title: [Alcohol use in young adolescents. A survey in French secondary schools].
abstract: Among young adolescents, early use of alcohol has been shown to be related to later alcohol use disorders and alcohol-related problems in numerous epidemiologic studies. However, if drinking problems are now well documented in young people, few data are available on alcohol use in children and young adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes with respect to alcohol use among young adolescents entering their first year of secondary school (mean age, 11.5 years). Data were collected from the ESPACE program, a preventive program conducted in the educational district of Limoges, France. Of the 2268 respondents with complete data, 73.4% (77.1% in males vs. 69.9% in females; P<0.001) reported having tasted alcohol drinks and 3.7% (4.9% in males vs. 2.6% in females; P=0.004) having experienced drunkenness at least once. Of these adolescents, 5.4% (8.5% in males vs. 2.4% in females, P<0.001) reported consuming alcohol at least once per month, which may be considered as a sort of regular drinking pattern. Taking age, sex, and level of alcohol consumption into account, experience of drunkenness (21.9% in regular users vs. 3.7% in occasional users), tobacco use (25.8% in regular users vs. 12.6% in occasional users and 1.5% in nonusers) and cannabis use (6.0% in regular users vs. 0.9% in occasional users and 0.2% in nonusers) were found to be significantly more frequent in regular alcohol users than in other students (P<0.001). Data analysis also showed that regular alcohol users felt significantly more frequently depressed, lacking self-assurance, dissatisfied with their physical appearance and their way of life, and they felt that they exhibited significantly more impairments in their interactions with parents, peers, and the school environment. Similarly, they were found to have significantly more frequently an inclination for risk behaviors and a significantly more positive view of drinking than other students. These results look almost like those reported in adolescents and young people, and show that the alcohol abuse pattern is drawn early in childhood. They also highlight the value of epidemiologic investigations for planning preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Pôle universitaire de psychiatrie, hôpital Sainte-Marguerite, AP-HM, 270, boulevard de Sainte-Marguerite, 13374 Marseille cedex 09, France; Faculté de médecine, Aix-Marseille université, 13284 Marseille, France. Electronic address: daniel.bailly@ap-hm.fr.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bailly
authors.affiliation: Observatoire régional de la santé du Limousin, 4, avenue de la Révolution, 87000 Limoges, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rouchaud
authors.affiliation: Service de promotion de la santé en faveur des élèves, rectorat de l'académie de Limoges, 13, rue François-Chénieux, 87031 Limoges cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: CODES 06, bâtiment Ariane, 27, boulevard Paul-Montel, 06200 Nice, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roehrig
authors.affiliation: Observatoire régional de la santé du Limousin, 4, avenue de la Révolution, 87000 Limoges, France.
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ferley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012917:Social Adjustment; D000066608:Underage Drinking / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*