Alcohol consumption among high school students in Barcelona, Spain.
OBJECTIVE
Since adolescents are a high-risk group for alcohol-related problems, this study was undertaken to gain insight into the prevalence of alcohol consumption among this population.


METHODS
This study was carried out in the city of Barcelona using an anonymous questionnaire which included information about frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption. The sample population was composed of all the students from 13 to 20 years old who were attending high school during 1992-93 (n = 1,137) and 1994-95 (n = 1,094). The amount of alcohol consumption was calculated in alcohol units per week for 4 groups of different beverages (beer, wine, spirits and aperitifs) and also in grams per day.


RESULTS
Lifetime prevalence of alcohol consumption was 92.5% in 1992-93 and 77.0% in 1994-95. Students who drank more frequently were older and male. In 1992-93, 8% of female students had an absolute alcohol intake beyond 24 g per day (risk consumption), which was the same percentage in 1994-95. Male students had a higher intake, although risk consumption rate (more than 40 g per day) was similar to that of females: 9% and 7.4% in 1992-93 and 1994-95, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
While changes in the prevalence of drinking are encouraging, the results of this study also show an increase in the quantity of alcohol consumed.
Fuentes-Almendras
M
M
Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Spain.
Mora-Ripoll
R
R
Dijk
A
A
Domínguez-García
A
A
Salleras-Sanmartí
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012494:Sampling Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data