title: Area level deprivation and drinking patterns among adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess relationships between area level deprivation and drinking patterns among adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study uses data from the national New Zealand Alcohol Survey 2004 comprising 1828, age range 12-19 years. A multilevel linear regression was conducted using NZDep2001 (a composite deprivation measure) as the exposure and alcohol use (quantity and frequency) as outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A J-shaped association was observed between area level deprivation and quantity of adolescents' alcohol use after controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, and individual socioeconomic position; where adolescents living in the most deprived areas consumed the heaviest quantities of alcohol. No association was found for frequency of drinking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found a J-shaped relationship between area-level disadvantage and increased quantities consumed, where adolescents living in the most deprived areas typically consumed the heaviest quantities of alcohol. However, our study has also highlighted that future research may better isolate an independent relationship between deprivation and consumption in adolescents by accounting for structural variables related to both deprivation and consumption, such as alcohol outlet density.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark. mvl@niph.dk
authors.forename: Mathilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vinther-Larsen
authors.forename: Taisia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huckle
authors.forename: RuQuan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: You
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casswell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult