[ad_1]
High school students who identify as part of Rainbow
communities experience high levels of alcohol harm,
especially sexual harm, an analysis of Youth2000 survey data
has shown.
The analysis was part of a broader project
to examine alcohol use and harm among high school students
in Aotearoa New Zealand, and was undertaken by the
Department of Public Health, University of Otago
(Wellington), Alcohol Healthwatch and the Adolescent Health
Research Group. Funding was received from the nib foundation
and Te Hiringa Hauora/Health Promotion Agency.
In
2019, over half (52%) of Rainbow young people were current
drinkers and almost half (45%) of drinkers reported binge
drinking at least once in the past month. Results showed
that a supportive home and school environment protected
Rainbow young people from engaging in high-risk
drinking.
Tabby Besley, Managing Director of
InsideOUT, says, “Rainbow young people have a right to live,
study, and play in inclusive settings that enable them to
thrive. It is likely that an unsupportive home or school
environment may give rise to alcohol being used as a coping
mechanism by Rainbow young people.”
The study found
that Rainbow students experienced greater harm from their
drinking compared to non-Rainbow students, most notably
sexual harm. One in five (20%) Rainbow drinkers reported
engaging in risky sexual activity (sex without a condom) and
12% reported having unwanted sex while using
alcohol.
“It’s not surprising to see this result,
however, it is concerning. Rainbow young people
disproportionately experience a range of factors that
increase the risk of alcohol harm, including
marginalisation, discrimination, structural disadvantage,
and violence. It is also important to note that the lack of
comprehensive, inclusive sex education in Aotearoa is likely
to play a role in the sexual harms reported. For too long,
the primary focus of sex education has been on heterosexual
relations, which negatively impacts our Rainbow students.
Alcohol use, together with a lack of inclusive sex
education, exacerbates the potential and inequities in
harm”, adds Besley.
University of Auckland Senior
Lecturer Dr John Fenaughty says the current research is
vital to inform public health efforts to increase wellbeing
and reduce health inequities among queer communities. “The
findings from this research, and those from the
‘Identify’ and ‘Counting Ourselves’ surveys, can
greatly assist to inform effective and appropriate policy
and interventions so that funding can be directed to where
it will make the biggest difference. It is essential that
inequities in outcomes among Rainbow young people are
addressed as early as possible”, says Dr
Fenaughty.
nib foundation Executive Officer, Amy
Tribe, said that it’s important that this research gets
into the right hands to facilitate positive change. “The
unique experience of Rainbow youth is not well enough
understood when it comes to alcohol harm and this research
was an opportunity to bring it into the spotlight. We hope
these insights will help inform policymakers, programme
developers, and those who work with Rainbow young people so
that they can provide the appropriate support to contribute
towards better LGBTQI+ youth health outcomes.”
The new
study notes that Rainbow students are influenced by New
Zealand’s wider drinking culture, and highlights the need
for population-level approaches to reduce alcohol use and
prevent harm. Alcohol Healthwatch calls on the Government to
implement policies that address the low price of alcohol,
high availability and widespread advertising and promotion
of alcohol (particularly in social media) as these measures
are the most effective, cost-effective and pro-equity in
reducing harm. Shifting the country’s drinking culture
will not only protect current generations of young people,
but generations to
follow.
© Scoop Media
[ad_2]
Source link