The Health Observatory of canton Valais wanted to check the stereotype that young people in their canton drank more than the national average. The answer is yes.
In a survey covering 11 to 15 year olds, 28% said they had had alcohol in the month prior to being asked. The national average is 20%.
23% of the said they had ‘binged’ – defined as more than 5 drinks in a row. The Swiss average is 18%.
Professor Arnaud Chiolero, who ran the survey, says he’s not surprised at the result as drinking is higher in western Switzerland, which he says is down to the fact it’s a wine producing area.
Even so, the figures are down on the previous survey 20 years ago. Then 38% of under 15s said they’d had a drink in the previous month – that’s 10% more than now.
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