A School-based Survey on Adolescent Alcohol Drinking in Hong Kong

Symposium Theme: Translating Health Research into Policy and Practice for Health of the PopulationParallel Session 1 - Population Health & Policy: no. S2INTRODUCTION: The effective control of underage drinking requires a thorough understanding of its risk factors and effects, but little is known about the drinking pattern in Hong Kong adolescents. OBJECTIVES: We investigated the drinking pattern and associated risk factors and problems in Hong Kong secondary school students. METHODS: In a territory-wide survey of 44 randomly selected schools, 21627 Secondary 1 to 6 students (mean age 14.7, SD 1.8; 51.6% boys) provided valid data using an anonymous questionnaire in 2012-13. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, alcohol drinking, peer and co-residents’ drinking, exposure to pro-drinking and anti-drinking messages, parental pro-drinking practices and health outcomes were collected. Descriptive data were weighted by sex, age and grade distribution of students in Hong Kong. Risk factors and problems associated with adolescent drinking were …published_or_final_versio