Alcohol behaviors and deviant behaviors among adolescents in a rural state

This study provided a descriptive profile of alcohol consumption patterns a mong 15- and 16-year-olds in a southern state from four time periods over t he past decade; and also examined the relationship between alcohol initiati on and binge drinking behaviors and sexual initiation, pregnancy, multiple sex partners, and violence. Data were collected using the Alabama Adolescen t Survey (AAS), a school-based survey. Alcohol consumption had been initiat ed by approximately two-thirds of students over the four time periods. Bing e drinking practices were also relatively stable with slightly more than on e-third indicating that they had done so two weeks prior to the survey. Log istic regression analyses showed very modest relationships between alcohol initiation and binge drinking practices and the independent measures for th is age group.