Early Drinking Increases Later Risky Behaviors in Urban Youth

Early
alcohol use can contribute to later sexual and alcohol-related
risk behaviors. To examine this association among urban
youth—a group with a high prevalence of sexual risk behaviors—researchers
surveyed 1034 African American and Hispanic students from
Brooklyn. Subjects completed questionnaires in the 7th
grade and then again in the 10th grade. Analyses were
adjusted for some potential confounders (e.g., age, ethnicity,
early sexual initiation).

• In
  the 7th grade, approximately 25% of students reported
  ever drinking alcohol; 9% reported drinking in the past
  month.
• In
  the 10th grade, prevalence of use greatly increased:
  63% reported ever drinking alcohol and 29% reported
  drinking in the past month.
• Students
  who had drunk in the 7th grade (versus those who had
  abstained) were more likely in the 10th grade to report
  alcohol use, binge drinking, drunkenness, and having
  an alcohol or drug problem.
• They
  were also more likely to report a greater number of
  sexual partners, unprotected sex, pregnancy, and being
  drunk or high during sex. Female students who had drunk
  during the 7th grade were also more likely in the 10th
  grade to report having had sex.

Comments:

Although
analyses were not adjusted for psychosocial risk factors,
the results confirm the dangers of early alcohol use.
The high prevalence of drinking in 7th graders suggests
that screening and prevention programs must begin well
before the teenage years. These programs should emphasize
alcohol’s influence on risky sexual behaviors and related
consequences, including exposure to HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases.

Joseph
Conigliaro, MD, MPH

Reference:

Stueve
A, O’Donnell LN. Early alcohol initiation and subsequent
sexual and alcohol risk behaviors among urban youths. Am
J Pub Health. 2005;95(5):887-893.