• Strict quality controls at each stage

Sampling

• Target population : school-aged children

• Sampled population : • 11, 13 & 15 years old in countries where school system

makes it possible• All school-age children from the 5th grade in primary to the

last grade in secondary schools in French-speaking Community and Flanders

• In French-speaking Community: Sample built in proportion with population size (Provincial level) and school networks (French community, province, municipalities and catholic education network)

• In Flanders: probability proportional to size (PPS) = size of schools taken into account. Every pupil has the same chance to be included.

Questionnaire

• Core questions : • Compulsory (basis of international data)

• Optional packages:• In-depth specific areas

• Opportunity to insert local questions (not in the protocol)

• Self-administered in class under supervision of a school staff

RESULTSHBSC 2010

Results

• Alcohol drinking in last 30 days• Type of alcoholic drink• Alcohol initiation• Drunkenness in last 30 days• Drunkenness initiation• Binge drinking (only FWB)

HBSC 2010 - Sample

FWB Flanders

n % n %

Gender 4371 4645

Boy 47,4 50,2

Girl 52,6 49,8

Age 4371 4645

15 y 27,6 27,7

16 y 29,6 30,2

17 y 25,4 28,8

18 y 17,4 13,3

Family Affluence Scale 4058 4167

High 25,6 25,6

Mean 51,0 54,8

Low 23,4 19,6

FWB FLANDERS

n % n %

Life satisfaction 4206 4515≥6 83,7 89,8

Health perception 4250 4568Excellent/good 76,2 72,8

Alcohol last 30 days 4247 4564At least once 70,3 75,7

Alcohol experimentation 3567 3967≤13 y 39,8 42,6

Drunkenness last 30 days 4220 4559At least once 28,1 31,5

Drunkenness experimentation 2458 2535≤13 y 15,8 12,5

FWB FLANDERS

n % n %

Binge drinking last 30 days 4251 -At least once 57,7 -

Smoking status now 4350 4586Daily/weekly 21,3 19,0

Cannabis experimentation(lifetime) 4302 4586

Yes 33,9 28,5

Early sexual intercourse 1468 1891<16 y 57,2 37,2

ALCOHOL DRINKING DURING LAST 30 DAYS- RESULTS

HBSC 2010

Alcohol drinking during the last 30 days

Type of drinking at least once a week

ASSOCIATED FACTORS

ALCOHOL DRINKING DURING THE LAST 30 DAYS :

Alcohol drinking during the last 30 days

Alcohol drinking during the last 30 days

Alcohol drinking during the last 30 days

Alcohol drinking during the last 30 days

Alcohol drinking during the last 30 days

EARLY ALCOHOL EXPERIMENTATION- RESULTS

HBSC 2010

Alcohol initiation

ASSOCIATED FACTORS

EARLY ALCOHOL EXPERIMENTATION:

Early alcohol initiation (≤13 year old)

Early alcohol initiation (≤13 year old)

Early alcohol initiation (≤13 year old)

Early alcohol initiation (≤13 year old)

Early alcohol initiation (≤13 year old)

DRUNKENNESS - RESULTSHBSC 2010

Drunkenness during the last 30 days

ASSOCIATED FACTORS

DRUNKENNESS DURING THE LAST 30 DAYS:

Drunkenness during the last 30 days

Drunkenness during the last 30 days

Drunkenness during the last 30 days

Drunkenness during the last 30 days

0

20

40

60

80

100

Day/weekly58.8

Rare/Never19.7

Day/weekly64.7

Rare/Never24.7

Smoking status now

FWB (*) Flanders (*)

Drunkenness during the last 30 days

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

< 16 y60.0

≥16 y61.6

< 16 y49.4 ≥16 y

40.8

Early sexual intercourse

FWB Flanders (*)

Drunkenness during the last 30 days

0

20

40

60

80

100

≤13 y63.5

>13 y44.4

≤13 y70.4

>13 y54.6

Early drunkenness experimen-tation

FWB (*) Flanders (*)

EARLY DRUNKENNESS EXPERIMENTATION- RESULTS

HBSC 2010

Drunkenness initiation

ASSOCIATED FACTORS

EARLY DRUNKENNESS EXPERIMENTATION:

Early drunkenness experimentation

(≤13 year old)

Early drunkenness experimentation

(≤13 year old)

0

20

40

60

80

100

High16.3

Middle14.8

Low16.8 High

10.8Middle11.9

Low17.6

Family Affluence

FWB Flanders (*)

Early drunkenness experimentation

(≤13 year old)

Early drunkenness experimentation

(≤13 year old)

Early drunkenness experimentation

(≤13 year old)

BINGE DRINKING DURING THE LAST 30 DAYS - RESULTS

HBSC 2010

Binge drinking

ASSOCIATED FACTORS

BINGE DRINKING DURING THE LAST 30 DAYS:

Binge drinking during the last 30 days in FWB

Binge drinking during the last 30 days

Binge drinking during the last 30 days

Conclusions

• High frequency of alcohol use (70% in last 30 days in FWB and 76% in Flanders)

• A substantial amount of adolescents also engage in risky alcohol use (such as early experimentation and drunkenness)

• This last group are more likely boys, are older, have a higher family affluence, have a poor health and life satisfaction and engage in other risky behaviours

Strengths and weaknesses

+• Unique study on this topic and with this

methodology• Large scale study• Validity of questionnaire• Repeated measures (time trends)

• International comparisons

-• No information on absents (e.g. sick children,

truancy), dropped-out pupils• Decline of participation rate (school level)

HBSC : some results

• International overview reports (www.hbsc.org)

More information

• International: www.hbsc.org

• Flanders: • www.jongeren-en-gezondheid.ugent.be• www.zorg-en-gezondheid.be

• French Community:• www/ulb.ac.be/esp/sipes• http://www.sante.cfwb.be/publications-et-periodiques

/promotionsante-prevention