The Government is to launch a major offensive against underage drinking as a new international survey reveals that children as young as nine are drinking alcohol.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, will today unveil details of a health promotion strategy which will include a campaign to clamp-down on excessive drinking, including alcohol abuse among young people.
Mr Martin will reveal details of a World Health Organisation survey of health behaviour in school-age children. It shows that almost one-third - or 29 per cent - of Irish children surveyed had a drink in the last month.
Of those surveyed, 15 per cent of boys aged between 9 and 11 admitted having had a drink while 2 per cent of girls aged 9 to 11 admitted having had a drink. Sixty-one per cent of boys aged between 15 and 17 had experienced alcohol while 52 per cent of girls aged between 15 and 17 had. A major survey published last year revealed that one-third of adults drink to excess. More than half of people aged between 18 and 34 drink to excess on occasion.
The health promotion strategy will focus on anti-drinking measures as well as improving the health across the State in a wide range of areas. "The campaign will be encouraging a new way of healthy living" a Department of Health source said.
The Irish Times has learned that the strategy will include a plan for the Department of Health to work in partnership with local health boards to help form a more positive attitude about drinking and to provide more education about the dangers of alcohol abuse.
The Minister will announce that the estimated cost of alcohol-related harm to the State is to be investigated.
The new strategy will concentrate on encouraging children and adolescents to delay having their first drink. It will aim to decrease the number of young adults who drink to excess.
The strategy will also aim to promote moderation for those who wish to drink and to reduce the level of alcohol-related illness. The main message is "less is better".
The strategy will refer to previous studies which show that an estimated 25 per cent of road accidents are alcohol-related while 33 per cent of fatal road accidents are alcohol-related. It is estimated that 29 per cent of male admissions to psychiatric services are a result of alcohol abuse.