Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/729537
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER 2016 PAUL COCKS SIXTEENYEAROLD students in Malta are consuming more alcohol and smoking less, but girls in par- ticular are resorting more frequent- ly to cannabis, according to a report on alcohol and drug use among school-leavers. This was revealed yesterday at the launch of the international report on the 2015 European School Sur- vey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), a study carried out in 35 European countries among more than 96,000 students. In Malta, 3,226 16-year-old stu- dents in Form 5 participated in the study. Sharon Arpa, research senior ex- ecutive at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, said that 86% of the Maltese students reported con- suming alcohol during their life- time, with 80% reporting drinking in the last 12 months and 54% re- porting drinking in the last 30 days. 38% of students had been drunk on at least one occasion in their life- time, while 31% reported being in- toxicated in the last 12 months and 14% in the last 30 days. Arpa said binge drinking was a major worrying issue in the age group, with 47% of students report- ing having engaged in heavy epi- sodic drinking – consuming five or more drinks on one occasion – in the last 30 days. She said the report confirmed that students first consumed alcohol at a young age, with 41% reporting con- suming at last one glass of wine at the age of 13 or younger. At the same age, students reported having consumed at least one beer (38%), spirits (25%), alcopops (20%) or cider (18%). 8% of respondents reported being drunk for their first time at the age of 13 or younger. Arpa said it was evident that alco- hol was highly accessible, so much so that 37% of students had pur- chased an alcoholic beverage for their own consumption, while 50% of students had consumed an alco- holic beverage, mostly in pubs, bars, discos and clubs. She noted that there was a decline in alcohol use registered between 2011 and 2015, including a reduc- tion in the percentage of students using alcohol 40 times or more in their lifetime (down from 30% to 20%). Arpa said students were asked to point out what problems they expe- rienced while under the influence of alcohol during the last 12 months. 12% reported damaged or lost ob- jects, 9% reported being involved in serious arguments, while 6% said they ended up having sexual inter- course without the use of condoms. As to cigarettes, Arpa said that 29% of students in Malta reported having smoked cigarettes during their lifetime, while 30% reported having smoked cigarettes in the last 30 days. Before the age of 14, 13% of stu- dents reported having smoked their first cigarette and 3% had started to smoke on a daily basis. Arpa said that a decline in smok- ing had been registered between 2011 and 2015, with lifetime preva- lence of cigarette smoking falling to 29% from 38%. She attributed this decline in smoking to the high price of ciga- rettes as well as the number of poli- cies and regulations introduced. After alcohol and cigarettes, the substances most frequently report- ed as having ever been used were cannabis (13%), inhalants (8%), syn- thetic cannabis (7%), sedatives with- out prescription (3%), cocaine (3%) and ecstasy (2%). Lifetime use of inhalants declined from 14% to 8% among all students between 2011 and 2015, whereas the use of cannabis registered a slight increase from 10% to 13%, with the largest increase registered among girls. The use of other illicit drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, LSD, heroin and GHB, fell from 6% to 5%. Arpa said that internet use and gambling were included in the sur- vey because of their possible addic- tive consequences. 87% of Maltese respondents re- ported using the internet during at least four of the previous days, with 44% of students reporting using so- cial media for four or more hours on a typical day during the previous 30 days. This was followed by streaming or downloading (21%), online gaming (15%), information seeking or surf- ing (12%), consumption activities (4%) and online gambling (1%). Arpa said that 7% of students re- ported having gambled money in the preceding year. News 2122 6644 invest@apsfunds.com.mt apsfunds.com.mt Why wait for opportunity to knock? Talk to us about the APS Income Fund today. Investments should be based on the full details of the APS Funds SICAV p.l.c. Prospectus and the APS Income Fund Supplement which may be obtained from APS Bank Limited and any of its branches. APS Bank Limited is licensed to provide investment services by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). APS Funds SICAV p.l.c. and APS Income Fund are licensed by the MFSA. Issued by APS Funds SICAV p.l.c. APS Centre, Tower Street, Birkirkara BKR4012, Malta Tel. (+356) 2122 6644. Teens want to get high more than they want to be drunk, survey finds