The impact of gender, socioeconomic status and locality on the development of student patterns of alcohol consumption and harm

Abstract

Purpose: The consequences of problematic alcohol consumption fall heavily on Australian adolescents, with this population at increased risk of death, serious injury and other harm. Research regarding whether gender, socioeconomic status (SES) or locality play a role in young people’s alcohol consumption and related harm is limited in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether Victorian students’ patterns of alcohol uptake, consumption and related harm differed between gender, SES and locality. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved secondary analysis of student data from the Drug Education in Victorian Schools harm minimisation drug education programme, undertaken ..