Alcohol Consumption Among Young People

This topic area covers statistics and information relating to alcohol consumption among young people in Hull including local strategic need and service provision. Further information relating to Alcohol Consumption Among Adults is given under Lifestyle Factors within Adults. Alcohol consumption information has been collected within Hull’s Health and Wellbeing Surveys and full reports are available under Surveys within Tools and Resources.

This page contains information from the Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips. Information is taken ‘live’ from the site so uses the latest available data from Fingertips and displays it on this page. As a result, some comments on this page may relate to an earlier period of time until this page is next updated (see review dates at the end of this page).

Headlines

• As well as alcoholic liver disease, alcohol consumption is a causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries, with a component cause in 200 others. The cost to society was estimated to be £21 billion in 2013/14.  As well as individual health risks, excessive alcohol consumption has significant effects on family, the community and the economy. Around 40% of all violent crimes are alcohol-related.
• Whilst more young people and adults are never drinking alcohol, and the majority of those who are drinking are drinking less alcohol, there are harmful levels of alcohol consumption across Hull resulting in high levels of health-related harm and hospital admissions.
• In 2016, the percentage of Year 11 (aged 15-16 years) pupils drinking alcohol at least once a week was 11% for boys and 8.5% for girls, having fallen from 36% for boys and 22% of girls since 2008-09.
• In 2016, very few younger pupils exceeded the maximum recommended weekly alcohol limits for adults (14 units), but 7.7% of boys and 5.0% of girls did so in Year 11, but this was a fall from 2008-09 when 26% of boys and 10% of girls had exceeded 14 units the previous week.
• In 2008-09, over one-third of boys and almost four in ten girls in Year 11 reported they got drunk at least once a month, but this fell to 16% of boys and 33% of girls in 2016.
• Admissions from alcohol-specific conditions among under 18s was twice as high in Hull compared to England for the three year period 2018/19-2020/21 for males (50.7 versus 22.8 per 100,000 population), but similar for females (36.0 versus 36.1 per 100,000 population).

The Population Affected – Why Is It Important?

Alcohol consumption is the world’s third largest risk factor for disease and disability.  Alcohol is a causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries, and a component cause in 200 others. Liver problems, reduced fertility, high blood pressure, increased risk of various cancers and heart attack are some of the numerous harmful effects of regularly drinking more than the recommended levels. Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to fatigue, depression, weight gain, poor sleep and sexual problems.

Modelled estimates suggest that over one million admissions attributable to alcohol occurred in England during 2012/13.  In 2013/14, the total annual cost to society of alcohol-related harm was estimated to be £21 billion (£3.5 billion for NHS). There are also significant effects on families and communities, with an increased risk of vandalism, violent crime, domestic abuse, road casualties and sickness absence from work. It is estimated that around 40% of all violent crimes are alcohol-related.

The Hull Picture

From the local Young People Health and Lifestyle Survey 2016, 17% of Year 7 pupils (aged 11-12 years) had ever had a whole alcoholic drink but this increased to 83% among Year 11 pupils (aged 15-16 years). Children in Hull were more likely to have had a whole alcoholic drink compared to England (46% in Hull and 38% in England across all ages).  In 2008-09 and 2012, over 60% of pupils in Hull had had a whole alcoholic drink but this fell to 50% in 2016.

Over time, the percentage of children drinking alcohol at least once a week has at least halved over time with some of the greatest differences in the older ages (36% of boys and 22% of girls in Year 11 reported weekly drinking in 2008-09 but this fell to 11% of boys and 8.5% of girls in 2016). Whilst the percentages drinking alcohol weekly were small among pupils aged 11-14 years they were slightly higher than England, but pupils aged 15 years were less likely to drink alcohol weekly in Hull (6.4% versus 10% in boys and 5.5% versus 10% in girls).

Very few younger pupils exceeded the maximum recommended alcohol limits for adults (14 units), but 7.7% of boys and 5.0% of girls did so in Year 11. This was a considerable reduction over time though across all school years. Among Year 11 pupils, in 2008-09, 26% of boys and 10% of girls had exceeded 14 units the previous week, and in 2012, 11% of boys and 7.4% of girls had done so. Across all school years, there was a clear trend in the percentage exceeding 14 units the previous week by deprivation among boys (4.2% in most deprived fifth compared to 1.5% in least deprived fifth of areas of Hull), although there was less of an association among girls with the highest prevalence for the least deprived fifth of areas of Hull (between 1.5% to 1.7% for most deprived four-fifths of areas compared to 2.3% for least deprived fifth of areas of Hull).

In 2008-09, over one-third of boys and almost four in ten girls in Year 11 reported that they got drunk at least once a month, but this fell to 16% of boys and 33% of girls in 2016.

The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips provide information on a number of indicators relating to alcohol. This includes the number of hospital admissions among under 18s which are wholly or specifically due to alcohol such as alcohol poisoning, and the number is given as a rate per 100,000 population. In 2018/19 to 2020/21 the rate of alcohol-specific admissions among the under 18s in Hull was one of the highest in Yorkshire and Humber, and was statistically significantly higher than England for men, and men and women combined.

A full list of diseases and conditions which are included in the alcohol-specific / wholly attributable to alcohol measure is given under Alcohol Specific Admissions and Deaths.

It is possible to compare the local authorities in Yorkshire and Humber in more detail. Rates were particularly high among men in Hull.

Among males aged under 18 years, admissions for alcohol-specific conditions fell between 2006/07-2008/09 and 2013/14-2015/16 from a high of 114 to a low of 36.2 per 100,000 population. Since then the rate increased to 68.6 per 100,000 population in 2016/17-2018/19 although has fallen over the last two years in Hull to 50.7 per 100,000 population for 2018/19-2020/21. In contrast, the admission rate for England and across the Yorkshire and Humber region has decreased over the entire period 2006/07-2008/09 to 2018/19-2020/21.

Among females aged under 18 years in Hull, the alcohol-specific admission rate reduced fourfold between 2006/07-2008/09 and 2013/14-2015/16 from 151 to 33.6 per 100,000 population. The rate in Hull up to and including 2010/11-2012/13 was statistically significantly higher than England, but since then the rate in Hull has been comparable to England for all except one year.

Strategic Need and Service Provision

Hull’s Alcohol and Drugs Partnership Strategy 2022-25 provides key priorities and recommendations for preventing alcohol related harm. The Strategy has six priorities:

1. Developing a Prevention and Early Intervention approach across the partnership;
2. Implement a more targeted approach to support at-risk groups;
3. Improving services to effectively support young people and adults with co-existing mental illness and substance use, and/or with multiple and complex needs;
4. Tackling alcohol/drug related stigma to ensure people have equitable access to services and resources.;
5. Developing community assets to achieve and sustain recovery; and
6. Reducing the risks associated with alcohol/drug use by utilising a harm reduction approach.

It is necessary that public health, health providers, schools and those working with young people and families, community workers, and communities work together to maximise opportunities to prevent and identify alcohol/drug use among children, young people and families, and offer more wrap-around support to prevent rapid escalation of problems associated with alcohol use.

It is recognised that more work needs to be done around increasing local awareness and understanding of alcohol and drug related harm, managing availability of alcohol, providing age appropriate and accurate information to children and young people, and commissioning universal, targeted and specialist substance treatment services that meet the needs of children and young people, especially of groups at risk.

Further information is available in the Hull Alcohol and Drugs Partnership Strategy.

Social return on investment tools for drugs and alcohol make the case of investing in treatment programs to reduce overall crime and anti-social behaviour to reduce costs to society and the economy. It is estimated that over 4,421 crimes (90% shoplifting) were committed by alcohol treatment clients before their entry to treatment, and with an estimated 39% reduction in the number of crimes, around 1,726 crimes were prevented after treatment. The gross benefit of alcohol treatment in 2017/18 in Hull was estimated to be over £3,280,176.

ReFresh is a young people’s drug and alcohol service providing confidential support for young people up to the age of 18 who live, study or work in Hull. ReFresh can help with family relationships, secure somewhere stable to live, get support with school, college or work, and help young people make positive use of their time. They offer a space for:

• young people to talk with someone to listen to them;
• providing advice and information on reducing consumption of alcohol and substances and using safely;
• providing health checks including sexual health, safer injecting, and testing and treatment for blood borne viruses;
• helping to deal with cravings, controlling tension and reducing anxiety;
• helping with emotional and mental health; and
• helping improve family relationships.

Young people can contact ReFresh through email and phone as well as visiting in person. Parents and carers can also seek advice and support if they are concerned about a young person.

Young people can contact ReFresh through email and phone as well as visiting in person. Parents and carers can also seek advice and support if they are concerned about a young person.

Resources

Local Young People Health and Wellbeing Surveys

The Office for Health Improvement & Disparities’ Fingertips. https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/

Hull City Council. Drug and Alcohol Support. https://www.hull.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/public-health/drug-and-alcohol-support

Hull City Council. Hull Alcohol and Drugs Strategy 2022-25. https://www.hull.gov.uk/sites/hull/files/media/Editor%20-%20Public%20health/Hull%20Alcohol%20and%20Drugs%20Strategy%202022-2025.pdf

Hull ReFresh. Hull’s young people drug and alcohol service. https://www.refreshhull.org.uk/

Updates

This page was last updated / checked on 11 September 2023.

This page is due to be updated / checked in March 2024.