Young people are more likely to be harmed by drinking than other people are, a Ministry of Health national survey of alcohol use says.
The report, which has just been released, found there had not been an increase in the prevalence of hazardous drinking between a survey in 1996-97 and 2006-07 in the total population or among 16 and 17 year-olds or those between 18 and 24. (The minimum purchase age for alcohol was lowered to 18 years in 1999).
Similarly, there had not been an increase in the use of alcohol overall over the 10 years, but there had been an increase for Maori and Pacific people.
Limited comparisons could be made with earlier times on issues such as alcohol-related problems because of changes to the way earlier surveys were undertaken, the Ministry advised.
As well as those aged between 18 and 24, men generally, Maori men and women, Pacific men and people living in more deprived neighbourhoods experienced more alcohol-related harm than others.
The survey, which involved face-to-face interviews with almost 7000 New Zealanders aged between 16 and 64 in 2007-08, asked about participants' drinking in the past year (2006-07) including harm related to the use of alcohol and help sought.
Those aged 16 or 17 were more more likely to have experienced injuries due to their own alcohol use than any other group.
Fifteen percent of those in that age group reported an injury in the past year due to their drinking, compared with 4.2% for those aged between 18 and 64.
They were also more likely to suffer harm from others who had been drinking than other age groups, with 23% reporting harm to their social life or friendships compared with 15.6% in the rest of the population.
Almost 6% of 16 and 17-year-old participants had been assaulted physically or sexually by someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs, with assaults on males more likely than on females.
Those aged between 18 and 24 also had a high rate of injuries due to their own alcohol use, with 18.1% of men reporting injuries and 11.3% of women affected. They, too, had a higher prevalence of experiencing harm from other people's alcohol use.
People in this age group had a high level of risky drinking behaviour. Almost 30% of men and 15.8% of women were drinking to a hazardous level at least once a week (more than six standard drinks for men or more than four for women on any one occasion).
They had the highest rate of receiving help in the past year to reduce their alcohol use, with 3.5% of those aged between 18 and 24 having such treatment compared with 1.3% of all participants.
The survey also found almost a third of 16 and 17-year-old women had consumed enough alcohol to feel drunk when they were 14 years or younger, which the report described as a "significantly higher prevalence than for women aged 35 to 64 years".
Although these results could be affected by recall by women in the older age groups, the results suggested that young women were starting drinking at a younger age than previous generations and were more likely to have started drinking a large amount of alcohol at a younger age.
Director of public health Dr Mark Jacobs said the survey, the first of its kind, would assist the ministry in its role of minimising alcohol-related harm and developing and evaluating policies.
AT A GLANCE
Alcohol survey findings - of almost 7000 New Zealanders6.8% drink daily (two alcohol-free days a week are advised).
• One in six people aged between 16 and 64 report having driven a motor vehicle under the influence in the past year.
• About 85% drank alcohol at some time in a year.
• One in six people reported harmful effects from someone else's drinking.
• One in four women who had been pregnant in the previous three years reported drinking alcohol while pregnant.
• Moderating drinking behaviour (refusing drinks, limiting drinks etc) is more common in women than men.
• Three out of five drinkers had consumed a large amount of alcohol at least once in the past year.
• More than one in 10 people admitted having worked while feeling under the influence of alcohol in the past year.
Ministry of Health Alcohol Use in New Zealand: Key results of the 2007-08 New Zealand Alcohol and Drug Use Survey.
