title: Alcohol use at the cusp of adolescence: a prospective national birth cohort study of prevalence and risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of alcohol use at the age of 10-11 years and document variation by early sociodemographic and concurrent alcohol-specific risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Millennium Cohort Study is a prospective, nationally representative study of live births in the United Kingdom across 12 months. A random sample of electoral wards was stratified to adequately represent U.K. countries, economically deprived areas, and areas with high concentrations of Asian and Black British families. A total of 12,305 child-mother pairs provided self-report data at 9 months (mother's marital status, age, education, occupational level; child gender, ethnicity, country) and age 10-11 years (adolescent alcohol use and attitudes).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for attrition and sampling design, 13.4% of 10- to 11-year-olds had had an alcoholic drink (more than few sips), 1.2% had felt drunk, and .6% had five or more drinks at a time. Odds of ever drinking were higher among boys (1.47, 95% confidence interval, 1.29-1.68) and lower among early adolescents who were Asian British (vs. white; .09, .05-.17) or Black British (.42, .29-.62). Beyond sociodemographic differences, more positive attitudes about alcohol were associated with greater odds of drinking (1.70, 1.51-1.91), feeling drunk (2.96, 2.07-4.24), and having five or more drinks (4.20, 2.66-6.61).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alcohol use in the last year of primary school was identified but not common. Its use varied by sociodemographic groups; early adolescents with more positive alcohol attitudes had especially high risks of early alcohol initiation. Results support calls for increased surveillance and screening for very early drinking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania; Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Department of Quantitative Social Science, UCL Institute of Education, London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: jmaggs@psu.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Maggs
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Criminology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Staff
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Megan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Patrick
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wray-Lake
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schulenberg
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology*; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D000066608:Underage Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Age of onset; Alcohol; Alcohol expectancies; Binge drinking; Drunkenness; Early adolescent; Millennium cohort study; Prevalence