In January 2003, a study of attitudes and habits was carried out among 16-year-old schoolchildren in several European countries, including Malta. Such a study is a great step forward towards understanding some of the important trends in substance abuse and social change among Maltese youths.
The target audience of this survey, which was conducted by sedqa, were students attending the last year of secondary school in Malta and Gozo. The number of students selected for this study totalled 3,500 students – 1,555 were boys and 1,945 were girls. The response rate was 83 per cent.
The most widespread abuse of substance, as resulted from the ESPAD study, was alcohol. Consumption of alcohol continued to be a frequent occurrence among participants. Only 6.4 per cent of 16-year-olds had not touched alcohol at least once, while an astonishing 51.1 per cent of the respondents reported taking alcohol on 20 or more occasions.
The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD), which was launched last week, offers a scientific indication of the prevalence of substance misuse and the significant attitudes and other factors that influence both pervasiveness and attitude.
The third ESPAD data collection study was launched in all 35 European countries and is a collaborative effort of independent research teams. It is the largest cross-national research project on adolescent substance use in the world and provides a reliable overview of trends in licit and illicit drug use in the world. It also provides a comprehensive picture of adolescent use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis among other drugs in Europe.
“ESPAD has become a leading measure of substance abuse among youths in Malta,” Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity Dolores Cristina said. She explained that while the figures presented are extremely important as they provide a snapshot of the current situation, the significant factors “such as the self-esteem of young people, the quality of relationships they have with their parents and friends and their state of health are extremely important for analysis and evaluation in order to develop the right policies”.
Boys drink more frequently than girls: 59 per cent of boys reported taking alcohol on 20 occasions or more compared to 45 per cent of girls. There was a marginal decline reported in the number of students participating who reported to have been drunk at least once over the previous 12 months. In 2003, 38 per cent of the students reported that they had got drunk at least once as opposed to the 39 per cent registered in 1999.
There was a slight drop from 5.4 per cent in 1999, to 4.6 per cent in 2003 of students who reported drinking beer almost daily, while a slight increase was reported for daily drinking of spirits – from 7.2 per cent in 1999 to 7.8 per cent in 2003. Another slight increase was noted when the previous study was compared, in those who have reported drinking more than five drinks in a row during the last 30 days (48.4 per cent in 1999 to 49.1 per cent in 2003). The study also showed that boys were twice more likely to be heavier drinkers than girls: in fact 7.7 per cent of boys (5.4 per cent in 1999) reported taking five or 10 drinks in a row during the last 30 days as opposed to 3.7 per cent of girls (2.4 per cent in 1999).
In the 2003 report, there was a significant increase in the number of participants who said they last consumed alcohol in a disco whereas in previous ESPAD studies, home was scored as the place of last consumption with the highest percentage of students. In fact in 1999, 16.4 per cent reported to have consumed alcohol in a disco, whereas in 2003 the percentage almost doubled to 32.2 per cent.
Respondents also confirmed that they started consuming alcohol at quite an early age. Almost 23 per cent reported drinking beer when they were 11 years old, which although is a significant decrease from 31 per cent in 1999, is still a startling figure. Another 29 per cent said they started consuming wine at that age, a drop from 40 per cent in 1999.
More than one in every two students experiments with tobacco – 52 per cent in 2003 (a decrease from 56.6 per cent in 1999). Furthermore, 10 per cent (13.9 per cent in 1999) reported this to have taken place at the tender age of 11.
The frequency and intensity of smoking among girls (19.3 per cent) at this stage is more than that of boys (16 per cent) – a result that differs from previous ESPAD studies.
Soft drugs are often the first drugs used by youths. In fact, the ESPAD report revealed that by the age of 16, 10.3 per cent (7.2 per cent in 1999) reported to have experimented at least once with marijuana or hashish.
Even though there was a drop in the figures, the most commonly abused illicit drug is once again inhalants. In fact 15.9 per cent (16.2 per cent in 1999) reported to have used inhalants. A significant drop was registered in the use of tranquillisers and sedatives this year. While in 1999, 5.9 per cent admitted to have used tranquillisers and sedatives, in 2003 2.6 per cent reported that they have used these substances illicitly.
At least 3.1 per cent of respondents engaged in sex while they were under the influence, which they regretted the next day; another 0.3 per cent claimed to have had the same problem after abusing drugs. Another five per cent and 0.6 per cent were involved in a scuffle due to alcohol and drug abuse respectively.
The study’s results are clear – alcohol remains the number one problem in Malta. More than 90 per cent of the respondents said they had drunk alcohol at least once, and 21 per cent said that the last drink they had was at home. Such figures are a strong reflection of the cultural acceptance of alcohol in our society and in Maltese families. This demonstrates that all the stakeholders concerned should make more of an effort to enforce the existing laws, which prohibit selling alcohol to young people who are just 16 and under.