Parents give positive messages to children about alcohol dangers

Parents are the most important influence on five- to 12-year-old children and are mostly good at educating them at home about the social pleasures and risks of drinking, a new study from the Universities of Leeds and Manchester said.

But children are less aware of the other issues with drinking alcohol, such as potential health risks, and alcohol education in schools could be improved to complement the support received by children at home, the report added.

Prof Gill Valentine, of the University of Leeds, said: "On the whole parents are already doing a good job at teaching their kids about sensible drinking. They avoid being drunk in front of their children and try to limit their exposure to alcohol outside the home, for example in pubs where food is not being served.

"However, parents don't talk as much about the health risks – such as cancer, liver cirrhosis and heart disease – because these issues do not resonate with their own experiences of drinking alcohol."

A national survey of more than 2,000 parents and carers was carried out.

The research team looked at influences from within the family, such as house rules and drinking habits, and from external sources including the media, law and social networks.

Parents want their children to appreciate the pleasures and benefits of alcohol, as well as the risks of excessive consumption so that they will drink sensibly as adults, the research found.