SWYS 2001 News - Parents Play Role In Reducing Teen Drinking

Southwest Wisconsin Teens Who Have Not Tried Alcohol

More than half of all southwest Wisconsin teens (56%) currently do not drink alcohol and 44% have never tried alcohol. Eight percent of teens report they drink at least once a week and one in four teens (27%) say they binge the month before the survey. Teens who say their parents think teen drinking is wrong are less likely to try or use alcohol.
Those are among the findings of the Southwest Wisconsin Youth Survey (SWYS) survey conducted by 19 of 31 school districts in the Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) District 3 as reported by UW-Extension. More than 5,700 students in grades 7 through 12 in the school districts of Argyle, Barneveld, Benton, Belmont, Black Hawk, Cassville, Darlington, Dodgeville, Iowa-Grant, Lancaster, Mineral Point, Pecatonica, Platteville, Potosi, River Ridge, River Valley, Seneca, Shullsburg and Southwestern completed the survey in September of 2001. UW-Extension faculty in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties are involved in processing and presenting the findings.

"When asked about how often they use alcohol, 44% of teens have never tried it and 12% of teens say they have tried it but do not use it anymore. Twenty-one percent say they use it a couple of times a year, 15% use it one to three times per month and 8% use it once a week or more", according to Iowa County Family Living Agent Ruth Schriefer. "While 79% of 7th graders have never tried alcohol, only 21% of 12th graders report the same."

Interim Grant County Family Living Agent Christina Kenney reports that most students who drink engage in binge drinking which is defined as five or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion. "Overall 27% of students report they binge drank in the month before the survey; that's 61% of teens who drink", reports Kenney. "In 7th grade, 10% of males and 6% of females report binge drinking in the month before the survey, that number rises to 48% of 12th grade males and 39% of 12th grade females."

"Parents play a key role in teen drinking", reports Tom Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County Youth Development Educator. "The survey found that 73% of teens strongly agree or agree their parents think it is wrong for teens their age to drink alcohol. Of these, only 33% are current drinkers and 19% binge drank in the past month. Twelve percent of teens strongly disagree or disagree that their parents think it is wrong for teens their age to drink alcohol. Of these, 78% are current drinkers and 56% binge drank in the past month. Fifteen percent of teens aren't sure how their parents feel about teen drinking. Of these 76% are current drinkers and 44% binge drank in the past month."

"Teens who report that their parents do a good job of monitoring their behavior also report lower levels of alcohol use", says Deb Ivey, Iowa County 4-H Youth Development Agent. "Teens who say their parents would report them to school officials if they violated a school athletic or activity code, are consistent in outlining and enforcing consequences for violating family rules, provide them with love and support and have frequent meals as a family also report lower levels of alcohol use." The SWYS survey also found the more teens worry about their parents drinking too much, the more likely they are to use alcohol themselves.

The data on alcohol and driving was mixed. The data shows that 23% of teens report that they have driven a motorized vehicle (defined as a car, truck, boat, ATV motorcycle or snowmobile) after using alcohol or other drugs. In 12th grade, 52% of males and 35% of females report driving after using alcohol or other drugs. Also, 46% of teens report they have ridden with a driver who was drinking alcohol during the past year. Thirty-eight percent of females who drink and 29% of males who drink say they always use a designated driver when they and their friends go out drinking, while 32% of male drinkers and 22% of female drinkers never or rarely use a designated driver.

The SWYS survey was funded in large part by the Grant County Tobacco-Free Coalition, the Lafayette County Tobacco-Free Coalition and the Iowa County Tobacco Coalition. Other funders included Lafayette County Families First, participating school districts, the Department of Transportation, United Way of Iowa County, Iowa County Family Preservation and Support, UW-Extension Southern District Resource Management Team, the Biddick Foundation, the Alliant Foundation, and the Iowa County Domestic Violence Task Force.

A full report on the SWYS survey results is due out this spring. Schmitz, Kenney, Ivey and Schriefer are also giving community presentations on the data. For more information on the survey contact your local school district, Schmitz and Kenney at 723-2125 or Ivey and Schriefer at 935-0391.

Return to 2001 News Releases

Tom Schmitz, Grant/Lafayette County Youth Development Educator
Youth and Agriculture Center P.O. Box 31, Lancaster, WI 53813
Phone: 608-723-2125   Fax: 608:723-4315   
E-mail: thomas.schmitz@ces.uwex.edu