The alcohol intake in Danish young people (15-24-year-olds) is high and characterized by binge drinking implying the consumption of large amount of alcohol per occasion. However, evidence of the nature and magnitude of specific adverse consequences of this drinking behavior is virtually nonexistent. In this project, we will obtain knowledge about the consequences of heavy episodic drinking in young people that can be used to emphasize the need and direct the implementation of preventive strategies. Specifically, we answer questions concerning how heavy episodic drinking is related to 1) school performance and dropout, 2) accidents 3) use of emergency medical aid (e.g., ambulances) and 4) deaths, in young people.
A variety of data sources and methodologies will be used. We study death certificates and journal text of emergency records to gain insight into circumstances relating to alcohol-related deaths and acute events such a poisonings and accidents. We combine information from surveys with school records and national registers covering information on social parameters as well as hospital and other health information to conduct epidemiological analysis of associations between alcohol drinking behavior and outcomes.
Publications:
- Alcohol-related mortality in 15–24-year-olds in Denmark (2010–2019): a nationwide exploratory study of circumstances and socioeconomic predictors.Caroline Holt Udesen, Signe Skovgaard Hviid, Ulrik Becker, Janne S. Tolstrup. The Lancet Regional Health.
- Socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol-related harm in adolescents: a prospective cohort study of 68,299 Danish 15–19-year-olds.Janne S. Tolstrup, Sofie Kruckow, Ulrik Becker, Ove Andersen, Susan M. Sawyer, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, Sanne Pagh Møller. The Lancet eClinical Medicine
- Alcohol Intake and Academic Performance and Dropout in High School: A Prospective Cohort Study in 65,233 Adolescents.Louise Hjarnaa, Sanne Pagh Møller, Alberte Brix Curtis, Ulrik Becker, Ove Andersen, Fartein Ask Torvik, Janne Tolstrup. The Journal of Adolescent Health.
- Associations between alcohol intake and hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries in 71,025 Danish adolescents – a prospective cohort study. Sofie Kruckow, Ziggi Ivan Santini, Louise Hjarnaa, Ulrik Becker, Ove Andersen, Janne S. Tolstrup. The Lancet eClinical Medicine
- Role of alcohol in urgent ambulance contacts in 15-24-year-olds in Copenhagen: a descriptive population-based study. Laura Staxen Bruun, Helle Collatz Christensen, Stig Nikolaj Fasmer Blomberg, Fredrik Folke, Sofie Kruckow, Veronica Pisinger, Karen Smith, Ulrik Becker, Janne Tolstrup. BMJ Public Health.
Public Health Weekly:
- Der er social ulighed i hvilke unge, der kommer på hospitalet på grund af druk.
- Unge, som drikker, har markant højere risiko for ulykker.
- Hver sjette ambulanceudrykning til børn og unge er relateret til alkohol.
The project is funded by Trygfonden and Helsefonden.