Different drinking motives, different adverse consequences? Evidence among adolescents from 10 European countries.

Introduction And Aim: This study, which builds on previous research demonstrating that drinking motives are associated with adverse consequences, investigates the associations between drinking motives and non-alcohol-attributed adverse consequences and disentangles alcohol-related and direct effects.

Design And Method: On the basis of a sample of 22 841 alcohol-using 13- to 16-year-olds (50.6% female) from Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Portugal, Scotland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Wales, structural equation models were used to estimate direct and indirect effects.

Validity of self-reported height and weight for estimating prevalence of overweight among Estonian adolescents: the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study.

Background: Low to moderate agreement between self-reported and directly measured anthropometry is shown in studies for adults and children. However, this issue needs further evaluation during puberty, a period marked by several transitions. We examined the correspondence of BMI status based on self-reported versus measured anthropometric data among Estonian adolescents with a specific focus on gender and age differences.

Trends in the co-occurrence of tobacco and cannabis use in 15-year-olds from 2002 to 2010 in 28 countries of Europe and North America.

Background: Cannabis and tobacco use frequently co-occur. Adolescents who consume both substances experience more respiratory distress and psychosocial problems and are less likely to stop compared with those who use either tobacco or cannabis alone. This study examined time trends in tobacco and cannabis use among 15-year-olds in Europe and North America between 2002 and 2010.

Trends in overweight prevalence among 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds in 25 countries in Europe, Canada and USA from 2002 to 2010.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess recent changes in the prevalence of overweight (including obesity) among 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds in 33 countries from 2002 to 2010.

Methods: Data from 25 countries from three consecutive survey cycles (2002, 2006 and 2010) that had at least 80% response rate for self-reported height, weight and age were analysed using logistic regression analysis.

Results: Overweight prevalence increased among boys in 13 countries and among girls in 12 countries; in 10 countries, predominantly in Eastern Europe, an increase was observed for both boys and girls.

Drinking motives mediate cultural differences but not gender differences in adolescent alcohol use.

Purpose: To test whether differences in alcohol use between boys and girls and between northern and southern/central Europe are mediated by social, enhancement, coping, and conformity motives.

Methods: Cross-sectional school-based surveys were conducted among 33,813 alcohol-using 11- to 19-year-olds from northern Europe (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Poland, Scotland, and Wales) and southern/central Europe (Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, and Switzerland).

Results: Particularly in late adolescence and early adulthood, boys drank more frequently and were more often drunk than girls.