Type of alcohol usually consumed among 9th-12th grade students in 4 states

It is well known that underage drinking contributes to the 3 leading causes of death (homicide, unintentional injury, and suicide) among youth. However, relatively little is known about beverage-specific alcohol consumption by this population. To identify the type of alcohol (e.g., beer, wine, etc.) usually consumed by 9th-12th grade students, we analyzed data from the states that collected this information (Arkansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming) in their 2005 state Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a cross-sectional survey of health risk behaviors among representative samples of students in each state. Liquor was the most prevalent type of alcohol usually consumed among students reporting current alcohol use (prevalence ranged from 34.1% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 30.4, 37.9) in Nebraska to 44.7% (95% CI 40.5, 49.0) in Arkansas) and specifically among students who binge drink (consumed 5 or more drinks in a row) (prevalence ranged from 37.2% (95% CI 33.3, 41.2) in Nebraska to 49.1% (95% CI 43.2, 55.0) in Arkansas). These findings were consistent across most gender, grade, and race/ethnicity subgroups. In Wyoming and Nebraska, beer was the second most prevalent type of alcohol consumed. In Arkansas and New Mexico, malt beverages were the second most prevalent type of alcohol consumed. These results emphasize the need to implement evidenced-based strategies, including enhanced enforcement of minimum legal drinking age laws and increasing alcohol excise taxes, to prevent underage drinking overall, as well as the need to further assess beverage-specific alcohol consumption by youth and to also develop beverage-specific prevention strategies.