Alcohol consumption by youth: Peers, parents, or prices?

Peer effects and health impacts of different body cognitive biases in children: micro evidence from China

Background

In China, children commonly display body cognitive biases, which constitute a significant yet hidden public health issue. These biases potentially jeopardize children's well-being, hinder the cultivation of human capital, and impede societal progress. However, limited research employs theoretical analysis and econometric testing to investigate the formation of different body cognitive biases among Chinese children and their health impacts.

Methods

Based on a local average network model for theoretical analysis, this study utilizes a sample of 4,289 children from four phases of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) conducted from 2004 to 2011. Utilizing Logit and IV Probit models, systematically evaluate the peer effect, heterogeneity of effects, and health impacts of children's different body cognitive biases.

Results

(1) The peer effect contributes to the development of light- and heavy-body cognitive biases in Chinese children. (2) The heterogeneity analysis shows that the peer effect of body cognitive biases is more significant in rural and female children. (3) The influence of heavy-body cognitive bias is more pronounced in adolescent children. (4) The "eating-activity balance" is disrupted by the two body cognitive biases in children, leading to deviations from normal body type. (5) Specifically, the light-body cognitive bias leads children to intake more and burn fewer calories, increasing their risk of obesity. (6) Conversely, the heavy-body cognitive bias prompts children to intake less and expend more calories, resulting in a higher prevalence of thinness.

Discussion

This study innovates by exploring peer effects on body cognitive biases in Chinese children, elucidating their direction and health implications. While overweight and obesity are recognized as overt health issues, the spread and impact of implicit issues like body cognitive biases should not be overlooked. Nevertheless, the issue is largely neglected in developing countries, such as China, where existing children's health policies are inadequate in addressing it. Promoting accurate body image perception and understanding of health prevention strategies among children requires adequate attention to peer effects.

The long-term health effects of initiating smoking in adolescence: Evidence from a national longitudinal survey

We estimate the long-term effect of initiating smoking in adolescence on a range of health outcomes later in life. We use the second wave (1996) and the fifth wave (2016-2018) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) and estimate instrumental variables models with school-level fixed effects, where the instruments are the average rate of smoking among friends and the respondents' perceptions about their friends' smoking. We find that smoking in adolescence has a negative impact on 15 of the 28 self-reported, diagnosed, and self-identified health outcomes approximately 20 years later.

Assessing the impact of sports and recreation facility density within school neighbourhoods on Canadian adolescents' substance use behaviours: quasi-experimental evidence from the COMPASS study, 2015-2018

OBJECTIVES

There has been relatively little exploration to date of potential protective effects within school neighbourhoods, such as those conferred by facilities that seek to promote health with respect to substance use and related harms. This study examined how the density of sports and recreation facilities in the school neighbourhood is associated with the likelihood of binge drinking, e-cigarette use, cigarette smoking and cannabis use among Canadian secondary school students.

DESIGN

Longitudinal data from the COMPASS study on Canadian youth health behaviours from 2015/2016 to 2017/2018 was linked with school neighbourhood data capturing the number of sports and recreation facilities within a 1500 m radius of schools.

SETTING

Secondary schools and school neighbourhoods in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec who participated in the COMPASS study.

PARTICIPANTS

16 471 youth who participated in the COMPASS study over three school years (2015/2016-2017/2018).

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Binge drinking, e-cigarette use, cigarette use, cannabis use.

RESULTS

Logistic regression models using generalised estimating equations identified that greater density of sports and recreation facilities within the school neighbourhood was significantly associated with lower likelihood of binge drinking and e-cigarette use but was not associated with cigarette smoking or cannabis use.

CONCLUSIONS

This research can help to support evidence-informed school community-based efforts to prevent substance-related harms among youth.

Changes in the Price of Alcohol and Effect on Youth Drinking and in Different Socio-Economic Groups

Aims

Many studies have shown that changes in alcohol prices have a significant effect on total sales. However, few studies have focused on youth, particularly in different socioeconomic groups. This study examined the effect of changes in the price of alcohol on consumption levels and binge drinking among 15 to 16 year old students in Sweden, both overall, among boys and girls, as well as within different socioeconomic groups.

Methods

Data on consumption were retrieved from a representative survey of students aged 15-16, conducted annually between 1989 and 2017. Time series analysis employed an autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA). Two types of price data were used: the official price at the retail stores, and the mean price of the ten cheapest beverages in each category. The mean aggregate annual income per Swedish household was included as a control variable.

The variable used to measure the socioeconomic status was the proportion of the ninth-grade students at each school, who had at least one parent with an education higher than upper secondary school.

Results

The students' alcohol consumption levels and binge drinking were not significantly affected by price changes during the study period; this was true both for the group as a whole, and among subgroups of boys or girls or of different socioeconomic status. Results were similar regardless of which type of price data variable was used in the analyses.

Conclusion

Neither average nor minimum price of alcohol had a significant impact on the development of youth drinking in Sweden during the study period.

Investigation of tobacco and alcohol co-consumption in Thailand: A joint estimation approach

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Most studies on tobacco and alcohol consumption empirically model the two behaviours separately. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the patterns of tobacco and alcohol co-consumption in Thailand, modelling the two behaviours jointly and identifying whether they complemented or substituted each other.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Data were extracted from the 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2017 waves of the nationally representative Tobacco and Alcohol Consumption Survey in Thailand. A bivariate ordered probit model, under which the frequencies of tobacco and alcohol consumption were jointly estimated, was performed on the repeated cross-sectional sample as well as each of the cross-sectional samples.

RESULTS

Based on the repeated cross-sectional sample (n = 411 981), the analyses suggested that tobacco and alcohol consumption were complementary behaviours. The predicted conditional probabilities revealed that the more frequently one drank, the higher the likelihood that he/she also smoked at a higher frequency, and vice versa.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Given the complementary nature of tobacco and alcohol consumption in Thailand, tobacco- and alcohol-prevention strategies should be realigned and better co-ordinated for greater efficiency. The net impacts of a given tobacco or alcohol policy should be incorporated into the optimal policy design to avoid duplication of efforts. Also, future studies of tobacco and alcohol consumption should consider modelling the two behaviours together using a joint estimation approach.

Prevalence of alcohol consumption and its risk factors among university students: A cross-sectional study across six universities in Myanmar

BACKGROUND

Globally, alcohol consumption is a significant public health concern and it is one of the most important risk behaviours among university students. Alcohol consumption can lead to poor academic performance, injuries, fights, use of other substances, and risky sexual behaviours among students. However, the study explored the prevalence of alcohol consumption and the associated risk factors among university students since these have not been fully examined in previous research. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of alcohol consumption and the associated risk factors among university students in Myanmar.

METHODS

The present cross-sectional study was conducted using a sample of 15-24-year-old university students who were selected from six universities in Mandalay, Myanmar, in August 2018. In total, 3,456 students (males: 1,301 and females: 2,155) were recruited and asked to respond to a self-administered questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for alcohol consumption among university students.

RESULTS

The prevalence of alcohol consumption in the previous 30 days was 20.3% (males: 36.0%, females: 10.8%). The alcohol consumption was significantly higher among males (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI; 1.9-2.9), truant students (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI; 1.3-3.3), smokers (AOR = 7.0, 95% CI; 5.1-9.7), students who reported feeling of hopelessness or sadness (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI; 1.2-1.8), peers' alcohol consumption (AOR = 7.5, 95% CI; 4.8-11.7).

CONCLUSION

The present study revealed that males, smokers, peer alcohol consumption, and truant students had higher odds of alcohol consumption among the students. Therefore, effective campus-based counselling, peer education, and national surveillance systems that can monitor risky drinking behaviours among university students should be implemented. Further, government regulations that control the production, sale, promotion, advertising, and restriction of alcohol should be well developed and strengthened, as in the case of other Southeast Asian countries.

The influence of misperceptions about social norms on substance use among school-aged adolescents

Individuals often have biased perceptions about their peers' behavior. We use an economic equilibrium analysis to study the role social norms play in substance use decisions. Using a nationally representative dataset, we estimate the effect of misperception about friends' alcohol, smoking, and marijuana use on consumption of these substances by youths in grades 7-12. Overestimation of friend's substance use significantly increases adolescent's own use approximately 1 year later, and the estimated effect is robust across specifications including individual-level fixed effects regression. The effect size is bigger for boys than for girls. The estimates for those who initially underestimated the norm suggest the possibility of a rebound/boomerang effect.

Motivators and deterrents for seeking eye care in a Canadian region

BACKGROUND

Motivators and deterrents for seeking eye care in a Canadian setting were sought using a qualitative study. Provincial deregulation of eyewear dispensing in 2010 allows consumers to order eyewear without an optical prescription, thus eliminating a potential motivator for obtaining an eye examination.

METHODS

Convenience sampling was used to obtain 25 members of the public who contributed to one of seven focus groups that were facilitated, audiotaped, anonymised and transcribed. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire. Focus group data analysis employed grounded theory and theme saturation determined the number of focus groups.

RESULTS

Nine men and 16 women participated, ranging in age from 18 to 71 years (mean 41.5; median 40.0). Three main themes were identified as influencers for seeking eye care: priority; advice; and capacity. Priority served as a motivator ('lived experience', 'symptoms', and 'habit') and deterrent ('test distress', 'asymptomatic', 'don't know' and 'other priorities'). Advice was a motivator ('professional' and 'family/friends'), while capacity was a motivator ('insurance') and deterrent ('cost').

CONCLUSION

The motivators and deterrents of seeking eye care in these focus groups were framed by three themes. Key findings not reported previously included the motivators of 'habit', 'advice' and 'insurance' and the potential deterrent of 'test distress'. These factors should be added to other previously reported motivators and deterrents in further exploration of Canadian eye-care seeking behaviours. Such knowledge is needed to develop strategies for improving eye-care literacy in Canada. This is particularly important because eyewear deregulation and/or online eye examinations may encourage members of the public to bypass comprehensive eye care without fully understanding the implications of this decision for their health and wellness.

Understanding adolescent binge drinking in Spain: how school information campaigns moderate the role of perceived parental and peer consumption

Despite its potentially harmful effects, adolescent binge drinking is becoming increasingly common worldwide. To enable the design of more effective school information campaigns, the underlying factors of heavy alcohol use must be carefully analysed. This study investigated how individual, social and contextual factors relate to adolescent binge drinking. It also explored whether adolescents' exposure to information campaigns at school moderates the relationships between perceived parental and peer alcohol consumption and adolescent binge drinking. We used data from a Spanish nationwide representative sample of 47 803 students aged 14-18 years, of whom 25 576 had engaged in binge drinking behaviours. Data were collected every 2 years between 2006 and 2012. For the multilevel estimation in 2012, the sample comprised 10 577 students. Whilst perceived problems associated with binge drinking and perceived difficulty in accessing alcohol were associated with low levels of binge drinking, adolescents' perceptions of parental and peer consumption were associated, to a greater degree, with high levels of binge drinking. School information campaigns moderated the relationship between parental consumption and adolescent binge drinking but not the relationship between peer consumption and adolescent binge drinking. We conclude by highlighting implications for policymakers and offering possible directions for future research.

Parental alcohol consumption and adult children's educational attainment

This study analyses whether an excessive parental alcohol consumption during childhood can affect long run children's educational attainments. Using 19 waves of the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS), where individuals and their families are followed from childhood to adulthood, this study analyses parental alcohol consumption during childhood (between 1994 and 2001) and its relation with children's educational attainment about twelve years later (from 2005 to 2014). Panel estimations show that mother's excessive alcohol consumption during childhood is consistently negatively associated with children educational outcomes, as years of education, the highest education grade achieved and the probability of having a tertiary education degree, a finding that is robust to possible endogeneity issues. In particular, while moderate drinking is not an issue, an additional standard glass of vodka (15.57 g of pure alcohol) consumed by the mother per day, reduces years of education by almost one year (0.88), and by 5.8 percentage points (or about 27%) the probability of having a university degree. The study also explores the transmission mechanisms suggested by the literature, identifying a significant role for prenatal exposure to alcohol and, to a lesser extent, for intergenerational transmission of drinking habits.

Beyond Sleep Duration: Bidirectional Associations Among Chronotype, Social Jetlag, and Drinking Behaviors in a Longitudinal Sample of US High School Students

Inadequate sleep and problematic drinking are prevalent among high school students and are significant public health issues. Inadequate sleep may contribute to alcohol use through impairments in emotion regulation or cognitive functioning, whereas alcohol use may lead to inadequate sleep through the biological effects of alcohol or social influences. However, the directionality of the associations between sleep and drinking variables remains unclear as most prior studies were cross-sectional. This study utilizes longitudinal data from the NEXT Generation Health Study to examine bidirectional associations between alcohol use and sleep adequacy in a nationally representative sample across 3 years of high school. Students reported usual bedtimes and waketimes for scheduled- and free-days, alcohol use, and heavy episodic drinking. Estimates of sleep duration, chronotype, and social jetlag were calculated. Cross-lagged autoregressive models revealed evidence of alcohol use predicting subsequent sleep duration and timing, and sleep timing predicting subsequent alcohol use. Specifically, previous-wave alcohol use predicted shorter free-day sleep duration and later chronotype at 11th and 12th grade, and more social jetlag at 12th grade; similar results were obtained for heavy episodic drinking. Eleventh grade social jetlag predicted subsequent year current alcohol use; eleventh grade chronotype and social jetlag predicted subsequent year heavy episodic drinking. Bidirectional findings suggest that alcohol use and sleep may reflect mutually reinforcing life style choices. Understanding these bidirectional associations could inform risk prevention interventions. Given the implications of poor sleep for adolescents, further research on possible social influences on the alcohol-sleep relations is merited. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT01031160.

Alcohol Warnings and Moderate Drinking Patterns among Italian University Students: An Exploratory Study

The introduction of health warnings on labels to correct externalities associated with alcohol consumption is heavily debated and has been explored from different perspectives. The current paper aims to analyse the interest and attitudes of Italian university students regarding health warnings on alcoholic beverages and to verify the existence of segments that differ in terms of attitudes towards such warnings. Our results show that young consumers consider health warnings quite important, although the degree of perceived utility differs in relation to the type of warning. Cluster analysis shows the existence of three groups of young consumers with different degrees of attention and perceived utility of warnings on alcoholic beverages, but also in relation to drinking behaviour and awareness of social and health risks related to alcohol consumption. In brief, Italian young adults with moderate consumption behaviour view label warnings positively, while this attitude is weaker among younger adults and those with riskier consumption behaviours. Our findings, albeit limited and based on stated and not revealed data, support the need for appropriate tools to improve the availability of information among young adults on the risks of excessive alcohol consumption and increased awareness of the importance of moderate drinking.