| Demographic Group: | Students in grades 9–12. |
| Numerator: | Respondents in grades 9–12 who report having >=5 drinks of alcohol on >=1 day during the previous 30 days. |
| Denominator: | Respondents in grades 9–12 who report having a specific number, including zero, of drinks on >=1 day during the previous 30 days (excluding those who did not answer). |
| Measures of Frequency: | Annual prevalence with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Previous 30 days. |
| Background: | In 2003, a total of 28% of high school students reported binge drinking in the previous 30 days. Whites and Hispanics were more likely to binge drink than were blacks; prevalence increased with grade. Among U.S. youth, 83% have consumed alcohol by the 12th grade. As a result of the National Minimum Drinking Age Law, all states prohibit persons aged <21 years from purchasing alcohol. |
| Significance: | Approximately 85,000 deaths each year in the United States are attributed to alcohol abuse. Studies have determined that a delay in drinking until age 21 years substantially reduces the risk of experiencing alcohol-related problems. Alcohol abuse among youth is strongly associated with injuries, violence, fetal alcohol syndrome, and risk of other acute and chronic health effects. |
| Limitations of Indicator: | The indicator does not convey the frequency of binge drinking or the specific amount of alcohol consumed. |
| Data Resources: | Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. (YRBSS).
http://wonder.cdc.gov |
| Limitations of Data Resources: | As with all self-reported sample surveys, YRBSS data might be subject to systematic error resulting from noncoverage (e.g., no participation by certain schools), nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | 26-11: Reduce the proportion of persons engaging in binge drinking of alcoholic beverages. (26-11a is specific for high school seniors; 26-11d is specific for adolescents aged 12–17 years.) |
