Decreasing prevalence of alcohol consumption among Greek adolescents

Aim of this study: To obtain data on alcohol consumption among school children of secondary education and to investigate any correlation to their health behaviors and parental socioeconomic status. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to students from a representative sample of 15 schools from Thessaloniki, the second (after Athens) largest metropolitan city of Greece. A total of 1185 students (505 males, 680 females) participated. Results: 286 males (56.6%) and 329 females (48.4%) reported consuming alcohol. The initiation of drinking was at the age of 13.2 years for boys and 13 years for girls. Alcohol drinking was positively associated with socio-demographic variables and negative health behaviors such as parental low level of education, lack of physical exercise, coffee consumption, and smoking. Conclusions: Although our results show a decrease in alcohol use, which is more pronounced in male students, the prevalence of frequent alcohol consumption is among the highest in Europe's countries.