CHILDREN AND ALCOHOL - A STUDY IN SCHOOLC HILDREN

Epidemiologic studies have consistently found that use of alcohol is i ncreasing among teenagers and that children who have their first drink before the age of ten years are at increased risk for alcohol use dur ing adolescence. In this study, a questionnaire was completed by 351 c hildren (185 boys and 166 girls) aged 7 to 11 years in eight different schools in the Lille area (northern France). Most respondents (70.8 % ) reported previous experience with alcoholic beverages. Regular use o f alcohol was reported by 8.7 % of respondents and at least one episod e of acute overdrinking by 23.6 %. Attitudes towards alcohol and reaso ns for alcohol use varied across age groups. Use of alcohol produced g uilt in the youngest children but was viewed as normal in the older ag e groups. Although some awareness of alcohol-related hazards was found , misconceptions were common. Use of alcohol was related to age and aw areness : among the younger children, the level of awareness was signi ficantly higher in regular users than in non-users, whereas the opposi te was true in the older respondents. A positive correlation was found between current alcohol use and the children's predictions of future use. These data highlight the value of epidemiologic surveys for devel oping strategies aimed at preventing alcohol use in youngsters.