Beijing: More than half of middle school students in China have consumed alcohol, according to a new survey into the drinking behaviours of Chinese students.
Some 51 per cent of middle school students aged 12 or above have tried alcohol, and 15 per cent have been drunk, according to the survey.
Among those who have tried it, 62 per cent admitted that they frequently drink at parties and 53 per cent said they often drink at family dinners, state-run China Daily reported.
The survey, conducted from 2013 to 2014 by the National Institute for Nutrition and Health of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, canvassed about 605 junior and senior high school students aged between 12 to 20.
The respondents came from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jinan, Chengdu, and Harbin.
Ma Guansheng, professor of public health with Peking University, said although Chinese laws prohibit selling alcohol to juniors, the laws are difficult to enforce due to lack of details in the rules.
In contrast, the US requires identity cards be presented to buy alcohol, and harsh penalties push vendors to follow the rules, Ma said in the report.
The report said prevalence of drinking is encouraged by a low awareness from teenagers about the harms of alcohol use.
Many believe high-quality liquor or wine causes no harm to their health, or that drinking beer is no different from drinking water.
