A longitudinal study of New Zealand children's experience with alcohol.

A longitudinal study assessed the use of alcohol and related measures among New Zealand children aged 9, 11, 13 and 15 years. The proportion of children who were abstainers was at a similar level to the adult population by age 15 years. Those remaining abstainers were more likely to have infrequently drinking parents and to have been warned of the bad effects of alcohol by their parents. In terms of amount consumed and frequency of drinking, there was an increase with age and a marked increase between the ages of 13 and 15 years. Frequency of drinking was positively associated with the frequency of drinking by the mother and father. Girls drank less than boys until the age of 15 years, when they drank slightly more and a difference in terms of socio-economic status (SES) emerged at age 15 years with lower SES groups drinking more.