According to a Canadian-based research, 4 percent of the country's student aged between 12 and 14 drank five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the previous year.
Researchers at the University of Toronto found that teens with three or more chronic conditions were thrice more likely to indulge in heavy drinking compared to those with no illnesses.
"We are particularly concerned that the young adolescents most likely to binge drink are those who have substantial physical health challenges" says lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sandra Rotman Chair at the University of Toronto's Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.
"Clearly, pediatricians and other health professionals need to be particularly attentive to screening for binge drinking in these vulnerable youth."
The study looked at different factors previously linked to binge drinking. For the study, the researchers analysed the data from a group of 6,172 Canadians between the ages of 12 and 14. Participants were from a larger study called the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey.
"We also found that youth with mood disorders had three times the odds of binge drinking," said co-author Matthew Sheridan, a manager at a children's mental health center. "This should signal that mental health is an important factor to consider in targeting outreach for binge drinking prevention and cessation programs."
Researchers said the latest findings raise concerns as drinking, especially binge drinking, increases the risk of alcohol-related injuries, accidental death, unsafe sexual behavior, and long-term substance abuse problems.
The findings were published recently in the journal ISRN Public Health.
