Global burden attributed to alcohol and drug use among adolescents and young adults, 1990-2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.

OBJECTIVE

Adolescence is a critical period characterised by significant biological growth and transformative changes in social relationships. No authoritative study has provided a comprehensive analysis of the global burden attributed to alcohol and drug use among adolescents and young adults.

STUDY DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Data on alcohol and drug use among people aged 10-24 years were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. We reported the trends of death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) at the global, regional and national levels. We explored the sex and sociodemographic index distribution of disease burden.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

DALYs and deaths.

RESULTS

In 2019, the number of deaths attributed to alcohol use and drug use among people aged 10-24 years was 59 855 and 16 391, respectively. The numbers of DALYs attributed to alcohol use and drug use were 5.9 million and 4.1 million, respectively. From 1990-2019, the global DALYs rate caused by alcohol use exhibited a downward trend for both males and females. The DALYs rate attributed to drug use in females among people aged 10-24 years exhibited a downward trend, while the DALYs rate attributed to drug use in males among people aged 10-24 years exhibited an upward trend. Furthermore, the burden attributed to alcohol use and drug use was significantly higher in males than in females. Eastern Europe had the highest burden attributed to alcohol use, and High-income North America had the highest burden of drug use.

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol and drug use remain an important risk factor that poses substantial challenges to adolescent health, particularly among males. Countries must develop effective health policies and implement targeted regulatory measures.