Alcohol Use Among Adolescents in India: a Systematic Review

Overview

Journal Glob Ment Health (Camb)

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Specialty Public Health

Date 2023 Jan 9

PMID 36618747

Authors

Abhijit Nadkarni

Allison Tu

Ankur Garg

Devika Gupta

Sonal Gupta

Urvita Bhatia

Niharika Tiwari

Anna Heath

Karen Wen

Godwin Fernandes

Richard Velleman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Alcohol use is typically established during adolescence and initiation of use at a young age poses risks for short- and long-term health and social outcomes. However, there is limited understanding of the onset, progression and impact of alcohol use among adolescents in India. The aim of this review is to synthesise the evidence about prevalence, patterns and correlates of alcohol use and alcohol use disorders in adolescents from India.

Methods: Systematic review was conducted using relevant online databases, grey literature and unpublished data/outcomes from subject experts. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were developed and applied to screening rounds. Titles and abstracts were screened by two independent reviewers for eligibility, and then full texts were assessed for inclusion. Narrative synthesis of the eligible studies was conducted.

Results: Fifty-five peer-reviewed papers and one report were eligible for inclusion in this review. Prevalence of ever or lifetime alcohol consumption ranged from 3.9% to 69.8%; and prevalence of alcohol consumption at least once in the past year ranged from 10.6% to 32.9%. The mean age for initiation of drinking ranged from 14.4 to 18.3 years. Some correlates associated with alcohol consumption included being male, older age, academic difficulties, parental use of alcohol or tobacco, non-contact sexual abuse and perpetuation of violence.

Conclusion: The evidence base for alcohol use among adolescents in India needs a deeper exploration. Despite gaps in the evidence base, this synthesis provides a reasonable understanding of alcohol use among adolescents in India and can provide direction to policymakers.

Citing Articles

Mental Health, Suicidality, Health, and Social Indicators Among College Students Across Nine States in India.

Cherian A, Armstrong G, Sobhana H, Haregu T, Deuri S, Bhat S Indian J Psychol Med. 2024; :02537176241244775.

PMID: 39564264 PMC: 11572450. DOI: 10.1177/02537176241244775.

Evaluation of the Surface Roughness and Color Stability of Two Types of Milled Zirconia Before and After Immersion in Alcoholic Beverages: An In Vitro Study.

Arindham R, Nandini V, Boruah S, Marimuthu R, R S, Lathief J Cureus. 2024; 16(7):e64695.

PMID: 39156443 PMC: 11327418. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.64695.

Types and Effectiveness of Community-Based Cardiovascular Disease Preventive Interventions in Reducing Alcohol Consumption: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Berhe N, Hassen H, Van Geertruyden J, Ndejjo R, Musinguzi G, Bastiaens H Cureus. 2024; 16(5):e61323.

PMID: 38947657 PMC: 11212836. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.61323.

Factors contributing to rise in teenage pregnancy in Sekhukhune district, Limpopo province.

Sekopa R, Risenga P, Mboweni S Curationis. 2024; 47(1):e1-e8.

PMID: 38832369 PMC: 11151360. DOI: 10.4102/curationis.v47i1.2482.

Unveiling Realities: Exploring and Uncovering Young Adults' Views on Navigating Confidentiality and Disclosure in Healthcare Settings in Bangalore, Southern India.

Dias A, Laturkar S, K M J, Meundi A Cureus. 2023; 15(9):e46158.

PMID: 37905249 PMC: 10613121. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.46158.

References

Hallfors D, Waller M, Bauer D, Ford C, Halpern C . Which comes first in adolescence--sex and drugs or depression?. Am J Prev Med. 2005; 29(3):163-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2005.06.002. View

Jaisoorya T, Beena K, Beena M, Ellangovan K, Jose D, Thennarasu K . Prevalence and correlates of alcohol use among adolescents attending school in Kerala, India. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2015; 35(5):523-9. DOI: 10.1111/dar.12358. View

Schmid B, Hohm E, Blomeyer D, Zimmermann U, Schmidt M, Esser G . Concurrent alcohol and tobacco use during early adolescence characterizes a group at risk. Alcohol Alcohol. 2007; 42(3):219-25. DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agm024. View

Jerez S, Coviello A . Alcohol drinking and blood pressure among adolescents. Alcohol. 1998; 16(1):1-5. DOI: 10.1016/s0741-8329(97)00152-3. View

Moher D, Shamseer L, Clarke M, Ghersi D, Liberati A, Petticrew M . Preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 statement. Syst Rev. 2015; 4:1. PMC: 4320440. DOI: 10.1186/2046-4053-4-1. View

Medhi G, Hazarika N, Mahanta J . Tobacco and alcohol use among the youth of the agricultural tea industry in Assam, India. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2006; 37(3):581-6. View

Mohan D, Sharma H, Darshan S, Sundaram K, Neki J . Prevalence of drug abuse in young rural males in Punjab. Indian J Med Res. 1978; 68:689-94. View

Hall W, Patton G, Stockings E, Weier M, Lynskey M, Morley K . Why young people's substance use matters for global health. Lancet Psychiatry. 2016; 3(3):265-79. DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(16)00013-4. View

Arya S, Gupta R, Rathee S, Rawat V . Immediate drop-out rate in adolescent substance abusers: an out-patient chart review from North India. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2016; 29(6). DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2016-0020. View

10.

Mohanty S, Tripathy R, Palo S, Jena D . Socioeconomic, demographic study on substance abuse among students of professional college in a southern town, Berhampur of Odisha state (India). J Forensic Leg Med. 2013; 20(8):1057-62. DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2013.09.018. View

11.

Shrivastava S, Bobhate P . Tobacco Quit Rates among Youth in an Urban Health Centre of Mumbai: A Cross Sectional Study. Addict Health. 2014; 2(3-4):111-7. PMC: 3905516. View

12.

Kokiwar P, Jogdand G . Prevalence of substance use among male adolescents in an urban slum area of Karimnagar district, Andhra Pradesh. Indian J Public Health. 2011; 55(1):42-5. DOI: 10.4103/0019-557X.82550. View

13.

Sharma S, Sharma G, Barkataki B . Substance use and criminality among juveniles-under-enquiry in New Delhi. Indian J Psychiatry. 2016; 58(2):178-82. PMC: 4919962. DOI: 10.4103/0019-5545.183791. View

14.

Garg A, Chavan B, Singh G, Bansal E . Patterns of alcohol consumption in medical students. J Indian Med Assoc. 2009; 107(3):151-2, 154-5. View

15.

Pillai A, Andrews T, Patel V . Violence, psychological distress and the risk of suicidal behaviour in young people in India. Int J Epidemiol. 2008; 38(2):459-69. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyn166. View

16.

Mandal P, Parmar A, Ambekar A, Dhawan A . Substance use among treatment seeking Indian adolescent girls: Are they unique?. Asian J Psychiatr. 2019; 41:17-19. DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.03.007. View

17.

Gupta H, Lam T, Pettigrew S, Tait R . The association between exposure to social media alcohol marketing and youth alcohol use behaviors in India and Australia. BMC Public Health. 2018; 18(1):726. PMC: 5998576. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-5645-9. View

18.

. Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2020; 396(10258):1223-1249. PMC: 7566194. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30752-2. View

19.

Sarangi L, Acharya H, Panigrahi O . Substance abuse among adolescents in urban slums of sambalpur. Indian J Community Med. 2009; 33(4):265-7. PMC: 2763700. DOI: 10.4103/0970-0218.43236. View

20.

Rehm J, Mathers C, Popova S, Thavorncharoensap M, Teerawattananon Y, Patra J . Global burden of disease and injury and economic cost attributable to alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders. Lancet. 2009; 373(9682):2223-33. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60746-7. View