Alcohol use in early and late adolescence among the Birth to Twenty cohort in Soweto, South Africa

Abstract

BackgroundAlcohol is a risk factor for the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among young people globally. Youth drinking, initiated in early adolescence and continued into early adulthood, is influenced by maternal socio-demographic factors and maternal education. Limited prospective data exists in South Africa on the prevalence of alcohol use during adolescence and adolescent and maternal socio-demographic correlates.ObjectiveTo examine the prevalence of lifetime alcohol use during early (13 years) and late (18 years) adolescence in Soweto, South Africa, and its association with child and maternal socio-demographic factors.MethodsData on alcohol use in early adolescence (age 13 years) and late adolescence (age 18 years) were collected using self-completed pen and paper and self-completed computer-based questionnaires, respectively. Univariate analyses were conducted on child (gender and number of school years repeated by grade 7), maternal socio-demographic correlates (education, marital status, and age), and household socioeconomic status (SES). Bivariate logistic regression analyses examined associations between alcohol use and all child and maternal socio-demographic factors. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted on all the variables found to be significantly (p<0.10) associated with alcohol use to examine the predictive value on alcohol use at early and late adolescence.ResultsLifetime alcohol use increased from 22% at early adolescence to 66% at late adolescence. In multivariate analyses, gender, maternal education, and SES predicted lifetime alcohol use at early adolescence, while gender, maternal education, marital status, and SES were predictive of the same at late adolescence.ConclusionThis study aids researchers and practitioners to identify maternal and child socio-demographic risk profiles for alcohol use to inform policies and programmes.

Family Structure and History of Childhood Trauma: Associations With Risk-Taking Behavior Among Adolescents in Swaziland

“…The results of the study further indicated that adolescents from two-parent households reported lesser risk-taking behavior compared to other family structures. These findings are validated by the works of previous writers who documented that adolescents from such households reported a delay or reduction of engagement in sexual activity ( 38 ); reduced levels of self-harm compared to those from the stepparent, single-parented or no-parent groups ( 19 ) and receive higher levels of parental closeness and monitoring, dimensions of a family structure which act as a buffer against the adoption of risk-taking behavior adolescents ( 39 ). Moreover, emerging data suggest that during childhood and adolescence, close family relationships can ameliorate the impact that adversity has on lifespan physical and mental health ( 30 ).…”

“…Alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use among adolescents remains one of this age cohort prominent risk-taking behavior which has been associated with social issues like crime, including sexual and grievous bodily harm, assaults and murder ( 17 ), gang activities, vandalism, bullying, and truancy within school premises ( 18 ). Additionally, alcohol is alleged to increases the risk of engagement in sexual risk behavior, leading to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) ( 19 ) and unplanned pregnancy which in most cases lead to unsafe abortions which are the leading cause of death for women aged 15–19 worldwide ( 20 ). There is also a link between substance use and self-harm behavior in adolescents with female adolescents being three times more likely and male adolescents being 17 times more likely to attempt self-harm while under the influence of alcohol ( 21 ).…”

Prevalence and socioeconomic characteristics of alcohol disorders among men and women in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

“…As described in the South African National Drug Master plan 2013–2017 (Central Drug Authority, ), this can be addressed through the involvement of local government, primary healthcare providers, maternity healthcare, community leaders and youth within the communities. Research has shown that the younger the age of onset of alcohol consumption, the more likely it is that the person will experience alcohol problems later in life (Hingson & Zha, ; Ramsoomar, Morojele, & Norris, ). With regard to gender‐specific interventions, there are several reasons why health professionals should reach women when planning prevention, treatment and care.…”

Excessive Alcohol Intake and Cigarette Smoking among Black Schoolchildren in a Central African City (Brazzaville, Congo)

“…In rural South Africa, the prevalence of alcoholism is 22% among school adolescents [12]. In this country, consumption mainly concerns the high teens, male, school late, but there is no impact of social status [13]. Also, parental influence is revealed as an important determinant [14].…”