Background
Adolescence is an essential stage of a child’s development, transitioning them into adulthood. During this time, they are vulnerable to various social issues, such as experimenting with alcohol, among others. Although alcohol consumption was proven to be detrimental to physical and cognitive development toward adulthood, and almost one in 10 Malaysian adolescents aged 13 years and above are current drinkers, studies concerning the driving factors are still scarce. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine alcohol use among 244 adolescents in Nabawan, Sabah.
Methods
This study assessed the associations between alcohol use and three potential factors: demographic, environmental, and psychological. Respondents who were selected through stratified proportionate random sampling answered a set of assessment tools.
Results
Results showed that 30.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 24.91–36.48) of Nabawan adolescents use alcohol. Analysis revealed that older age adolescents 18 years and 19 years, respectively (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.93; P=0.021; aOR, 5.38; P=0.003), having parents (aOR, 4.11; P=0.001) and peers (aOR, 11.57; P<0.001) who consume alcohol were significantly associated with alcohol use. Unexpectedly, good parental monitoring (aOR, 2.46; P=0.019) and discussing serious problems with parents (aOR, 3.86; P=0.001) were significantly associated with alcohol use.
Conclusion
Conclusively, policies on alcohol-related harm reduction and prevention should be developed, especially school-based programs, programs addressing family functioning, and parent-child communication, among others, should be further looked into. Future research on the school environment, adolescents’ drinking motives, and the development of practical adolescent-friendly alcohol screening tools are recommendations for improvements.

Background
The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure and the urine cotinine concentrations in Korean adolescents. Methods: Study population was 1st grade adolescents (N=1467, girls 22.2%) recruited from four high schools, two from Seoul, one from Kangleung and one from Woolsan. We obtained information for active smoking and ETS exposure through self-reported questionnaire and urine cotinine concentrations. Results: The prevalence of active smoking was 6.9% in boys and 0.9% in girls. Median urine cotinine concentrations were 19.5 Ռg/L (range, 0-2341 Ռg/L) among smokers, and 0 Ռg/L (range, 0-1359 Ռg/L) among nonsmokers. The positive rate of urine cotinine among nonsmokers exposed to ETS was 2.9%. Boys were exposed to ETS at PC room (79.6%), home (39.4%), school (11.5%), and public places (5.9%); girls were exposed at home (40.9%), PC room (33.2%), public places (28.0%), and school (15.2%). The frequency and duration of ETS exposure were significantly larger and longer in boys than in girls. Boys contacted friends who smoked more than girls did (32.6% vs. 17.1%). Parents'smoking status was similar both in boys and girls. Any information about ETS exposure did not differ according to the detectable urine cotinine among nonsmoking adolescents. Conclusions: Low positive rateof urine cotinine and no association of urine cotinine with various ETS exposure history reflectthat urine cotinine may not a good marker for ETS exposure in Korean adolescents.

Citations

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