Short Report: HBSC Ireland 2010: alcohol consumption and cannabis use among school children in Ireland
Natasha Clarke, Michal Molcho, Saoirse Nic Gabhainn.
HBSC Ireland, Health Promotion Research Centre
National University of Ireland, Galway.
June 2012.
Introduction:
The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study is a cross-national research study conducted in collaboration with the WHO
Regional Office for Europe and runs on a 4 year cycle. In 2010 Ireland participated for the fourth time in the HBSC study
(www.nuigalway.ie/hbsc). The overall aims of the HBSC study are to gain new insight into, and increase our understanding of young people’s
health and well-being, health behaviours and their social context. HBSC collects data on key indicators of health, health attitudes and health
behaviours, as well as the context of health for young people. The study is a school based survey with information collected from students
through self-completion questionnaires in classrooms. HBSC Ireland is funded by the Department of Health. Further information on the
International HBSC study can be found at www.hbsc.org.
The most recent HBSC Ireland dataset comprises of 16,060 schoolchildren from 3rd class in primary school to 5th year in post-primary school.
In total 256 schools across Ireland participated in the HBSC 2010 study. The methods employed comply with the International HBSC protocol
and are detailed in the national report from the 2010 survey (see http://www.nuigalway.ie/hbsc/documents/nat_rep_hbsc_2010.pdf).
Focus of this report:
This short report provides a brief analysis of the 2010 HBSC survey data on alcohol consumption and cannabis use among Irish
schoolchildren aged 13-17 years. The questions analysed include:

At what age did you first do the following things? Drink alcohol (more than a small amount), get drunk, take cannabis, with response
options for each – never, 11 years old or less; 12 years old; 13 years old; 14 years old; 15 years old; 16 years or older.

On how many occasions (if any) have you done the following things in the last 30 days?, drunk alcohol, been drunk with response
options for each – never; once or twice; 3 to 5 times; 6 to 9 times; 10 to 19 times; 20 to 39 times; 40 times or more.

Have you ever had so much alcohol that you were really drunk? With response options – no, never; yes, once; yes, 2 -3 times; yes, 4
– 10 times, yes, more than 10 times.

Have you ever taken cannabis? In your life, in the last 12 months, in the last 30 days with response options for each one – never;
once or twice; 3 to 5 times; 6 to 9 times; 10 to 19 times; 20 to 39 times; 40 times or more.
Alcohol Findings:
Table 1 presents the percentages of students that reported that they ever had an alcoholic drink by age and gender. Table 2 presents the
percentages of students that reported they had an alcoholic drink in the past month by age and gender. Table 3 presents the percentages of
participants that have had so much alcohol that they were really drunk by age and gender. Table 4 presents the percentages that reported
age of alcohol initiation by age and gender. Table 5 presents the percentages of students that reported initiation of drunkenness by age and
gender
Table 1: Percentages who reported that they have ever had an alcoholic drink, by age and gender
Age
13 years
14 years
15 years
16 years
17 years
Boys
Girls
All
36.4
48.7
62.0
71.2
83.7
27.3
45.0
64.0
76.3
86.0
32.0
47.0
63.0
73.7
84.7
Table 2: Percentages who reported that they have had an alcoholic drink in the past month, by age and gender
Age
13 years
14 years
15 years
16 years
17 years
Boys
Girls
All
9.7
17.1
32.0
42.4
60.2
5.7
18.1
28.1
43.0
60.1
7.8
17.6
30.2
42.7
60.2
Table 3: Percentages who reported that they have been really drunk, by age and gender
Age
No, never
Boys
Girls
All
13 years
85.5
88.2
86.8
Boys
Girls All
14 years
72.3
73.3
72.7
Boys
Girls All
15 years
55.9
56.5
56.2
Boys
Girls All
16 years
45.5
45.2
45.3
Boys
Yes, once
7.9
6.9
7.4
12.3
10.7
11.6
13.6
15.4
14.4
12.1
15.2
13.6
12.3
11.7
12.0
Yes, 2-3 times
3.2
2.7
3.0
8.0
7.5
7.8
13.2
13.5
13.4
16.5
17.3
16.9
20.1
19.9
20.1
Yes, 4-10
times
Yes, more
than 10 times
1.4
1.3
1.3
2.9
4.8
3.8
7.7
8.7
8.2
11.7
12.7
12.2
14.6
17.8
16.0
2.0
0.9
1.4
4.5
3.7
4.2
9.5
6.0
7.9
14.3
9.5
12.0
23.4
17.5
20.7
29.6
Girls
All
17 years
33.1
31.2
Table 4: Percentages who reported age of alcohol initiation, by age and gender
13
years
64.9
14
years
49.7
Boys
15
years
35.8
16
years
26.1
17
years
15.3
13
years
72.6
14
years
52.4
Girls
15
years
36.5
16
years
23.0
17
years
13.6
13
years
68.6
14
years
51.0
All
15
years
36.1
16
years
24.6
17
years
14.5
11 or
less
12
12.1
11.2
9.7
6.0
6.1
6.4
6.0
4.3
2.6
3.5
9.4
8.8
7.2
4.3
4.9
12.6
9.9
9.5
8.0
7.7
11.5
10.7
8.8
5.5
7.3
12.1
10.3
9.2
6.8
7.6
13
9.2
16.7
16.2
16.1
11.7
8.1
18.6
15.7
14.0
12.0
8.7
17.6
16.0
15.1
11.8
11.9
18.2
14.2
18.3
11.3
22.7
20.5
18.5
11.6
20.3
17.3
18.4
10.0
21.1
19.5
11.7
25.0
19.8
10.8
23.0
19.6
8.6
21.4
9.4
25.3
9.0
23.2
Never
14
15
16 or
more
Table 5: Percentages who reported age of drunkenness initiation, by age and gender
13
years
85.2
14
years
71.8
Boys
15
years
54.2
16
years
41.9
17
years
25.3
13
years
87.8
14
years
72.7
Girls
15
years
54.2
16
years
40.8
17
years
28.0
13
years
86.4
14
years
72.2
All
15
years
54.2
16
years
41.4
17
years
26.5
11 or
less
12
2.6
2.8
3.6
2.2
2.6
1.5
0.8
1.1
0.3
1.7
2.1
1.9
2.4
1.3
2.2
5.0
3.2
2.6
3.9
5.2
4.0
3.3
2.8
2.0
3.1
4.5
3.3
2.7
3.0
4.2
13
5.9
10.4
9.0
9.5
7.6
5.4
10.5
7.5
5.1
7.6
5.7
10.4
8.3
7.3
7.6
10.6
18.4
11.9
13.0
11.8
18.5
14.0
10.9
11.2
18.5
12.9
12.1
11.9
20.0
16.5
15.2
23.4
17.9
13.4
21.7
17.2
10.6
29.8
14.4
30.8
12.4
30.3
Age
Never
14
15
16 or
more
Cannabis Findings:
Table 6 presents the percentages that reported they ever used cannabis by gender and age. Table 7 presents the percentages of those that
reported they have used cannabis in the past 12 months by gender and age. Table 8 presents the percentages that reported they have used
cannabis in the past 30 days by gender and age. Finally, Table 9 presents the percentages of those that reported age of cannabis initiation
by gender and age.
Table 6: Percentages who reported that they have ever used cannabis, by age and gender
Boys
All
Boys
94.5
Girls
13 years
97.7
96.0
Once or
twice
3-5 times
3.0
1.2
0.5
6-9 times
10-19
times
20-39
times
40 times
or more
Age
Never
All
Boys
89.3
Girls
14 years
92.9
All
Boys
81.1
Girls
15 years
87.7
74.2
Girls
16 years
82.2
91.0
84.2
2.1
5.8
4.4
5.1
7.6
6.0
6.9
9.3
0.6
0.6
1.1
1.2
1.2
1.9
1.8
1.9
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.9
0.4
0.7
1.4
1.1
0.3
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.4
1.4
0.3
0.2
0.2
0.3
0.2
0.3
1.2
0.1
0.7
2.2
0.5
1.4
All
Boys
78.1
Girls
17 years
69.7
75.3
All
72.3
8.8
9.0
10.0
11.7
10.8
4.8
3.0
4.0
4.6
4.6
4.6
1.3
1.9
1.1
1.5
2.8
0.8
1.9
1.4
1.4
1.6
1.7
1.6
2.3
1.9
2.1
1.9
0.8
1.4
1.2
1.3
1.2
3.2
0.5
2.0
4.6
1.2
3.0
7.0
1.9
4.5
7.4
5.2
6.4
Table 7: Percentages who reported that have used cannabis in the past 12 months, by age and gender
Boys
All
Boys
95.7
Girls
13 years
98.5
97.0
Once or
twice
3-5 times
2.2
1.0
0.4
6-9 times
10-19
times
20-39
times
40 times
or more
Age
Never
All
Boys
91.5
Girls
14 years
95.0
All
Boys
83.6
Girls
15 years
89.7
78.2
Girls
16 years
85.3
93.2
86.4
1.6
3.7
2.6
3.2
6.1
4.9
5.5
7.8
0.3
0.3
1.3
1.0
1.2
1.9
2.1
2.0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.8
0.5
0.7
1.6
1.4
0.2
0.0
0.1
0.5
0.4
0.5
2.0
0.4
0.0
0.2
0.3
0.0
0.2
1.1
0.1
0.6
1.9
0.5
1.3
81.6
Girls
17 years
75.6
81.0
78.1
7.2
7.5
8.6
9.1
8.8
4.5
2.4
3.5
2.8
3.8
3.3
1.5
0.6
2.0
1.3
4.1
1.5
2.9
1.0
1.6
1.9
1.2
1.6
1.8
0.3
1.1
1.2
0.5
0.9
1.7
1.1
1.4
3.0
1.2
2.2
3.5
0.5
2.1
5.2
0.8
3.0
4.1
3.2
3.7
Table 8: Percentages who reported that they have used cannabis in the past 30 days, by age and gender
Age
13 years
Boys
3.0
Girls
0.6
All
1.8
14 years
6.0
3.0
4.6
15 years
16 years
11.0
12.5
5.0
6.9
8.2
9.8
17 years
15.7
11.0
13.6
All
Boys
All
Table 9: Percentages who reported age of cannabis initiation, by age and gender
13
years
94.9
14
years
90.5
Boys
15
years
81.7
16
years
75.5
17
years
71.1
13
years
98.3
14
years
93.8
Girls
15
years
88.5
16
years
82.8
17
years
76.8
13
years
96.5
14
years
92.0
All
15
years
84.9
16
years
79.1
17
years
73.8
11 or
younger
12
1.3
1.1
1.9
1.0
0.7
0.1
0.2
0.4
0.1
1.4
0.7
0.7
1.2
0.6
1.0
1.4
1.2
1.2
0.6
1.2
0.3
0.6
0.7
0.1
0.8
0.9
1.0
0.9
0.4
1.0
13
1.9
2.8
3.4
2.4
2.1
1.1
1.8
1.3
1.0
1.4
1.5
2.3
2.4
1.7
1.8
4.0
6.7
5.2
4.5
3.1
4.7
3.8
4.4
3.6
5.8
4.5
4.4
4.5
10.6
7.3
4.1
8.1
3.5
4.3
9.4
5.6
4.7
13.0
4.0
11.7
4.4
12.4
Age
Never
14
15
16 or
older
Acknowledgements:
HBSC Ireland is funded by the Department of Health. This short report was requested by the Health Research Board. We would like to
acknowledge the children and parents who consented and participated, the management authorities, principals and teachers who helped us
to collect the data, the staff at the Health Promotion Research Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, the HBSC Ireland Advisory
Committee and the International coordinator of HBSC, Professor Candace Currie of the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Further
information on HBSC Ireland is available at: www.nuigalway.ie/hbsc.