Peeters, M. orcid.org/0000-0001-8861-5744, Ter Braak, J., Hagemeijer, F. et al. (7 more authors) (2025) Exploring adolescents’ consumption of alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks: a review of the literature and a drinking profile analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. ISSN 1557-1874
Abstract
Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol (NoLo) beverages are increasingly popular among adolescents, raising concerns about their potential gateway effect on alcohol use. This study combines a mapping review of the literature and an analysis of the Dutch Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study (N = 4746, mean age 13.74). The review identified three studies on NoLo prevalence (18.35–31.8%, all in Eastern populations) and two on parental attitudes. National data revealed that 46% of Dutch adolescents aged 12–16 had tried NoLo beverages, with 8% reporting weekly use. NoLo drinkers are overall more similar to non-drinkers, but exhibit characteristics like fewer peer problems and more hyperactivity similar to alcohol drinkers. NoLo use is most common among younger adolescents and those in pre-university tracks. Our findings highlight the need for nationally representative research on NoLo consumption in Western societies. Adolescents may use NoLo beverages to experiment with risk behaviors as an alternative to alcohol, driven by social conformity or a desire for new experiences.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Keywords: | NoLo beverages; Adolescents; Alcohol; Risk profile; Substance use |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Medicine and Population Health |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 21/41, NIHR135310 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 07 Jul 2025 15:35 |
Last Modified: | 07 Jul 2025 15:35 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s11469-025-01515-0 |
Related URLs: | |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:228819 |