Centre for Public Health: Problem must be targeted
Friday, 28 Mar 2008 12:35
Parents need information on how to stop their children from drinking too much alcohol, the director of the Centre for Public Health (CPH) has said.
Professor Mark Bellis warned that there is "practically no information publicly available on what is a safe amount of alcohol for children to consume or on how parents can best moderate their children's drinking".
His comments follow a report jointly produced by the CPH which estimates that 15 to 16-year-olds in the north-west of England drink a total of 84 million alcohol units a year.
Professor Bellis said the report highlights the "sheer quantity" of alcohol consumed by teenagers in the north-west.
As well as providing parents with information about the health effects of alcohol, the professor said wider society has a role to play.
"Without a clear message that underage drunkenness will not be tolerated, we will continue to see the high levels of alcohol bingeing and related violence identified in this study," he added.
"All too often such bingeing and violence not only damages children's lives but also results in whole communities feeling threatened by gangs of drunk teenagers."