ABSTRACT
The World Health Organization (WHO), as the leading international public health agency, is increasing its attention to the preventable risk factors associated with global morbidity and mortality. The World Health Report for 2002 (World Health Organization, 2002) focused on some of the key risks that predict the future course of death and disease for most of the world's population. These risks include tobacco, alcohol use, poor diet, and lack of physical activity. Alcohol consumption among young people is a significant cofactor in the leading causes of death among young people, including motor vehicle crashes, suicides, homicides, and drownings. Data from across the world suggest that a culture of sporadic heavy or binge drinking among young people is growing in developing countries as it has in developed countries.
