High alcohol use and misuse among a national sample of school adolescents in Benin in 2016

The study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates of alcohol use and misuse among adolescents in the 2016 Benin 'Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS)'. In all, 2536 adolescents with a median age of 17 years (interquartile range = 3) from Benin responded to the 2015 cross-sectional GSHS. A nationally representative sample of students between the ages of 13 and 17 years was selected based on a two-stage (schools and classes) cluster sample design. Students responded to questions on sociodemographic factors, substance use, psychological distress, other health risk behaviour and protective factors. Almost half (44.1%) of the adolescents reported past-month alcohol use, 25.3% ever been drunk, and 15.0% past-month heavy alcohol use (>= two more drinks/day). In adjusted Poisson regression analysis, among both boys and/or girls, current tobacco use, multiple sexual partners, 'ever cannabis use', 'ever amphetamine use', school truancy, bullying victimization, soft drink consumption and lack of parental support were associated with alcohol use and/or misuse. A high prevalence of alcohol use and misuse was found and strategies to prevent alcohol misuse, including a number of risk behaviours, are needed.