ABSTRACT
Data from the Global School-Based Health Survey (2003) were analysed to estimate the proportions of relevant socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics. Of the 1997 students who participated in the survey; 15.6(17.1males and 14.0females) reported alcohol consumption. Factors associated with consumption of alcohol use were being worried; bullied; smoking cigarettes; truant; and lack of parental supervision. Students who were never worried were 49(AOR=0.51 [95CI (0.36; 0.72)]) less likely to consume alcohol compared to students who were most of the time or always worried. Similarly; students who were never bullied were 42(AOR=0.57 [95CI (0.42; 0.77)]) less likely to take alcohol compared to students who were bullied at least six times in the previous one month to the survey. Compared to students who smoked cigarettes; non-smokers were 71(AOR=0.29 [95CI (0.21; 0.41)]) less likely to consume alcohol. Compared to students who always received parental supervision; students who rarely received parental supervision were more likely (AOR=1.85 [95CI (1.19; 2.90)] to consume alcohol; and those students who sometimes received parental supervision were less likely (AOR=0.70 [95CI (0.50; 0.98)] to consume alcohol. There is a need to implement public health interventions with special attention to the determinants of alcohol consumption in this age group
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Alcohol Drinking , Behavior , SchoolsABSTRACT
The majority of adults who smoke cigarettes initiated the habit when they were adolescents or young adults. While rates of smoking and associated factors are known among 13-15 year olds in Malawi; correlates of cigarette smoking among adolescents in a national representative sample in Malawi have not been studied. We; therefore; carried out this study to estimate the prevalence of current smoking and determine its correlates in a nationally representative sample of in-school adolescents in Malawi. An analysis of the Malawi Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2005 was conducted. Using logistic regression analysis; we estimated the association between current cigarette smoking and potential explanatory variables. Overall; 2.5of adolescents (3.2among males; and 1.8among females) were current cigarette smokers. Smoking among parents was 9.6with no significant difference between males and females (10.3versus 10.1). Stronger associations with smoking were observed for friends smoking status (AOR=3.07; 95CI 2.99; 3.16); receiving pocket money (AOR=3.06; 95CI 2.98; 3.14); and perception that smoking increases body weight (AOR=2.98; 95CI 2.81; 3.16). Students who thought that cigarette smoking is harmful to health were 56(AOR=0.44; 95CI 0.43; 0.45) less likely to smoke than students who thought otherwise. Despite being the world's second leading grower of tobacco; the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adolescent is lower than has been reported elsewhere