Fichier: 

Focus n8.pdf

Couverture: 

The ESPAD is a cross-sectional survey conducted every four years in schools in more than thirty European countries. The questionnaire, which is the same in all of the
different countries, aims to study use, attitudes and opinions relative to psychoactive substances.
The Europe ESPAD is conducted among students aged 16 years; ESPAD in France was conducted among students aged 12 to 18 years in 2003 (14 to 18 years in 1999). Only answers with a response rate of over 95% of young people have been selected.
First and second year pupils (12-13 years) were not taken into account when drawing up this edition of Focus, so as to facilitate comparison since these two year classes were not interviewed during the previous survey (1999).
The survey is part of a monitoring system set up by the French Drugs and Substance Abuse Department [Observatoire Français des Drogues et des Toxicomanies (OFDT)]; the scientific responsibility for the survey was assigned to the “Santé de l’adolescent” team from the Inserm (French National Institute for Health and Medical Research) and the “Enquêtes en population générale” [General Population Surveys] team from the OFDT. The first survey in France took place in 1999.
In France, the funding agencies and supportive organizations were: Ministry of Education, General Ministry of Catholic Education, French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm), French Drugs and Substance Abuse Department (Observatoire Français des Drogues et des Toxicomanies, OFDT), Institute on Alcohol Scientific Research (Ireb), Ministry of Youth and Education (MJEN), French Audiovisual Superior Council (CSA), Parents and Teachers school from Ile-de-France.
Data were collected from March to May 2003. More than 16 000 students in total, representative of young people living in France, completed the anonymous, individual self-administered questionnaire in class, in the presence of health-care professionals (doctor, nurse, social worker). Alcohol consumption was declared.
The present publication particularly examines alcohol consumption in the past 30 days, i.e. “current drinking”, which, at high levels, may be perceived as high-risk behaviour. The majority of young people (over 90%) have already drunk alcohol at this stage in their lives and this variable cannot therefore be perceived as a differentiating factor. Drunkenness was essentially examined over the past 12 months rather than in their whole lives (too extensive) or in the past month (too rare).

Methodological clarification
It is advisable to distinguish between the changes in consumption over time (1999 – 2003, for example), and changes with age (between 14 and 18 years). This difference is important since an increase with age does not necessarily signify a general increase in consumption.

With special thanks to the working group at the Ireb for its assistance in preparing and drawing up this edition of Focus and also to the French Spirits Federation.

The ESPAD 2003 survey (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs) coordinated by Björn Hibbel, CAN (Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and other Drugs)
Comments on the results by Marie Choquet and Delphine Morin from the "Santé de l'Adolescent" [Adolescent Health] team at the INSERM [French National Institute for Health and Medical Research]
And an interview with Barbro Andersson (CAN) joint coordinator, ESPAD Europe