Alcohol - Data & Facts

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​In order for HCC to provide appropriate strategies to reduce youth alcohol use we must stay informed.  Please read on for some of the latest information regarding youth alcohol use so that you can also stay informed!

Brain Development

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• The adolescent brain is not fully developed.  In fact, the brain isn’t fully developed until about age 25.  Alcohol use in adolescence can have a number of lasting effects on the underdeveloped brain such as problems with memory and making decisions as well as reducing impulse control. Further, drinking alcohol before age 21 can increase the risk for developing an alcohol use disorder.
• Youth who use alcohol are also at an increased risk for developing depression, anxiety, and suicidal behavior.  They are also more prone to becoming involved in dangerous or harmful behaviors and situations.

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Driving

• ​​It has been found that the leading cause of death for youth ages 16-20 is motor vehicle crashes.
• Data from 2016 found that 39% of fatal motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol impairment were from ages 16-24.
• In 2019, the  CDC’s Youth Behavior Risk Assessment which had over 40 states as representative samples found that 16.7% of High School Students reported Riding in a Car with a Drinking Driver.
• In 2019, HCC surveyed Cattaraugus County youth from (9) different school districts using the Prevention Needs Assessment Survey.  The results for the same measure Riding in a Car with a Drinking Driver can be found here.  The data in this chart is also compared to the 2018 national Monitoring the Future Survey.  You can see here that Cattaraugus County exceeds the national average for this measure in both the Youth Behavior Risk Assessment and Monitoring the Future.

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Additional Local Data

​References:
Bach Harrison (2019) Cattaraugus County Prevention Needs Assessment Survey
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/1/e20191356
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/results.htm

• 27% of Cattaraugus County students in grades 6-12 reported Drinking Alcohol in the Past 30-Days – these numbers are alarming, especially when considering the breakdown of the individual grades and how they are increasing over time.  You can also see that we are well above the national average overall as compared to the the 2018 Monitoring the Future Survey and for grades 8, 10, and 12.
• 64.1% of Cattaraugus County youth feel that drinking alcohol is risky or harmful
• 95.9% feel that their parents would disapprove of them using alcohol (Protective Factor)
• 80% of Cattaraugus County youth feel that their peers would disapprove of them using alcohol (Protective Factor)
• 13 is the Average Age that youth in Cattaraugus County begin using alcohol
• 34.3% of local youth said that they drank alcohol at home in the past year with their parent’s permission.  The good news is that this number has decreased from 43% in the 2017 Prevention Needs Assessment.  
• 31.8% of local youth said that they drank alcohol at someone else’s home with their parent’s permission.  But this number has also decreased from 40.9% in the previous 2017 survey year.