WORRYING levels of heavy drinking among teenage girls in Hull have been revealed in a new survey.
The poll of nearly 4,000 secondary school pupils across the city found 14 per cent of 15-year-old girls were exceeding the recommended weekly alcohol limit for adult women.
Compared with boys in the same age group, twice as many girls were drinking more than the recommended safe limit of 14 units of alcohol a week – the equivalent of at least one and half bottles of wine.
According to the survey, most pupils were given alcohol by a family member.
It also found more older girls were smoking, compared with boys.
In addition, significantly more girls said they wanted to lose weight when asked about what changes they would like to make to their lifestyles.
Councillor Rilba Jones, portfolio holder for health and equalities, said: "These results are very worrying, particularly in what they are telling us about the health choices some young girls are making."
Robert Iddenden, a public health scientist who helped co-ordinate the survey, said: "The gender difference is quite marked because it shows that twice as many girls than boys in Year 11 were drinking beyond the recommended adult level.
"The 14 per cent figure is particularly striking because it is also higher than any age group in a similar adult survey carried out in Hull last year."
He said one explanation could be that 14 and 15-year-old girls were drinking more because many socialised with male friends.
The survey quizzed youngsters in 13 of the city's 14 secondary schools along with pupils from three referral units, one special school and one private school.
It followed similar surveys carried out in 2002 and 2008, providing some of the most detailed local research material on teenage lifestyles in the country.
It also found that just over 15 per cent of 15-year-olds had used or tried drugs, with cannabis being the most commonly used drug among older pupils followed by "legal highs".
Just over one in four in the oldest Year 11 group said they had been offered or encouraged to take drugs in the previous three months while three per cent of 11-year-olds said they had used drugs – twice the rate in the 2008 survey.
One surprising result to emerge from a question on diets was the number of children saying they ate five or more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.
The survey discovered the five-a-day consumption rates for Hull were well above the national average in all age groups.
Apart from, losing weight, the most popular aspirations among girls was to eat a healthier diet and be more active.
Boys also rated a better diet as their most popular aim.
Councillor Colin Inglis, chairman of the city's new Health and Wellbeing Board, said the survey's results showed the city council's three-year healthy eating pilot scheme offering free primary school meals which ran between 2005 and 2008 might be paying off with more children now recognising the importance of eating fruit and vegetables.
Rachel Roberts, assistant head of adult, children and family services at Hull City Council, said the findings would be used to influence policies both at the authority and in schools.
She said: "This is very much about a multi-agency approach to lifestyle issues involving young people and their families.
"For example, the survey highlights issues around where kids get their alcohol from and the family influences around that."
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