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R A Knibbe

Publications and source records attributed to R A Knibbe.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Comparing distributions of alcohol consumption: empirical probability plots.

Parametric approaches to the problem of the distribution of alcohol consumption have not been very successful. In this article, it is shown that regulatory in distribution can be studied without making assumptions about a distribution model underlying the data. For this purpose, a method is used with which distributions are compared graphically in so-called probability plots. It appears that, up to a proper linear transformation on a logarithmic scale, a surprisingly large regularity over time can be observed between distributions taken from Dutch samples in 1970, 1981 and 1985. Equally, distributions from male and female sub-samples do not appear to differ up to a linear shift. The finding of a relative equality in distributional form is in accordance with the Ledermann model. However, the difference with the Ledermann's model is that no assumptions about the exact shape of the distributions are being made.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Adolescent drinking behavior: an observational study of the influence of situational factors on adolescent drinking rates.

Adolescent drinking behavior was observed on weekend nights (9 PM until midnight) in three youth bars, three youth centers and two discos located in the most southern part of the Netherlands. Drinking rates, individual characteristics, drinking group variables and aspects of the overall drinking situation were recorded. Boys and girls appeared to differ in the variables of influence on their drinking rates. Boys were observed to drink at a higher rate on evenings with loud music, when they participated in large, all-male groups and when their (estimated) age was less than 20. Together these variables explain 24% of the variance in boys' drinking rates. Girls drank less fast when they participated in a group not buying rounds and in a drinking group of constant composition. Although analysis showed that girls' drinking rates did not vary significantly with aspects of the overall situation and individual variables, still 14% of the total variance here could be explained by the drinking group variables. These results are to some extent consistent with findings from other observational studies on drinking behavior. Most of these studies showed males in large groups to drink at the highest rates. However, only a few observational studies were aimed exclusively at young people's drinking behavior and those studies did not include aspects of the overall drinking situation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Weekly recall and dairy estimates of alcohol consumption in a general population survey.

Diary and weekly recall measures of alcohol consumption in a representative sample (N = 399) of the Dutch population are compared. The weekly recall method consisted of a personal interview with questions about actual alcohol consumption on the previous 7 days. The diary consisted of 14 daily self-reports of consumption and followed the interview. The diary method yields estimates of consumption that are on average 22% higher than those based on weekly recall measures, reducing total undercoverage by about 11%. The difference between the two methods cannot be attributed to a variation of consumption over weeks but seems to stem from a difference in accuracy of recall. There was an increase in glasses underreported at the upper levels of consumption, but underreporting did not seem to be of a nonlinear nature. Considering the large individual variation in consumption over weeks, the ranking of individuals according to their self-reports is relatively stable across method.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Correlates of stages in the progression from everyday drinking to problem drinking.

Data is presented on the following related problems: (1) social characteristic associated with differences in drinking style; (2) variables correlated with intensified consumption; (3) variables, other than consumption level, correlated with harmful effects of alcohol. The concepts of status role, positional role and situation role were used to develop hypotheses. Drinking alcoholic beverages is considered as an element of situation roles in which drinking alcohol is considered meaningful and appropriate. The hypotheses are that status groups tend to differ in drinking style (problem 1) and because of these differences, differ also in the degree to which drinking is associated with harmful effects (problem 3). The three positional roles: living with a partner, care for children at home, and employment were combined to indicate the structure of everyday life. The hypotheses were that people with a less structured everyday life are inclined to intensify their consumption (problem 2); and are more vulnerable to harmful effects (problem 3). Most of these hypotheses were confirmed. Gender and the integration of alcohol use appear to be intervening variables concerning the effect of the structure of everyday life on intensified consumption and on harmful effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Alcohol consumption and alcohol control policy: the case of the Netherlands.

In the last decades the Netherlands have experienced a strong increase in heavy drinking, alcohol-related morbidity and, to a lesser extent, alcohol-related mortality. Along with an increase in leisure time and income, it is possible that two more specific factors contributed to these developments in alcohol consumption, i.e. catching up with the drinking habits of neighbouring countries and a process of secularization. The strong increases mentioned have until recently not provoked any strong negative reactions, either from the public at large or from the government. Moreover, the Dutch government has no tradition in developing and implementing a restrictive alcohol policy. In two large-scale studies in Rotterdam and Limburg we have found that in the population at large, there are, with one exception, no strong sentiments in favor of or against concrete preventive measures. We argue that an effective prevention policy is necessary, which should at least contain the following elements: (1) a public health campaign to support the implementation of possible restrictive measures; (2) measures aimed at a stabilization or reduction of the per capita consumption; (3) specific preventive measures for high risk groups; and (4) a social and political structure which facilitates the formulation and implementation of a prevention policy.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antecedents of smoking cessation among adolescents: who is motivated to change?

BACKGROUND: In recent years many longitudinal studies have examined the predictors of smoking acquisition. However, only a few studies have focused on the precursors of smoking cessation. The current study is one of the first concentrating on longitudinal predictors of young people's smoking cessation. METHODS: Subjects were 215 smokers ages 14-15 years who were reinterviewed 3 years later. These smokers were allocated to four groups based on their motivation to quit and actual quitting behavior at the last wave. Independent variables were smoking-specific cognitions, social influences, and aspects of smoking habits. RESULTS: Univariate comparisons between the four groups showed that those with a positive attitude toward smoking and lower self-efficacy were less likely to be motivated to quit 3 years later. No long-term effects of environmental influences were found. Aspects of smoking habits, such as intensity and frequency of smoking, and the context of cigarette use affected the motivation to quit. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine differences in predictors between the groups in more detail. These analyses revealed that differences mainly in attitudes and self-efficacy affected whether subjects were absolutely not motivated to quit or had actually quit 3 years later. Differences in smoking behavior affected the allocation to the more closely related groups (e.g., preparing versus quitting). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents' motivation to quit is affected by smoking-related cognitions and habitual factors. More research is needed to decide whether the relation between intensity and frequency of smoking and the likelihood to quit later on should be interpreted in terms of differences in smoking initiation or in terms of preparation to quit.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inconsistencies in adolescents' self-reports of initiation of alcohol and tobacco use.

This study focuses on errors in estimations of age at which alcohol and tobacco are used for the first time. The data come from a 5-year longitudinal study with three measurements. Self-reports about age of first use at the baseline measurement were compared with similar self-reports at two follow-up surveys. Adolescents were more likely to report a higher age of first use at follow-up measurements. Those who at the baseline measurement reported having smoked (n = 338) or consumed alcohol (n = 523) 61.7% and 89%, respectively, underestimated their years of use. By comparison with estimations at the first and third measurement, 13.6% for smoking and 4.6% for drinking were consistent about their age of first use. Self-reports about the age of onset at the baseline measurement were correlated with frequency and intensity of tobacco and alcohol use 5 years later to assess the predictive power of age of onset for later use. With one exception (correlation with intensity of alcohol use 5 years later, r = .14) no significant correlation was found. The results show that the concept age of first use should be utilized with caution for two reasons: (1) the reliability of assessment is insufficient, and (2) correlations of different estimates with actual frequency and intensity of consumption at the third wave are inconsistent. Explanations for errors in measurement, and recommendations for improvement, are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alcohol use and intimate relationships in adolescence: when love comes to town.

The associations between alcohol consumption and intimate relationships in adolescence were examined. Data from a longitudinal study of 1,063 adolescents were used to investigate whether (a) alcohol use was a precursor of partnership and (b) adolescents tended to change their drinking habits once they became involved in a steady relationship. Youngsters who consumed alcohol at the ages of 14 and 15 were more likely to be involved in an intimate relationship 3 years later. Drinking in social settings particularly increased the likelihood of having a partner 3 years later. In addition, for males, partnership was associated with a smaller increase in alcohol consumption in public drinking places compared to the other categories (i.e., adolescents who never had a partner vs. adolescents who had no partner at the time of measurement). In contrast, the increase in consumption at home was the strongest for young men involved in a steady relationship. For females, the differences in changes in consumption between the partnership categories were in most cases not significant.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Modernization and geographical diffusion as explanations for regional differences in the consumption of wine and beer in the European Community.

Mediterranean and Northern countries in Europe differ strongly in drinking cultures and drinking patterns. However, since about 1960 the Mediterranean and Northern countries in Europe have converged with respect to per capital consumption and beverage choice. This paper explores whether modernization and/or geographical diffusion explain the convergence in beverage choice for countries belonging to the EC. The results show that for wine and two of the indicators of modernization, the expected results are found. The diffusion of beer is not related with the indicators of modernization used in this study. There is no or only very limited support for the relevance of geographical proximity for the diffusion of beer and wine.

Adolescent↗