Alcohol is a known carcinogen for humans, increasing the risk of oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, oesophageal, liver, colorectal and (female) breast cancers.1-3 There is also evidence that the risk of developing these cancers increases with higher levels of alcohol consumption (i.e. there is a dose-response relationship).4, 5 Even small amounts of alcohol can increase cancer risk.2 In addition, the joint effect of alcohol consumption and behavioural risk factors such as smoking and poor dietary practices further increases risk of cancers.1, 2, 6
About this measure
In 2010, it was estimated that alcohol-attributable cancer was responsible for about 4.2% of all global cancer deaths, and 4.6% of all potential Years-of-Life-Lost as a result of cancer.7 It has also been estimated that 3% – 6% of all cancer cases in Australia are attributable to consumption of alcohol.6, 8 On this basis, given that the incidence of cancer in 2012 (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) was 122,093 cases, up to 7,326 cancers can be attributed to the consumption of alcohol.
Consumption of alcohol increases the risk of developing cancer.2 The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) provides evidence-based guidance on reducing health risks associated with alcohol consumption.9 The 2009 NHMRC Guidelines on reducing these health risks state that, for children and young people under 18 years of age, not drinking alcohol is the safest option.
This analysis focuses on the measure ‘proportion of people aged 12-17 years reporting consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months’, which includes those reporting consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 or more months and those never consuming alcohol.
Current status
In 2014:
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Over 1 in 2 secondary school students aged 12 to 17 years (51.9%) reported consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months, including those who reported having never consumed alcohol).10
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Overall, rates were similar for males and females.
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The proportion of school students reported consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months decreased with increasing age. Around 4 in 5 (80.6%) school students aged 12 years reported consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months compared with about 1 in 5 (20.2%) of those aged 17 years. Among 12 and 14 year-olds, females were more likely to report having consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months compared with males.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
The most recent information regarding this measure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is from a report using data from 200811. This showed that:
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45% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary school students aged 12 to 15 years reported consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months, with similar proportions applying to males and females.11
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Younger Indigenous adolescents aged 12 to 13 years were twice as likely to report consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months than those aged 14 to 15 years.11
Trends
Although the proportion of secondary school students reporting consuming no alcohol in the last 12 months generally increased over the past 30 years, the pattern was not linear. 10, 12-21 The proportion steadily increased in 1980s, followed by a gradual decline through the 1990s and early 2000s before marked increases in no alcohol consumption took place from 2002 to 2014. This was the case for both males and females in almost every age group.
These increases in no alcohol consumption among adolescents since may have been influenced by initiatives such as the National Drug Strategy and associated campaigns, as well as initiatives by state and territory governments (such as the whole-of-government strategy Reducing the alcohol and drug toll in Victoria). 22
About the data
This measure shows the proportion of 12-17 year old people who reported consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months or never consuming alcohol.
Numerator: Number of persons who reported consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months or never consuming alcohol.
Denominator: Number of school students aged 12-17 years.
Data are sourced from Australian School Students Alcohol and Drug Surveys conducted from 1984 to 2014.
Data by residential remoteness and socioeconomic status are not available for this measure.
Data caveats
- The Australian School Students Alcohol and Drug Survey is a triennial national survey conducted by Cancer Councils in each State of Australia since 1984. The survey initially collected data on the use of alcohol and tobacco among secondary school students. In 1996, the survey was expanded to include questions on the use of illicit substances.
- The proportion of secondary school children who reported consuming no alcohol in the previous 12 months was determined by subtracting those who did report consuming alcohol in the previous 12 months from the total population.
- In Australia, attendance of secondary school is only mandatory until the age of 15 years. Thus, students aged 16 to 17 years who did not attend school were excluded from the survey and as a result, the findings may not be generalisable to all people aged 16-17 years. Moreover, because it is thought that adolescents who do not complete secondary school are more likely to use substances, the prevalence of those who did consume alcohol in the previous 12 months is likely an underestimate for the population of 16- to 17-year-olds. This means that the prevalence of those who did not consume alcohol in the previous 12 months would likely be an overestimate for all 16- to 17-year-olds.
References
Activity in this area
Data:
White V, Williams T. Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances in 2014. Melbourne: Cancer Council Victoria; 2016.
Policy:
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. Canberra: NHMRC; 2009 [Accessed March 2019]; Available at: https://nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-guidelines-reduce-health-risks-drinking-alcohol.
National Drug Strategy. http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au/
National Alcohol Strategy 2016-2021. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-drugs-alcohol-index.htm
References
1. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Personal Habits and Indoor Combustions. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Lyon: IARC; 2012.
2. Cancer Australia. Lifestyle risk factors and the primary prevention of cancer. Sydney: Cancer Australia; 2015 [Accessed September 02 2016]; Available at: http://canceraustralia.gov.au/publications-and-resources/position-statements/lifestyle-risk-factors-and-primary-prevention-cancer.
3. World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. Washington, DC: American Institute for Cancer Research; 2007.
4. Bagnardi V, Rota M, Botteri E, Tramacere I, Islami F, Fedirko V, et al. Alcohol consumption and site-specific cancer risk: a comprehensive dose-response meta-analysis. British journal of cancer. 2015;112(3):580-93. Epub 2014/11/26.
5. Schutze M, Boeing H, Pischon T, Rehm J, Kehoe T, Gmel G, et al. Alcohol attributable burden of incidence of cancer in eight European countries based on results from prospective cohort study. Bmj. 2011;342:d1584. Epub 2011/04/09.
6. Pandeya N, Wilson LF, Webb PM, Neale RE, Bain CJ, Whiteman DC. Cancers in Australia in 2010 attributable to the consumption of alcohol. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health. 2015;39(5):408-13. Epub 2015/10/07.
7. Rehm K, Shield KD. Alcohol and mortality: Global alcohol-attributable deaths from cancer, liver cirrhosis, and injury in 2010. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews. 2013;35(2):174-83.
8. Winstanley MH, Pratt IS, Chapman K, Griffin HJ, Croager EJ, Olver IN, et al. Alcohol and cancer: a position statement from Cancer Council Australia. The Medical journal of Australia. 2011;194(9):479-82. Epub 2011/05/04.
9. National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. Canberra: NHMRC; 2009 [Accessed March 2019]; Available at: https://nhmrc.gov.au/about-us/publications/australian-guidelines-reduce-health-risks-drinking-alcohol.
10. White V, Williams T. Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances in 2014. Melbourne: Cancer Council Victoria; 2016.
11. Smith G, White V. Use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances among Indigenous students participating in the Australian Secondary Students Alcohol and Drug Survey 2008. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing; 2010.
12. Hill D, White VM, Pain MD, Gardner GJ. Tobacco and alcohol use among Australian secondary schoolchildren in 1987. The Medical journal of Australia. 1990;152:124-30.
13. Hill D, Willcox S, Gardner G, Houston J. Tobacco and alcohol use among Australian secondary schoolchildren. The Medical journal of Australia. 1987;146:125-30.
14. Hill DJ, White VM, Williams RM, Gardner GJ. Tobacco and alcohol use among Australian secondary school students in 1990. The Medical journal of Australia. 1993;158:228-34.
15. White V. Australian secondary students' use of alcohol in 1999. National Drug Strategy Monograph Series No.45. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care; 2001.
16. White V, Bariola E. Australian secondary school students’ use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances in 2011. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing; 2012.
17. White V, Geoff S. Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco, alcohol, and over-the-counter and illicit substances in 2008. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing; 2009.
18. White V, Hayman J. Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol in 2002. National Drug Strategy Monograph Series No.55. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing; 2004.
19. White V, Hayman J. Australian secondary school students' use of alcohol in 2005. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing; 2006.
20. White VM, Hill DJ, Letcher TR. Alcohol use among Austrlaian secondary students in 1996. Drug and Alcohol Review. 2000;19:371-9.
21. White VM, Hill DJ, Segan CJ. Alcohol use among Australian secondary students in 1993. Drug and Alcohol Review. 1997;16:113-22.
22. Australian National Preventive Health Agency. Alcohol Advertising: The Effectiveness of Current Regulatory Codes in Addressing Community Concern. Canberra: ANPHA; 2014 [Accessed 20 October 2016]; Available at: http://www.alcohol.gov.au/internet/alcohol/publishing.nsf/Content/alcohol-advertising