Alcohol knowledge and experience in children aged 9 and 11

An interview study of New Zealand children initially aged 9 (n = 743) and at the second interview aged 11 (n = 795) investigated the children's knowledge and experience of alcohol. The majority had tried alcohol and, by age 11, over 40% had at least a sip or drink in a typical month. There were indications of a shift towards a more adult drinking pattern in that more children at age 11 drank from their own glass but no increase in the proportion of those with experience of drinking from age 9 to 11. For the majority of children the context of use at both age 9 and age 11 was a parental one. Most children described the effects of drinking alcohol and the characteristics of drunkenness in somewhat negative terms. Television was nominated as a source of knowledge in this area by 37% of the children at age 9 and 47% of the children at age 11.