Bingeing girls overtake boys
BRITISH girls are among the worst in Europe for binge drinking, despite consuming less than previous generations, research shows.
A study for the World Health Organisation put teenage girls in England, Scotland and Wales in three of the top six places in a drinking league table of 36 European nations.
Teenage girls in the UK are more likely than boys of the same age to get drunk at least twice, the figures show. The research compared the drinking habits of 15-year-olds between 2002 and 2014. It found that in most nations – including the UK – the proportion of teens drunk on at least two occasions had fallen. But teenage girls in the UK remained among the heaviest drinkers.
While those in Denmark were the most likely to have been drunk at least twice – with 37.6 per cent in this category, Welsh girls were next, followed by Hungary, Scotland, Lithuania and England. In all these nations, about a third of teenage girls had been drunk
repeatedly – around twice the rates in Italy and France.
The study led by the University of St Andrews showed that while drinking among British boys had fallen so far that their rankings in the league tables had vastly improved, British girls remained among the heaviest drinkers, despite the fact the proportion of UK girls had halved over the 12-year period.
Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, the chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance, said drinking habits among young women could be affected by rising anxiety levels, and by efforts to target female drinkers.
He said: “We are seeing young girls and women feeling increasing pressure. But we are also seeing very aggressive marketing of drinks at female drinkers, especially via social media, for sweeter drinks and fizzy drinks.”
Dr Jo Inchley, the assistant director of child and adolescent health research at St Andrews, said: “In some ways it is surprising, as girls tend to respond more to health messages than boys. We do know mental health is a big concern among girls, and coping could be one of the reasons why girls binge drink.”