Evidence brief: Alcohol availability, marketing and sexual health risks to youth in South Africa
Themes:
Soul City alcohol evidence brief.pdf
Youth drinking is a global health problem and South Africa is no exception. Research shows that drinking from an early age increases the chances of developing alcohol dependence later in life. Youth are especially vulnerable to the many health risks that drinking entails. These include:
- contracting sexually transmitted infections and/or HIV
- intimate partner violence
- perpetuating and/or being a victim of youth violence
- a negative effect on brain development that is on going until a person reaches the age of around 25 years.
Despite this very little previous research from South Africa has investigated alcohol availability in young people’s environments, their experience of alcohol marketing and their related health risks. Soul City Institute and STRIVE set out to fill this gap. This evidence brief presents the key findings emerging from the research and makes suggestions for what organisations, communities and individuals can do.
