[The consumption of alcoholic drinks in adolescence]

To identify the factors involved in the use and abuse of alcoholic drinks among a group of adolescents attending school.

A descriptive, crossover study. SITE. 23 schools in the city of Barcelona.

Students doing the sixth and seventh grades of EGB (in general, between 11 and 13 years old).

An in-school questionnaire, which gathered data from 2,033 students (92.2% coverage), was carried out. The students' replies were used to construct one index of probable alcohol abuse (IPAA) and another of the penetration of alcohol in the environment (IPAE). 51.9% had consumed some alcoholic drink, with 9.5 as the average age for the first drink. 1.3% drank alcohol every day. 1.8% said they had been drunk two or more times during the previous six months. 3.1% had bought alcohol for their own use. 8% of the students had at least one point on the IPAA. The seventh-grade students scored higher on the IPAE. The alcohol abuse indicators increased if the parents consumed alcohol, but more so if their peers were also consumers (older siblings or friends). There is a link between alcohol and tobacco consumption.

The data showed how the increased penetration of alcohol into schoolchildren's environment resulted in abusive consumption being more likely. The importance of preventing the abuse of alcoholic drinks among adolescents was confirmed.