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The Health Behaviour of School Children (HBSC) is a unique cross-national research study conducted in collaboration with the European Region of the World Health Organization (WHO). The study aims to gain new insight into, and increase understanding of, health behaviours and lifestyles, and their context in young people's lives.

A self-completion questionnaire was filled out by each pupil. The sample comprised 1,300 first, third and fifth form pupils, 90% of whom were aged within six months of 11, 13 and 15 years old.

Main findings

• Three quarters of pupils had tasted alcohol, but at the time of the survey, almost half had never taken a whole drink and a quarter drank only on special occasions, such as wedding receptions.
• Pupils were more likely to drink beer than wine, spirits or cider, and 15% reported drinking at least a sip of beer once or more every week. Although fewer pupils reported drinking cider than beer or wine, cider drinkers were most likely to drink frequently.
• One eighth (12.6%) of pupils took a whole alcoholic drink at least once weekly.
• Just under one third of pupils had been drunk, 11% had been drunk more than four times and 7% more than 10 times. Two thirds of pupils who had ever been drunk, had been drunk more than once.
• Alcohol experience increased significantly with age - 60% of first form pupils, 80% of third form pupils and 90% of fifth form pupils had tasted alcohol.
• One third of pupils in first form and almost three quarters in fifth form had a whole drink of alcohol at least occasionally, although most younger drinkers did so very infrequently, usually at special family occasions. Fifth form pupils were six times more likely than first formers to have a whole alcoholic drink at least once weekly.
• One in 10 first form pupils, 30% of third form pupils and more than half of the oldest pupils had been drunk on at least one occasion. At all ages, boys were more likely than girls to have tasted alcohol, to be current drinkers and to have been drunk.

The proportion of drinkers and frequent drinkers among 11-15 year olds has increased since 1988. At that time, 37% of pupils in that age group were drinkers (defined as drinking at any frequency so long as they usually had a whole drink and not a sip) and 9% drank at least once weekly. In 1990, the proportion of drinkers was the same, while 10% drank at least once a week. Comparative figures in 1994 showed 52% were drinkers, with almost 13% drinking at least once weekly.

Reference

1. Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. The Health Behaviour of School Children in Northern Ireland. A report on the 1994 survey. Belfast: Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland, 1995.