The influence of religious factors on drinking behavior among young indigenous Sami and non-Sami peers in northern Norway.
It has been hypothesized that Laestadianism has contributed to the less drinking observed among indigenous Sami. This paper further investigates the bivariate protective influence of Sami ethnicity on youth drinking behavior using logistic regressions. We simultaneously controlled for the influence of religious revival movements (Laestadianism or evangelic) and religious importance (being personally  Christian), in addition to socio-demographics and parental factors. Cross-sectional data from the 1994/95 North Norwegian Youth Study including 2,950 (675 Sami) 15-19 year-old high school students (RR: 85%) was used. Sami ethnicity was statistically significant for two out of six alcohol outcome measures, after adjustment for religiosity and other covariates, indicating less current drinking and party drinking. Religiousness was associated with higher youth and parental abstinence across ethnicities. Generally, stronger protective influences on drinking behavior were found for religious importance (being personally Christian) than religious affiliation (Laestadianism). The non-significance between Sami and non-Sami drinking may partly be explained by ethnic differences in religiosity, but also socio-demographics (e.g., residing in the Sami Highland) and parental factors (e.g., abstinence) contributed to such a result. Laestadianism`s profound impact on Sami culture, and its strong anti-alcohol norms may have contributed to a religious-socio-cultural context of abstinence.
Spein
Anna Rita
AR
Center for Sami Health Research, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tromsø, 9037 Tromsø, Norway. anna.rita.spein@uit.no
Melhus
Marita
M
Kristiansen
Roald E
RE
Kvernmo
Siv E
SE
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D010379:Peer Group; D015995:Prevalence; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012919:Social Behavior; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult