By Sixth Grade Nearly One In Six Children Are Alcohol Users

A study by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and the University of Florida suggests that 'tweens' should receive alcohol prevention programs prior to sixth grade, when nearly one in six children are already alcohol users.

The study found that adolescents who used alcohol were less receptive to prevention programs. By educating younger children, in particular those between the ages of  8 and 10, to the risks of alcohol use, researchers believe that the successful implementation of programs geared towards deterring children from using alcohol could occur.

It was also shown that sixth graders who had used alcohol prior to exposure to prevention programs were far less receptive to messages concerning alcohol use. "By sixth grade it's too late; we'll miss many of the at-risk kids," said Keryn Pasch, M.P.H., Ph.D., University of Minnesota School of Public Health and first author of the study.

The study, published in the journal Health Education and Behavior, compared sixth-graders who had used alcohol in the past year to those who had not, in a multi-ethnic, urban sample of more than 4,000 students in 61 Chicago schools. Among this sample, 17 percent had used alcohol within the past year.

Another finding in the study was that of those sixth graders who used alcohol, many were likely to be male, engage in violent or delinquent behavior, and have friends who used alcohol.

Factors such as lacking the confidence to refuse alcohol and failing to perceive and value the negative consequences of alcohol use are critical in at-risk children. "These are important to note because they are amenable to intervention," Pasch said.

Researchers suggest a prevention program prior to sixth grade in which parent involvement is central. Students should receive developmentally-appropriate messages that correct inaccurate perceptions that 'drinking is normal' and that provide tweens with the skills to refuse alcohol. In addition, interventions should include parental involvement in order to help create opportunities for increased parent-child communication and provide parents with the skills to increase monitoring.

"Parents and the general public don't realize how early alcohol use starts," Pasch said. "However, in early intervention, parental involvement is a key factor in delaying alcohol use."

Honestly, I find this rather alarming. I can remember being in sixth grade, and for me, my life consisted mainly of homework, chores and Nintendo. I couldn't fathom violent behavior and alcohol abuse. I suppose we chalk this up to another failing of the typical American home.