Alcohol use among Croatian adolescents: the alignment of 13-year-old and 15-year-old girls with boys, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIM: To determine age and gender patterns of alcohol use among Croatian pupils and assess whether alcohol use was associated with factors related to school, peers, family, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Data were collected from the 2022 Health Behavior in School-aged Children cross-sectional study conducted in Croatia involving 5338 pupils. Pearson χ2 test and multivariate logistic regression were performed.

RESULTS

At the age of 11, boys were drinking alcohol more than girls (P<0.001), while 13- and 15-year-old girls aligned with boys. Lifetime alcohol use was positively associated with schoolwork pressure in 11-year-old girls (OR 3.28, CI 1.36-7.75) and boys (OR 1.87, CI 1.03-3.37). The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected mental health in 13- (OR 2.21, 1.56-3.13) and 15-year-old girls (OR 1.50, CI 1.01-2.23), and life in 15-year-old boys (OR 1.83, 1.03-3.27). Recent alcohol use was positively associated with hospitalization of a close family member for COVID-19 in 11-year-old girls (OR 2.35, 1.05-5.28), low peer support in 13-year-old boys (OR 1.49, 1.01-2.20), difficult communication with father in 15-year-old girls (OR 1.49,1.05-2.12), negative COVID-19 impact on mental health in 13-year-old girls (OR 1.67,1.13-2.47), and negative COVID-19 impact on life in 15-year-old boys (OR 1.79, 1.08-2.98). Lifetime drunkenness was positively associated with negative COVID-19 impact on mental health in 13- (OR, 2.03,1.28-3.21) and 15-year-old girls (OR 2.12, 1.49-3.01), and with positive or neutral COVID-19 impact on life in 15-year-old girls (OR 0.65, 0.43-0.97).

CONCLUSION

Preventive activities should offer support systems to minimize the negative COVID-19 impact, with special attention to girls' needs.