Trends and associated factors of alcohol consumption among Southern Thai adolescents, 2003–2009

Abstract

Tantirangsee, N., Assanangkornchai, S., & Geater, A. (2014). Trends and associated factors of alcohol consumption among Southern Thai adolescents, 2003–2009. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 3 (3), 219 – 225. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v3i3.152 Aims: To examine the trends in and the factors associated with the use of alcohol among high school students during the period from 2003 to 2009 in southern Thailand. Design: School-based biannual cross-sectional surveys. A self–administered, voluntary and anonymous questionnaire was used to collect data on current alcohol drinking and demographic variables. The time trends were evaluated using a Chi-squared test for trend. The factors associated with alcohol consumption were examined by survey logistic regression models. Setting: High school student sample in southern Thailand. Participants: Grade 7, 9 and 11 students. The numbers of students sampled were 10,972, 9,005, 6,097 and 5,573 in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009, respectively. Measures: The association of the use of alcohol over a 30-day period with year of survey and demographic variables including gender, school level, school location, GPA and religion. Findings: Prevalence of the use of alcohol over a 30-day period in grade 11 students tended to increase in males ( p -value < 0.001) with no change in females, but the trends of drinking in younger students (grades 7 and 9) decreased over the years in both genders ( p -value < 0.001). Male gender ( OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.91–2.44), higher school years (grade 9: OR 2.66, 95% CI 2.35–3.01 and grade 11: OR 2.93, 95% CI 2.41–3.55), Buddhism ( OR 3.50, 95% CI 2.65–4.64) and low school record ( OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.30–1.75) were variables associated with alcohol consumption. Conclusions: The prevalence of young drinkers decreased over the years covered in this study, although the prevalence among senior high school students increased. Specific interventions should be designed and integrated in school activities to reduce the prevalence of alcohol consumption.