Alcohol use and abuse: a cross-sectional study among Italian adolescents

INTRODUCTION

Alcohol is recognized as one of four major risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Exposure to alcoholic beverages during the adolescence has been linked to increased heavier drinking habits: obviously, the age of alcohol initiation resulted an important determinant of alcohol dependence. The aim of this study is to analyze knowledge, attitudes and practices in alcohol habit of adolescent population.

METHODS

943 students from 13 schools (middle and upper secondary schools) of the Bari district were enrolled in the study: in each school one class for each age was randomly selected. The research was carried out by an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire which investigated alcohol consumption, knowledge of alcohol consumption of parents and knowledge of the law regulating alcohol consumption.

RESULTS

34.8% (328) have never consumed alcoholic drinks while 65.2% (615) declare the use of alcohol; the average age of alcohol initiation was 12.2 years. 35.7% (329/921) of mothers and 36.6% (335/915) of fathers drink alcohol only on special occasions. 17.9% (168/939) considered that alcohol could be free sale at all while 16.4% (154/939) reported that sale is forbidden for children under 14.

CONCLUSIONS

The higher prevalence of alcohol habits and the poor knowledge on alcohol law seemed to indicated the need of improving public health efforts in the prevention of alcohol consumption among Italian adolescents.

Road death trend in the United States: implied effects of prevention

This study estimates road deaths prevented by U.S. vehicle safety regulations, state laws, and other efforts based on comparison of actual deaths to those predicted from temperature and precipitation effects on exposure, migration to warmer areas, population growth, median age of the population, and vehicle mix. Logistic regression of risk factors predictive of road deaths in 1961, prior to the adoption of federal vehicle safety regulations, state behavioral change laws, and other preventive efforts were used to predict deaths in subsequent years given the changing prevalence of the risk factors from 1962 to 2015. The included risk factors are strong predictors of road death risk. Without the preventive efforts, an additional 5.8 million road deaths would likely have occurred in the U.S. from the initiation of federal safety standards for new vehicles in 1968 through 2015.