Drinking Patterns among Finnish Fourteen Year-olds from 1977 to 1999

Abstract

Väitöskirjatyössä tutkittiin neljätoistavuotiaiden juomatapoja käyttäen Nuorten terveystapatutkimuksen aineistoja vuodesta 1977 vuoteen 1999. Koko maata edustavat aineistot kerättiin postikyselyin joka toinen vuosi. Työssä tehtyjen menetelmällisten tarkastelujen perusteella aineisto tarjoaa varsin luotettavan perustan nuorten juomatapojen tutkimiselle.

Nuorten alkoholin juominen oli 1900-luvun lopulla varsin yleistä; kaksi kolmesta neljätoistavuotiaasta joi vähintään ajoittain. Yksitoista prosenttia pojista ja kuusitoista prosenttia tytöistä ilmoitti juovansa kuukausittain niin, että tulee tosi humalaan. Juomatapojen kehityksessä oli kaksi vaihetta juominen väheni vuodesta 1977 vuoteen 1985, jonka jälkeen juominen yleistyi vuoteen 1999 asti, erityisesti tytöillä. Samanaikaisesti juomatapa muuttui humalakeskeisemmäksi. Samantyyppinen kehitys on ollut nähtävissä myös Ruotsissa.

Kehityksen taustalta tunnistettiin kaksi merkittävää tekijää. Käyttövarojen lisääntyminen selitti suuren osan humalajuomisen yleistymisestä. Rahan puute on aiemmin saattanut estää etenkin suurten juomamäärien hankkimista. Nuorten biologinen kypsyminen on aikaistunut ja tämä kehitys on ollut yhteydessä juomatapojen muutokseen. Humalajuomisen yleistyminen vaikuttaa olevan osa yleisempää kehitystä, jossa nuoret yhä varhemmin omaksuvat aikuisten käyttäytymismalleja.

Nuorten humalajuomisesta on yleisesti puhuttu nimenomaan 'viinan' juomisena. Tämän tutkimuksen mukaan keskeisessä roolissa olivat kuitenkin nimenomaan miedot alkoholijuomat olut ja siideri. Jos alkoholilain valvontaa halutaan tehostaa, on huomio kiinnitettävä tällä hetkellä lähes esteettömään nuorten oluen ja siiderin hankintaan.

Nuorten juomisen yleistyminen ja siihen yhteydessä olleet aikaistunut biologinen kypsyminen ja lisääntyneet käyttövarat antavat aihetta alkoholi- ja sosiaalipolitiikan, erityisesti niiden täytäntöönpanon uudelleenarviointiin. Yksi linja olisi ennenaikaisen 'aikuistumisen' kehityksen katkaiseminen ja lapsuuden venyttäminen takaisin lähemmäs täysi-ikäisyyden ikärajaa. Toisaalta nuorten juomista on pidetty väistämättömänä yhteiskunnassa, jossa raittius on aikuisten keskuudessa harvinaista. Tällä linjalla olisi loogista ryhtyä vakavasti tutkimaan nuorten juomiseen liittyviä haittoja ja kehittämään haittojen vähentämiseen tähtääviä strategioita.

The Adolescent Health and Lifestyle Survey data was utilised in five original articles with the overarching purpose of increasing our knowledge on the drinking patterns among the under-aged at the turn of the millennium. Three of the original papers studied alcohol drinking issues among twelve, fourteen, sixteen and eighteen year-olds while the remaining two concentrated on the age group of fourteen year-olds; the focus of this summary as well. The material for the study was gathered by mail every other year since 1977; the most recent round took place in the spring of 1999. The respondents were picked from the Population Registry based on particular birth dates. Responding to the self-administered structured questionnaire was voluntary. The response rates were high, especially in the age group in focus. The response diminished throughout the years, but the effect of this trend on measuring fourteen year-olds' drinking patterns appeared negligible. Many important details such as the survey sampling and timing, together with question wordings, were kept unchanged to utilise comparability over the years. After conducting methodological analysis (Papers I and II), the AHLS was judged to form a reasonably reliable basis for the study of adolescent drinking patterns through the last two decades of the millennium. Two phases in fourteen year-olds' drinking pattern trends were identified: a decreasing trend from the beginning of the AHLS in 1977 until 1985 and an increasing trend since then until the turn of the century. The second half of the 1980s seemed to witness a change towards more drunkenness-oriented drinking patterns. Similar trends have also been reported in Sweden. Altogether, the adolescent drinking patterns in these two neighbouring countries seem largely similar.

Two important factors, both with societal connections, were identified behind the increase in fourteen year-olds' drunkenness. Increased allowances, or disposable money, seemed to account for a notable part of the trend. Lack of money may have acted as an important inhibitor of alcohol drinking, especially drinking of large amounts of alcohol. The developments in the macroeconomy and division of consumption spending within the family seem to have resulted in more money available to adolescents, a part of which is spent in alcohol beverages. On the other hand, the trend in earlier biological maturation also appeared to be strongly related to fourteen year-olds' drunkenness. Moreover, this trend has been associated with the expanding macroeconomy e.g. through improved mothers' and children's nutrition. Altogether, the trends in drinking patterns among fourteen year-olds seemed to be a part of a larger societal development where adolescents adopt adult social roles and behaviours ever earlier.

Alcohol drinking among fourteen year-olds at the end of the 20th century is common with around two-thirds drinking at least occasionally. Eleven percent of the boys and sixteen percent of the girls report monthly drinking until drunkenness. Several factors appeared associated with drinking, e.g. smoking, lack of parental control and dating, but none with drunkenness only. With drinking being a widespread phenomenon and factors common for all drinking patterns, the prevention strategy of picking out 'risk individuals' is not feasible. With biological maturation strongly connected with the individual drinking pattern, the fourteen year-olds may just be in different developmental stages in getting acquainted with alcohol. It is commonly believed that drunkenness is connected with drinking certain types of alcoholic beverages, i.e. spirits. In this study, the central role of mild alcoholic beverages such as beer and cider in adolescent drinking was highlighted. Spirits seem, however, involved in drunkenness as an add-on to the mild alcoholic beverages. If current alcohol laws are to be more strongly enforced, the almost unobstructed availability of beer and cider to the under-aged is an obvious target for action.

The traditional basis for alcohol and social policy towards the early adolescents, i.e. prohibition, needs to adjust to the accelerating social maturation. Action could be taken to counteract the adoption of adult social roles and behaviours ever earlier. Another option towards this end would be stronger enforcement of the current laws; this would probably have to rely more on the co-operation of the retail sales points. However, it has been suggested that for as long as the adults drink and get drunk on alcohol, the adolescents wishing to become adults will do likewise. A society acknowledging this state of affairs might also decide to concentrate on the harms induced by drinking at an early age. With more research on the actual harms connected with drinking in adolescence, new harm reduction strategies could start to develop.