Reports : ESPAD 99 – Summary of the changes between 1995 and 1999

Press release February 21, 2001

ESPAD 99 – Summary of the changes between 1995 and 1999

The overall impression regarding smoking among the ESPAD students is that it is a well-established habit, showing few signs of diminishing. In nearly half of the countries the habits are rather similar in 1999 to what they were in 1995. Increases are also reported from nearly half of the countries, while reduced tobacco consumption only seems to have occurred in very few countries. Increases are mainly reported on the variables “lifetime use of cigarettes 40 times or more” and “cigarette smoking during the last 30 days”. However, in a rather large majority of the countries the proportion of students who reported “daily smoking at the age of 13 or younger” was about the same in both ESPAD studies.

Increased consumption is reported from some of the Scandinavian countries. However, it was particularly in the eastern parts of Europe that an increase was observed, which added the Czech Republic and Lithuania to the former tobacco consumption top group of the Faroe Islands, Finland and Ireland. In countries with increased consumption the tendency has usually been similar among both boys and girls.

Like in 1995 the use of alcohol is still most common in a group of countries, including Den-mark, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Malta and Ireland, some of which are showing even higher prevalence figures in 1999. A decreasing tendency was observed in two of the former high prevalence countries, Italy and Cyprus. There are clear in-creases in the proportion of students who use alcohol in the central and eastern parts of Europe, especially in Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Slovak Republic. Norway, which was a low prevalence Nordic country in 1995, shows increased figures in 1999.

In a majority of the ESPAD countries beer consumption has increased. There are “typical beer countries” like Denmark and Ireland, which are sharing the very top position in 1999 with the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic (mainly in terms of frequency).

In most countries where wine consumption has changed, the figures are higher in 1999. Rather many of those countries are found in the central and eastern parts of Europe (especially Slovenia, Lithuania and Estonia). In most countries spirits is consumed more often in 1999 than in 1995, while the quantities consumed have changed to a lesser ex-tent.

In both studies consumption of spirits is mostly a male habit. However, in both studies girls drink more often and in larger quantities than boys in Ireland and the United Kingdom. There are clearly increased proportions in about half of the ESPAD countries reporting frequent intoxication. Of the 1995 top countries on intoxication rates, Denmark’s and Ireland’s figures in-creased even further, while rates in Finland and the United Kingdom remained largely unchanged. The tendency is the same also in relation to binge drinking. One of the most interesting findings when com-paring the 1999 survey with the one in 1995 is the increasing prevalence rates of illicit drug use in almost all participating countries. Another important outcome is the decrease in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which caused a shift in the top position. After a large increase in the lifetime pre-valence of cannabis use, the Czech Republic is now on the same level as the United Kingdom closely followed by Ireland.

The increase is clear not only for cannabis, but in about half of the countries also for illicit drugs other than cannabis. Large decreases in the United Kingdom and Ireland and a change in the opposite direction in Poland have made Poland pass Ireland and join the United Kingdom at the top position.

The situation regarding inhalants and the use of tranquillisers or sedatives without a doctor’s prescription is rather unchanged in most countries. The largest increase in the use of tranquillisers or sedatives is found in the Czech Republic, which put them in the top in 1999 together with Poland.

In conclusion, both alcohol and illicit drug use have increased markedly in many ESPAD countries, especially in the central and eastern parts of Europe. However, the high prevalence countries are still mainly to be found in the western parts.