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Trends in Adolescents' and Young Adults' Substance Use since 2000

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Adolescents".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 June 2022) | Viewed by 15721

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Margrete Rossow

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Guest Editor

Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway
Interests: alcohol and drug epidemiology; alcohol and drug related harms; alcohol and drug policies

Dr. Elin Kristin Bye

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Guest Editor

Department Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway
Interests: studies of trends in alcohol; tobacco and drug use among adolescents

Dr. Inger Synnøve Moan

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Guest Editor

Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0213 Oslo, Norway
Interests: studies of alcohol; tobacco and drug use; and social consequences of substance use

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs is typically initiated in adolescence, and young people’s use of these substances poses an important risk factor for poor health and social problems. Since the turn of the millennium, adolescents’ use of alcohol and cigarettes has declined in many countries, whereas trends in other aspects of substance use, including cannabis use, vaping, and drinking patterns, appear more heterogenous across countries. There is still little knowledge that explains these changes in substance use over time and how they are associated with health and social problems in young people.

For this Special Issue, we are interested in empirical studies that analyze secular trends in substance use (i.e., alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, or the combined use of two or more substances) in adolescents or young adults, as well as literature reviews and analyses of published data. The selected papers should add to the literature by widening the descriptive basis of trends in young people’s substance use, or by enhancing our understanding of how and why changes in use have occurred and how they may affect health and social wellbeing in young people, or both. Papers from low- and middle-income countries are particularly welcome.

Prof. Dr. Ingeborg Margrete Rossow
Dr. Inger Synnøve Moan
Dr. Elin Kristin Bye
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

secular trends
substance use
alcohol
tobacco
drugs
young people
explanations
outcomes

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 6754 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Declining Trend in Adolescent Drinking: Do Volume and Drinking Pattern Go Hand in Hand?

by Ingeborg Rossow, Elin K. Bye and Inger Synnøve Moan

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7965; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137965 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1729

Abstract

Traditionally, adolescent drinking cultures differed between Nordic and Mediterranean countries; the former being characterised by low volume and relatively frequent heavy episodic drinking (HED). Across these drinking cultures, we examined the associations between alcohol volume and HED with respect to (i) secular trends at the country level and (ii) individual-level associations over time. The data stem from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) conducted among 15–16-year-olds in Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, France and Italy, employing six cross-sectional surveys from 1999 to 2019 (n = 126,126). Both consumption volume and HED frequency decreased in all Nordic countries and displayed a curvilinear trend in France and Italy. In all countries, consumption volume and HED correlated highly over time at the country level. At the individual level, the correlation was positive but with a varying magnitude over time and between countries. In 1999/2003, the alcohol volume–HED correlation was significantly higher in the Nordic compared to the Mediterranean countries but became significantly weaker in Finland, Norway and Sweden and remained stable in France, Iceland and Italy during the period. In conclusion, while trends in consumption volume and drinking patterns went hand in hand at the aggregate level, the association at the individual level weakened over time in several Nordic countries, along with the substantial decline in adolescent drinking since 2000. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Adolescents' and Young Adults' Substance Use since 2000)

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12 pages, 1708 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Declining Trend in Adolescent Alcohol Use: Does It Have Any Significance for Drinking Behaviour in Young Adulthood?

by Ingeborg Rossow, Inger Synnøve Moan and Elin K. Bye

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(13), 7887; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137887 - 27 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1762

Abstract

Since 2000, adolescent alcohol use has declined substantially in many high-income countries, particularly in Northern Europe. This study examined whether birth cohorts in Norway who experienced different levels of alcohol consumption in mid-adolescence differed in drinking behaviour when they reached young adulthood. We analysed data from annual population surveys in Norway (2012–2021). The analytic sample comprised data from respondents aged 20–29 years (N = 5266), and we applied four birth cohorts (i.e., 1983–1987, 1988–1992, 1993–1996 and 1997–2001). We applied age categories with two- and five-year intervals and tested whether drinking frequency, heavy episodic drinking (HED) and usual number of drinks per drinking occasion during the past 12 months differed by birth cohort in age-specific strata. Possible cohort differences within age groups were tested using Pearson’s Chi square. There were no statistically significant differences between cohorts with respect to drinking frequency or HED frequency. However, the youngest cohort had fewer drinks per occasion when in their early 20s compared to older cohorts. This study showed that birth cohorts who differed substantially in levels of alcohol consumption in mid-adolescence, only to a little extent differed in drinking behaviour in young adulthood. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Adolescents' and Young Adults' Substance Use since 2000)

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13 pages, 319 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Becoming Safe, Legal, Mature, Moderate, and Self-Reflexive: Trajectories of Drinking and Abstinence among Young People

by Eva Samuelsson, Jukka Törrönen, Josefin Månsson and Filip Roumeliotis

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3591; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063591 - 17 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2050

Abstract

In recent years, a vast body of research has investigated trends of declining alcohol consumption among youths. However, the extent to which restrictive-youth approaches towards drinking are maintained into adulthood is unclear. The aim of this study is to explore how young people’s relation to alcohol changes over time. Our data are based on longitudinal qualitative in-depth interviews with 28 participants aged 15 to 23 conducted over the course of three years (2017–2019). The study draws on assemblage thinking by analysing to what kinds of heterogeneous elements young people’s drinking and abstinence are related and what kinds of transformations they undergo when they get older. Five trajectories were identified as influential. Alcohol was transformed from unsafe to safe assemblages, from illegal to legal drinking assemblages, from performance-orientated to enjoyment-orientated assemblages, and from immature to mature assemblages. These trajectories moved alcohol consumption towards moderate drinking. Moreover, abstinence was transformed from authoritarian assemblages into self-reflexive assemblages. Self-control, responsibility, and performance orientation were important mediators in all five trajectories. As the sober generation grows older, they will likely start to drink at more moderate levels than previous generations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Adolescents' and Young Adults' Substance Use since 2000)

11 pages, 324 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Trends in Use of Alcohol and Cigarettes among Danish Adolescents, 2002–2018: Exclusive and Dual Use

by Simone G. Kjeld, Lisbeth Lund, Katrine R. Madsen, Mogens T. Damsgaard and Lotus S. Bast

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(6), 3490; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063490 - 15 Mar 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1809

Abstract

Many young adolescents experiment with substance use which can have substantial health implications later in life. This study examined trends in substance use among Danish adolescents from 2002 to 2018, including exclusive and dual current use of alcohol and cigarettes. Data on 13- and 15-year-olds (N = 15,295) from five comparable cross-sectional Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveys were used. Cochran-Armitage test for trend assessed the development in substance use patterns over time. Overall, a decreasing trend in current use of alcohol and cigarettes was found among Danish adolescents during the 16-year study period: from 71.7% in 2002 to 51.6% in 2018. In 2018, most adolescents (41.8%) currently used alcohol exclusively, 8.6% had a dual current use of cigarettes and alcohol, and 1.3% smoked cigarettes exclusively. Trends in alcohol use differed according to age groups, while no gender-specific trends in substance use were found. Findings suggest that a significant prevention potential in adolescent substance use remains, and future initiatives may focus on dual use of substances as well as tailored efforts to specific subgroups in high risk of using substances. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Adolescents' and Young Adults' Substance Use since 2000)

7 pages, 625 KiB

Open AccessArticle

17 Is the New 15: Changing Alcohol Consumption among Swedish Youth

by Jonas Raninen, Michael Livingston, Mats Ramstedt, Martina Zetterqvist, Peter Larm and Johan Svensson

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(3), 1645; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031645 - 31 Jan 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2454

Abstract

To examine and compare trends in drinking prevalence in nationally representative samples of Swedish 9th and 11th grade students between 2000 and 2018. A further aim is to compare drinking behaviours in the two age groups during years with similar drinking prevalence. Data were drawn from annual surveys of a nationally representative sample of students in year 9 (15–16 years old) and year 11 (17–18 years old). The data covered 19 years for year 9 and 16 years for year 11. Two reference years where the prevalence of drinking was similar were extracted for further comparison, 2018 for year 11 (n = 4878) and 2005 for year 9 (n = 5423). The reference years were compared with regard to the volume of drinking, heavy episodic drinking, having had an accident and quarrelling while drunk. The prevalence of drinking declined in both age groups during the study period. The rate of decline was somewhat higher among year 9 students. In 2018, the prevalence of drinking was the same for year 11 students as it was for year 9 students in 2005. The volume of drinking was lower among year 11 students in 2018 than year 9 students in 2005. No differences were observed for heavy episodic drinking. The decline in drinking has caused a displacement of consumption so that today’s 17–18-year-olds have a similar drinking behaviour to what 15–16-year-olds had in 2005. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Adolescents' and Young Adults' Substance Use since 2000)

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9 pages, 308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Normalization of Non-Drinking? Health, School Situation and Social Relations among Swedish Ninth Graders That Drink and Do Not Drink Alcohol

by Jonas Raninen, Peter Larm, Johan Svensson, Michael Livingston, Lars Sjödin and Patrik Karlsson

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(21), 11201; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111201 - 25 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2272

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is a major contributor to the disease burden among adolescents. The adolescent alcohol abstainer is still often depicted as problematic in the research literature and in prominent theoretical frameworks. However, over the past two decades, there has been a marked trend of declining youth drinking in Sweden. The declining trend has led to a shift in the majority behaviour of youth, from drinking to non-drinking. It is plausible that this trend has also shifted the position of non-drinkers. This paper examines the position of non-drinkers in a nationally representative sample of Swedish adolescents. A survey was carried out in 2017 in 500 randomly selected schools. A total of 5549 respondents (15–16-year-olds) agreed to participate and answered the questionnaire. A minority (42.8%) had consumed alcohol during their lifetime. The results show that non-drinkers had better health and school performance when compared to drinkers. The results also showed that there were no differences in the social position between non-drinkers and drinkers. These findings are new and indicate a changed position of non-drinkers among Swedish adolescents. With non-drinking being the majority behaviour among Swedish adolescents this seems to have shifted the position of non-drinkers. There is a need for research on the long-term importance of not drinking during adolescence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Adolescents' and Young Adults' Substance Use since 2000)

25 pages, 1790 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in Alcoholic Beverage Choice and Risky Drinking among Adolescents in Europe 1999–2019

by Johanna K. Loy, Nicki-Nils Seitz, Elin K. Bye, Paul Dietze, Carolin Kilian, Jakob Manthey, Kirsimarja Raitasalo, Renate Soellner, Björn Trolldal, Jukka Törrönen and Ludwig Kraus

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(20), 10933; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182010933 - 18 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2373

Abstract

This paper explores trends in beverage preference in adolescents, identifies related regional differences, and examines cluster differences in key drinking measures. Data were obtained from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), covering 24 European countries between 1999 and 2019. Trends in the distribution of alcoholic beverages on the participants’ most recent drinking occasion were analysed by sex and country using fractional multinomial logit regression. Clusters of countries based on trends and predicted beverage proportions were compared regarding the prevalence of drinkers, mean alcohol volume and prevalence of heavy drinking. Four distinct clusters each among girls and boys emerged. Among girls, there was not one type of beverage that was preferred across clusters, but the proportion of cider/alcopops strongly increased over time in most clusters. Among boys, the proportion of beer decreased, but was dominant across time in all clusters. Only northern European countries formed a geographically defined region with the highest prevalence of heavy drinking and average alcohol volume in both genders. Adolescent beverage preferences are associated with mean alcohol volume and heavy drinking at a country-level. Future approaches to drinking cultures need to take subpopulations such as adolescents into account. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends in Adolescents' and Young Adults' Substance Use since 2000)

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