Young hairdressers, builders and factory workers doing more drugs

6 April 2001 - Research by La Trobe University shows that young workers in the manufacturing, building and hairdressing industries are using alcohol and other drugs at higher levels than their counterparts in other industries. A report presented at the 2nd International Conference on Drugs and Young People in Melbourne, revealed that young employees in these three industries are more likely to drink at harmful levels, be current smokers and use marijuana and ecstasy.

The report cites the following:

* Levels of harmful drinking (more than 7 standard drinks per occasion for males or more than 5 drinks per occasion for females) were found to be highest among building workers (61%), hairdressing employees (60%) and people in manufacturing industries (52%).

* Current use of marijuana is also highest among building workers (62%), then people in hairdressing (52%) and manufacturing (38%).

* Use of ecstasy use is also greatest in the same three industries with the hairdressing employees on 20%, manufacturing workers (19 per cent) and building (17 per cent).

* Smoking was most common in the hairdressing industry (71%), followed by building (59%), then manufacturing (45%).

* People working in hairdressing were more likely than young workers in other industries to have tried illicit drugs (83%) but employees in the building industry were most likely to be currently using illicit drugs (68%).

Almost 400 young workers aged 15-25 were interviewed for the study, Sex, drugs and drinking: an investigation of health risks in the sexual and social lives of young workers. The study surveyed the manufacturing, building, hairdressing, fast-food and retail industries.

Jo Lindsay, Research Fellow at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society at La Trobe University and author of the report, feels that this research is important as it explores the context of risk taking practices in the social lives of a group who have largely been overlooked.

"While we have a lot of research about young people’s alcohol and drug consumption at school and university, there is little information about young people who have moved into the workforce. Yet this is a time when many are increasing their independence and are taking more risks with their health."

According to Dr Lindsay, we need more research in this area to understand the causes. "Anecdotally, we believe that the nature of the work and the culture of the industries may contribute to the young workers’ behaviours. For example, building and manufacturing work is typically associated with heavy drinking, whereas hairdressing is often associated with a party culture."

And she argues for imaginative health promotion: "As young workers do not have the same set of support services at hand as school or university students to help them in their choices, we need to make sure we design accessible information strategies especially for them."