Fresh results and regional traits from the Ålandic youth survey on alcohol and drugs

The youth survey included respondents in grades 7–9 in elementary school, as well as first and second graders at the high school level. A total of 1,511 young people participated in the survey. Data collection took place in the fall of 2023 through an electronic questionnaire. This marks the second year that the data was compiled by Statistics and Research Åland (ÅSUB) in collaboration with Folkhälsan på Åland. PopNAD reported on the collaboration last year.

A region with a special status

The Åland Islands, situated between Finland and Sweden in the Baltic Sea, is an autonomous region of Finland with approximately 30,000 inhabitants. Åland has a unique position as an exception outside the EU tax area since 1993, making the region an attractive port for ferries to sell tax-free products. This availability contributes to the accessibility of tobacco and alcohol on the islands. Another significant contributor to the Åland economy is PAF, a gambling company with a 113 million euro turnover (2020) and about 315 employees. Many local actors are financed by the profits of PAF, such as third-sector and sports associations. These circumstances make the region interesting in terms of ANDTG, providing incentives for closely monitoring habits and consumption patterns among young people.

Alcohol

This year’s survey showed that a total of 20 percent of students in grade 7 had consumed alcohol, compared to 70 percent in the second grade at the high school level. Only 4 percent of grade 7 students reported that they had been intoxicated, while the corresponding figure was 54 percent in the second grade at the high school level. A significantly larger proportion of girls, compared to boys, reported having consumed alcohol.

The main reasons for not drinking alcohol were stated by the respondents as follows: it is illegal, one wants to stay in control of the situation, there is a higher risk of violence, one does not want to lose or damage things, and one does not want to regret anything that happened while intoxicated. Boys more frequently emphasized the importance of not regretting things done while intoxicated as a main reason for not drinking alcohol, while girls more often considered the risk of being exposed to violence as an important factor.

Of the students who had been intoxicated, 16 percent reported having driven a moped, moped car, tractor, or car while intoxicated, while 21 percent said they had been riding with an intoxicated driver. Among all respondents, one in ten had ridden with an intoxicated driver.

Illegal drugs

Compared to 2022, the percentage of drug use decreased at the high school level, while it remained practically unchanged in grades 7–9. In total, 10 percent of respondents in these grades stated that they knew someone who sells drugs. Overall, 3 percent of all respondents had used drugs, and a similar proportion reported having used medicines together with alcohol for intoxication purposes.

Nicotine and tobacco

Overall, more than one in five students (22 percent) had smoked cigarettes or used snuff, while one in four (25 percent) had used e-cigarettes. Girls reported smoking both tobacco and e-cigarettes significantly more often than boys. Despite an increase in tobacco use with grade levels, smoking, snuffing, and e-cigarette use had decreased at the high school level compared to last year. A slight increase, especially in snuffing and e-cigarette smoking, could be observed in grades 7–9.

Screen time and perceived health

This year’s survey included a question about how much time students spend on various activities during their leisure time, on a typical day. The majority of the respondents (82 percent) said that they spend 3 hours or more on their mobile phones, while 18 percent spend 2 hours or less. The overall mobile phone use differed significantly between genders. Girls spent more time on their phones than boys; 90 percent of girls used their phones for 3 hours or more per day, while the corresponding figure was 74 percent among boys. Over half of the respondents (55 percent) reported spending 3 hours or more on social media per day. Nearly every second respondent spent 3 hours or more per day socializing with friends at home or outside.

Students were also asked to assess how harmful they perceive certain ANDTG-related habits to be for their health. Regular use of cannabis and/or other drugs, regular smoking, and driving under the influence were the habits perceived to be the most harmful to health among the options presented in the survey. Overall, girls perceived the risks to be greater than boys.

The article is written by Michaela Karlsson-Kronström, project manager at Folkhälsan på Åland

on the request of PopNAD