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The Health Behaviour of School Children Survey (HBSC) is a World Health Organization collaborative study that began in 1982 and now gathers data from 26 countries worldwide. In Northern Ireland, the 1997/98 survey was conducted with a representative sample of 6,589 young people aged 11-16.

Gender/school year breakdown of survey population

Main findings

• 74% of the sample had tasted alcohol of some type.
• Of those that had tasted alcohol, 83% of boys and 80% of girls had tasted it by the time they were 13 years old.
• Almost one in five (19.9%) drank alcohol at least weekly.
• Almost half (47%) of those who had tasted alcohol were regular current drinkers (ie drank at least monthly). This was 34.3% of the total sample, while 34.9% of the total sample could be described as non-drinkers.
• 5.6% of all Primary 7 boys drank at least weekly, compared to 43.6% of Year 12 boys.
• The proportion of boys who drank on a weekly basis increased with age. For girls, there was a significant increase between Years 8 and 9, and again between Years 11 and 12. By Year 12, there was little difference in the prevalence of drinking between boys and girls, with 44% of boys and 40% of girls drinking weekly.
• Alcopops were the most frequently consumed drink, with 20% of the survey group reporting that they drank these at least monthly, and 18.2% drinking beer or lager.
• 74% of beer drinkers were boys, whereas alcopop drinkers comprised equal numbers of boys and girls.
• 57.7% of boys and 49.8% of girls said they drank to get drunk and this percentage increased with age.
• 32% got their first drink from a friend, while 28% got their first drink from a parent.
• Almost 80% of regular drinkers had been drunk at least once.

Reference

1. Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. The Health Behaviour of School Children in Northern Ireland. A report on the 1997/98 survey. Belfast: Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland, 2000.