The Assessment of Underage Drinkers in the JHS and SHS Grade

Levels of a Private institution in Malolos Bulacan

presented to the Senior High School Department

Mary the Queen School of Malolos Inc.

Estrella St., Sto. Rosario, Malolos, 3000 Bulacan

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in

Research Project

A Research Proposal by:

BULURAN, Leo-Aslee B.

CALAYAG, Seth Joshua

CASTRO, Rohnczel Jann T.

JAVIER, Kyle

MONTANO, Jaimerick

MARY THE QUEEN SCHOOL OF MALOLOS

KNOWLEDGE -12
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Background of the Study

Issues and events that have been linked towards alcohol is a constant

occurrence, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2017)

there were about 7.7 million people from the ages of 12-20 years of age who drank

alcohol beyond the recommended limits. Wherein it was found by the NIAAA (National

Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) that by age 18 there are 60% of teens who

had drank alcohol.

Due to this, there have been studies about underage drinking, for example the

“Environmental influences on Young Adult Drinking” (Lenk M., Toomey L., &Wagenaar

C. 2005), In this article the data suggested or rather expressed upon the effectiveness of

alcohol control policies aimed at underage youth, college students, and the general

population and, the effects of such alcohols towards young adults, although this specified

research cannot address nor suggest an exact outcome to why college students behaved

the way that they are with their alcohol.

According to (Jernigan & et. all. 2017), there are also possible influences

from magazine advertisements which can trigger a motive towards underage drinkers to

try those specific brands of alcohol. Whether it is the act of curiosity, the advertisements
likely became a tool that companies and corporations use to gain more customers or new

sellers. Emphasizing on the influences that a specific brand has on a wide audience.

Which has caused favoritism or rather a preference choice with the various forms of

alcohol brand/drink in each advertisement. In the study, the data collection was done

through an internet-based survey of a national sample of 1,031 youths,

ages 13 – 20. Within the results and outcome of the surveys, the answers suggested that

there are some links between alcohol advertising and youth drinking behavior. On the

other hand, in the newspaper USA TODAY, 2016 an article talks about how the likely

cause of youth alcoholism can be triggered by the parents themselves. The newspaper

article explains the setting that if a parent is engaged with an alcoholic influence while

driving it will trigger a notion towards children to acknowledge drunk driving as a

feasible feat, thereby considering that drunk driving is an act that will not have a dreadful

consequence in the end.

Furthermore, Moreno, &Whitehill (2013) study suggests the environment that the

adolescent has range over (social media) and outside influences have caused a spark to

convince underage drinking within the young populace. The researchers are able to assess

the probability of developing a habit of drinking through the use of social media. In the

last statement, the article could see that social media can be influence in shaping the

habits of any individual, as well as ways to instigate a process that will help promote

future intervention possibilities.

Stated by the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about

7.3 million Americans between the ages of 12 and 20 report current alcohol

consumption; this represents 19% of this age group for whom alcohol consumption is
illegal. Referencing the Monitoring the Future (2017), a survey of alcohol

consumption continues to show significant longer-term declines among the nations’

8th, 10th and 12th graders. However, after years of steady decline, the trends in binge

drinking appears to be leveling off in 2017, but still significantly lower levels than the

previous peak years.

In the Philippines, there are some context of the problems, for example the alcohol

marketing and drunkenness among high school students, a study conducted by

(Benegas-Segarra, &et. All, 2013). The article suggested that due to marketing of

low-income country such as the Philippines had a potential link with its underage

alcohol use. The results were done by using a cross-sectional analysis, and collected

through a self-administered questionnaire which was completed by students primarily

at the age of 13 to 16. Wherein in the study implied that there have been significant

associations between alcohol marketing exposure and increased alcohol use and

drunkenness among youth in the Philippines to which public drunkenness can be

occasionally witnessed, wherein some cases alcohol did cause tragedy in

communities.

The studies on this topic will be used to support the assessment of Senior

High School and Junior High School students in a private school in Bulacan. This

research’s main goal is to assess the demographic profile of the students who are

possibly prone to influences of alcohol. The assessment will be carried out to further

gain knowledge to grasp the situation, and understand why such behaviors occur.
 Theoretical Framework

Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

According to the Theory of Reasoned action by Ajzen and Fishbein

(1980), which was used to predict an individual’s intention to engage in a behavior at a

specific time and place. The intention of the theory was to explain all the behaviors over

which people have the ability to exert self-control.

By taking into account the following; the attitudes, behavioral intention,

subjective norms, social norms, perceived power and the perceived behavioral control,

the intention and the explanation to how they formed those behavioral habits. TPB has

been able to explain many reasons for behavioral actions of each wide range of health

behaviors and intentions including smoking, drinking, health services utilization,

breastfeeding, and substance use, among others.

Fig. 1.1
 As depicted by the figure, behavioral beliefs can affect the attitude towards such

behavior of individual which could explain their intention and how the normative beliefs

and subjective norm justify the intent to do such action while control beliefs (Parental

guidance, laws, etc.) and perceived behavioral control are the defining factors that may

make the intention an action or just a mere though or free flow of an idea.

Conceptual Framework

The figure below illustrates the conceptual framework of the study. The paradigm

presents the variables within the research and the procedures of the study.

Assessment
of Students

Figure 1.2 Conceptual Framework of the Study

The figure shows the independent and the dependent variables with the study. To

how marketing schemes, peers, and even parents influence underage drinkers, or rather

young adolescents who are influenced by the views of drinking. These factors might be

the following cause to why these students are engaged in such activities at such a young

age. The assessment will use the final survey and follow-up interview as the process to

gain insight and confirm the information about why did those students gain an interest

towards drinking.
 Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine how many Junior high school and Senior high
school students are underage drinkers and the possible relation it has with their efficiency
on their studies.

Specifically, this study shall seek answers to the following questions:

1.) What is the general profile of the drinkers /underage drinkers in terms of:

a) Age bracket?

b) Gender?

c) Grade level?

2.) What is the level of addiction of SHS and JHS students of MQSM towards
alcohol?

3.) What is the estimated number of underage drinkers within the SHS and JHS
sections of the selected private school?

4.) What possible implication or assumption can be derived from the student’s
responses?

Assumption

By verifying that the average Filipino may have a tendency to use alcohol during special
occasions or celebrations. It can easily be assumed that a probable cause for a student to
drink alcohol are the following variables, marketing schemes that advertise alcohol which
can be seen through various media. Friend and peer influence since these are the people
that are often close with the individual, in terms of the individual’s attachment could
probably offer the individual to try drinking. In some cases, it is also plausible that
parents indirectly influence their very children towards the substance without even giving
the alcoholic beverage. Which can be justified through the individual’s curiosity towards
alcoholic beverage.
Significance of the Study

The study aims to give awareness to the officials of private/public schools,

personnel or staff, and the parents of the minors who are indeed proven to have
experience with alcohol. With enough knowledge to the current situation of underage
drinking, parents could easily monitor their child’s activities outside the premises school
where they could also minimize the possibilities of influences towards alcoholism.

Furthermore, schools could effectively hold meetings that are focused on

giving awareness about alcoholism and/or underage drinking to minor students. The
schools could also call an expert that gives a much in-depth analysis to the topic that in
return, the students would have a solid understanding to the problem. By giving insight to
the students about the consequences of underage drinking and alcoholism there might be
a possibility of drop or change of view in drinking. The researchers intend to minimize
alcoholism in the high school levels, especially from students who are considered minors.
It is because; they intend to lessen the population of students that are under performing
because of the influence of alcohol or any similar substance to the students.

The study would give sufficient knowledge that would guide officials of
private/public schools, personnel or staff, and/or the parents of the minors to deliberately
decrease the number of underage drinker and it could potentially help student be more
attentive and knowledgeable to the current situation of underage drinking. The study may
be simple, but it contains much information that it would easily be a great reference for
everyone. The study would also aim to show to the school officials, private and/or public,
that students on the school’s premises are may be in fact underage drinker.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The study is focused on the assessment that will be started first through a
use of preliminary survey to determine the drinkers within the established private school.
Practically the researchers used a purposive sampling within the junior high school and
senior high school students. A final survey will then be used assess the correspondents
who have claimed to have drink alcohol (take note drink not drunk/ implying that
correspondent may have drank once). The survey will assess their age, grade level and
gender and verify if they are indeed underage drinkers. The survey will not necessarily
answer the reason why the students form such habits around drinking but rather it would
assess their situation if they are an alcoholic. The follow-up interview would assed the
correspondents answers in a qualitative aspect, taking in point both a quantitative
perspective of approach of data gathering with a qualitative data to support the results
outcome. Furthermore, the study delimits itself to bring prevention to underage drinkers
in this environment to the students who are minors and under the influence of alcohol,
those with a hard time dealing with their problems and resort to drinking alcohol, and
students who just occasionally drink.

Definition of Terms

1. “Alcohol” - a liquid substance that can intoxicate a person (such as beer, wine, or
whiskey). This drink is often drunk in parties, special occasions or just for leisure
reasons. It has a bitter taste due to the high level of alcohol in its content from
fermentation and long-time of storage.
2. Alcoholic- Individuals who tend to drink alcohol or binge drink whenever
possible, its term is related to the
3. “Alcoholism” - a medical condition in which someone frequently drinks too
much alcohol and becomes unable to live a normal life. An individual with this
“habit” tends to drink alcohol often.
4. “Binge drinking” - a short time of drinking too much “alcohol”, exactly about at
least five times in one week. In conjunction to alcoholism, binge drinking is a
high frequent turn of drinking within a short-allotted time like a for example a
week.
5. "DSM-V"-The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5)
is the product of more than 10 years of effort by hundreds of international experts
in all aspects of mental health. Their dedication and hard work have yielded an
authoritative volume that defines and classifies mental disorders in order to
improve diagnoses, treatment, and research. A manual published by the American
 Psychiatric Association (APA) that includes all currently recognized mental
health disorders. It is used within the study as reference point to understand how
6. "Schoolies" - Schoolies or schoolies week refers to the Australian tradition of
high-school graduates having week-long holidays following the end of their final
exams in late November and early December. "Toolies" refers to older revelers
who participate in Schoolies week but are not high-school graduates
7. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism- An institution that was
established to combat the rising problems of substance abuse such as alcohol and
various other liquor. It maintains the norms and laws of respecting nationalities to
what are the proper consumptions of alcohol and the legal age of drinking.
References:

Choszcz, D., Klimczak, J., Markowski, P., Podstawski, R., &Wesolowska, E. (2017)

Drinkingbehaviors and alcohol preferences of female and male students at a

Polish university in 2000–2016, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy.

Retrieved from

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687637.2017.1411887

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2017).

UnderageDrinking.Retrieved from:

https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/UnderageDrinking/Underage_Fact.pdf

Moreno A., &Whitehill M., (2013) The Early Risk Factors for Alcohol use across High

School. Retrieved from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4432862/

Jernigan, D.H., King, C., Ross, C.S.,&Siegel, M.(2017)Alcohol Advertising in

Magazines and Underage Readership: Are Underage Youth Disproportionately

Exposed? ISSN: 0145-6008 DOI:10.1111/acer.13477

Borzekowski, D. L.G., DeJong, W., Jernigan, D.H., Maple, E., Naimi, T. S., Ostroff, J.,

Padon, A. A., Ross, C. S., & Sigel, M.(2014). The Relationship between Brand-

Specific Alcohol Advertising on Television and Brand-Specific Consumption

 among Underage Youth.Retrieved from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4146644/

Engels, R. C.M.E., Mclure, A. C., Sargent, J. D., Stoolmiller, M., &Tanski, S. E.(2013)

Alcohol Marketing Receptivity, Marketing-Specific Cognitions, and Underage

Binge Drinking.

SSN: 0145-6008DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01932

Pape, H., Rosscow, I. &Strovoll, E. E.(2008) Use of commercial and social sources of

alcohol by underage drinkers: The role of pubertal timing

DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2007.05.007

Bussey, Quinn, (2015) The Role of Moral Disengagement in Underage Drinking and

Heavy Episodic Drinking. ISSN: 1082-6084, DOI:

10.3109/10826084.2015.1018541, Accession Number: 111002944

Curtis, B. L., McKay, J. R., Feinn, R. S., Kranzler, H. R., Ramo, D. E., &Lookatch, S. J.

(2018) Meta-Analysis of the Association of Alcohol Related Social Media Use

with Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol Related Problems in Adolescents and

Young Adults. DOI:10.1111/acer.13642

Arria, A. M., Bugbee, B. A., Claderia, K. M., Moskovich, O., O'Grady, K.,& Vincent, K.

B.(2014) Providing Alcohol to Underage Youth: The View from Young

Adulthood.

DOI:10.1111/acer.12426 Accession Number: 96330655

Sargent, J. D. (2014) Alcohol Marketing and Underage Drinking: Time to Get Real.DOI:

10.1111/acer.12584Accession Number: 100299496.

 Retrieved from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4568940/

Gilreath, T. M., Merianos, A. L., Oluwoye, O. A., Swoboda, C. M., & Unger, J. B.(2018)

Depression and Alcohol Use in a National Sample of Hispanic Adolescents.

ISSN: 1082-6084 DOI:10.1080/10826084.2017.1363234 Accession Number:

128887439

Benegas-Segarra, A., Palmier, J. B., Sinson, F. A., &Swahn, M. H. (2013) Alcohol

marketing and drunkenness among students in the Philippines: findings from the

nationally representative Global School-based Student Health Survey

Retrieved from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3890547/

Biagioni, N., Jongenelis, M. I., & Pettigrew, S.(2016) Anticipating and addressing event-

specific alcohol consumption among adolescents

Retrieved from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4966801/

Komro, K. A., Pasch, K. E., Perry, C. L., Brown H. S 3rd (2013) Influence of Grade-

Level Drinking Norms on Individual Drinking Behavior DOI:

10.5993/AJHB.37.1.8

Ásgeirsdóttir, Ólafsdóttir (2015) Gender Differences in Drinking Behaviour during an

Economic Collapse. ISSN: 1569-5239, DOI: 10.1007/s11150-015-9283-z,

Accession Number: 110838599

Cannon, C. L., Dahl, E., Harding, F. M., Hingson, R. W., Klitzner, M., Mosher, J. F,,&

Vincent, R. M.(2016) Underage Drinking: A Review of Trends and Prevention

Strategies Pages: S148-S157 Retrieved From:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379716301921

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Retrieved From:

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-

consumption/moderate-binge-drinking

Binns C., Howat P.,&Jancey J. (2013)Are there more positive alternative

celebrationOpportunities to Schoolies week?

Retrieved from:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1071/HEv24n3_ED

Donelly, G. (2018) Alcohol and Your Health: What Studies Say About the Effects of
Drinking. Retrieved from: http://fortune.com/2018/02/22/alcohol-drinking-
health-effects/

Alvaro, E. M., Berger, D. E., Crano, W. D., & Lac, A. (2012, November 5). Attachment
Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior: An Integrative Model Predicting
Underage Drinking. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:
10.1037/a0030728