Alcohol and other drug use among students in Greenland--a comparison between some 1999 and 2003 ESPAD data

Smoking and drinking habits among young people are of great concern in Greenland. The Home Rule government has through the Department of Prevention (PAARISA) carried out several campaigns to highlight the risks of smoking and drinking alcohol. To monitor the changes in these habits Greenland has participated in the European Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs (ESPAD) in 1999 and 2003. The objective of this article is to make some preliminary comparisons between the 1999 and 2003 survey results on smoking and drinking alcohol.

The survey population in both the 1999 and 2003 surveys are all students in the 9th, 10th and 11th grade (persons between 14 and 16 years old). Hence the surveys include students born in 1982-84 and 1986-88, respectively. The ESPAD questionnaire focuses on alcohol and other drug use, but it also includes questions on lifestyle, relations to family and friends and the students' perception of their living conditions. Only answers from respondents born in 1983-84 and 1987-88 and only questions on smoking and drinking habits are analysed in this article.

Smoking and alcohol drinking among students aged 14-16 years has been decreasing from 1999 to 2003 measured by use during the last 30 days. The same trends cannot be found in students' use of marijuana/hashish and sniffing different substances.