[Behavior of drinking alcoholic beverages among junior and senior high school students in the area covered with Wakkanai Health Center of Hokkaido, Japan].
We conducted a survey on behavior of drinking alcoholic beverages among students in November, 2000 in the area covered with Wakkanai Health Center of Hokkaido, Japan. A questionnaire was completed by 743 junior high school students (88.9% of the study subjects) and 791 senior high school students (76.3% of the study subjects). As a result, the proportion of the students who drank more than once per month was higher in this area than in other places of Japan. For example, 90.2% and 87.9% in the male and female senior high school students of the third grade drank more than once per month. Their frequent drinking was not related to their early onset of drinking. They often drank alone or only with their friends. Frequent drinkers among the students tended to get alcohol beverages from various roots, including face-to-face salespersons in package stores, convenience stores, or bars. Frequent drinkers among the students tended to have more experienced the problems associated with drinking such as blackout and vomiting. A large proportion of the students in this area had relatively poor knowledge about harmfulness of drinking. It has been suggested that people in this area are permissive to drinking among youngsters, as compared to other places in Japan. We think that it is indispensable to communicate or educate harmfulness of drinking during adolescence for students as well as for their parents, especially, in this area.
Takeida
K
K
Hokkaido Wakkanai Public Health Center, 4-2-27 Suehiro, Wakkanai-City, Hokkaido 097-8558, Japan.
Ishida
A
A
Hukushima
T
T
Mori
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D012940:Social Problems / Q000517:prevention & control; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires