Abstract
This chapter presents an overview of childhood alcohol use, including global patterns, trends, and systems surrounding the child, based on current theoretical understanding of child development. Key areas are discussed regarding patterns and trends, including age of initiation, and current use related to children’s age and sex. Data and findings from large international surveys are presented and limitations are herein mentioned. In short, varying trends on current alcohol use are seen globally, and large European and North American regional surveys point toward slowly declining trends, although for certain regions, such as the Balkans, the opposite is seen. Also, disparities are observed within the varying regions, exemplified as past-30-days alcohol use among 12–15-year-olds spanning from 5–60% in African countries. Alcohol use is discussed in relation to both genetic and mental health-related factors, as well as environmental factors, such as parents and peers. The chapter finally discusses cultural influence and the potential for modulating child environment and cultural influence through policy, such as regulating advertisement, product placement, and access.
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Abbreviations
- ACE:
-
Adverse Childhood Experiences
- ADHD:
-
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders
- APA:
-
American Psychiatric Association
- API:
-
Alcohol Policy Index
- AUD:
-
Alcohol Use Disorder
- CDC:
-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- COGA:
-
The Collaborative Studies on the Genetics of Alcoholism
- DSM:
-
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
- EMCDDA:
-
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction
- ESPAD:
-
The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs
- GISAH:
-
Global Information System on Alcohol and Health
- GSHS:
-
Global School Based Health Survey
- GxE:
-
Gene and Environment Interaction
- HBSC:
-
Health Behavior in School-Aged Children
- LMIC:
-
Low- and Middle-Income Countries
- SDG:
-
Sustainable Development Goals
- US:
-
United States
- WHO:
-
World Health Organization
- YRBSS:
-
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
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Engebretsen, I.M.S., Skylstad, V. (2022). Childhood Alcohol Use: Global Insights. In: Patel, V.B., Preedy, V.R. (eds) Handbook of Substance Misuse and Addictions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92392-1_65
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