Alcohol and Cigarette Use among Adolescents and Young Adults in Austria from 2004-2020: Patterns of Change and Associations with Socioeconomic Variables.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults are a crucial target group for preventing harm related to substance use. Recently, declining alcohol and tobacco consumption in young people has been observed in many countries. Based on survey data from 2004 to 2020, we describe time trends for several subgroups of adolescents and young adults (based on consumption levels and socioeconomic variables) and analyze associations between the level of alcohol per capita consumption or daily smoking and socioeconomic variables. METHODS: Time trends for males and females are analyzed by a two-way ANOVA and predictors of use by using multivariate regression and logistic regression. RESULTS: Alcohol per capita consumption decreased significantly for both sexes in the 16-year period, with male and female consumption levels converging. Daily smoking was equally prevalent for young males and females and decreased to a similar degree for both sexes. Being male and living in rural areas are associated with a higher level of alcohol consumption. Daily smoking is associated with a low level of education and is more prevalent among young adults who have already started to work. CONCLUSIONS: The decline in alcohol use and daily smoking among adolescents and young adults is taking place simultaneously. However, higher levels of alcohol consumption and daily smoking occur in different groups of adolescents and young adults, which should be considered in prevention strategies.

Perceived problems with adolescent online gaming: National differences and correlations with substance use.

BACKGROUND: Not much is known about the correlation between gaming problems and substance use across different countries. This paper presents cross-national analyses of different gaming indicators and their relationship to substance use. METHODS: Based on data from the 2015 ESPAD study, differences in the relationship between gaming and substance use across 35 countries were analysed using multi-level logistic regression, using substance use as an individual level predictor, economic wealth as a country-level predictor and a combined problem gaming indicator as the outcome. RESULTS: Multi-level logistic regressions revealed significant correlations between individual substance use and gaming problems, which varied across countries and were moderated by economic wealth. Students who used alcohol, tobacco or cannabis and who lived in high-income countries had a smaller risk of scoring positively on a combined problem gaming indicator than students who used alcohol, tobacco or cannabis and who lived in less prosperous countries. DISCUSSION: Different gaming indicators varied substantially across countries, with self-perceived gaming problems being more common in countries with a low prevalence of gaming. Significant cross-level effects demonstrate the need to take the societal context into account when the relationship between problem gaming and substance use is analysed. Prevention measures need to take the fact into account that patterns of substance use among problem gamers vary across countries.

Prevalence of youth gambling and potential influence of substance use and other risk factors throughout 33 European countries: first results from the 2015 ESPAD study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although generally prohibited by national regulations, underage gambling has become popular in Europe, with relevant cross-country prevalence variability. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of underage gambling in Europe stratified by type of game and on-/off-line mode and to examine the association with individual and family characteristics and substance use. DESIGN: Our study used data from the 2015 European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) cross-sectional study, a survey using self-administered anonymous questionnaires. SETTING: Thirty-three European countries. PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen-year-old-year-old students (n = 93 875; F = 50.8%). MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome measure was prevalence of past-year gambling activity. Key predictors comprised individual behaviours, substance use and parenting (regulation, monitoring and caring). FINDINGS: A total of 22.6% of 16-year-old students in Europe gambled in the past year: 16.2% on-line, 18.5% off-line. High prevalence variability was observed throughout countries both for mode and types of game. With the exception of cannabis, substance use shows a higher association with gambling, particularly binge drinking [odds ratio (OR) = 1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.39-1.53), life-time use of inhalants (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.47-1.68) and other substances (OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.65-1.92)]. Among life habits, the following showed a positive association: truancy at school (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.18-1.35), going out at night (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.26-1.38), participating in sports (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.24-1.37). A negative association was found with reading books for leisure (OR = 0.82%, 95% CI = 0.79-0.86), parents' monitoring of Saturday night activities (OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.77-0.86) and restrictions on money provided by parents as a gift (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.84-0.94). CONCLUSIONS: Underage gambling in Europe appears to be associated positively with alcohol, tobacco and other substance use (but not cannabis), as well as with other individual behaviours such as truancy, going out at night and active participation in sports, and is associated negatively with reading for pleasure, parental monitoring of evening activities and parental restriction of money.