Heavy Alcohol Use Among 8th and 10th Graders

In a national survey, 10% of 8th graders and 21% of 10th graders reported heavy drinking during the past 2 weeks.

The earlier the age of onset of drinking and the greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the greater the likelihood of developing alcohol dependence and other related problems in adulthood. Investigators used data from the nationally representative Monitoring the Future survey to determine the prevalence of, risk factors for, and protective factors for heavy episodic drinking in 505,000 8th- and 10th-grade students (52% girls; 65% white, 12% black, 11% Hispanic). Heavy drinking was defined as five or more consecutive drinks.

In 2003–2007, 4% of 8th graders and 8% of 10th graders reported one episode of heavy drinking during the past 2 weeks, while 6% of 8th graders, 14% of 10th grade boys, and 12% of 10th grade girls reported two or more epi…

Reviewing Author

Alain Joffe, MD, MPH, FAAP

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Alain Joffe, MD, MPH, FAAP

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose