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Researchers found that 29% of 16-24 year olds were non-drinkers in 2015, up from 18% in 2005.
And, while young people are still the most likely to drink alcohol excessively, the rate of excessive alcohol consumption – defined as a consumption twice the daily recommended limit – has gone from 27% to 18%.
The University College London team analyzed data from nearly 10,000 young people surveyed about their drinking patterns during the annual health survey conducted in England between 2005 and 2015.
The results show that not drinking is "becoming more acceptable", while "risky behaviors such as excessive drinking may be less standardized," the authors wrote.
"Both of these trends must be welcomed from a public health perspective and must be capitalized to move forward."
The researchers said that it was "difficult to identify a single factor" behind the trends, but suggested that heightened awareness of the dangers of alcohol and the stricter laws on its sale to minors could have contributed.
"Since the rise in alcohol consumption is not widespread among young people, and not just among minority groups, we think the underlying factor is cultural," said Linda Ng, the ## 147 ## 39, lead author of the study. Fat, a research associate at the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care at UCL, told CNN.
"Further research is needed to determine if drivers could also explain the decline in other risky behaviors we are seeing in young people," she added.
The health campaign groups welcomed the results of the latest study, which corroborate other recent studies that have shown a decline in alcohol consumption among young people in the United Kingdom and the United States. United.
In 2014, only one in 10 English teenagers had drunk alcohol, compared to about half in 2002, according to WHO.
"This is very positive news," said Karen Tyrell, general director of external relations for Addaction, a drug and alcohol charity.
"But no one really knows why these changes are happening," added Tyrell. "We need to understand the situation properly, with longer-term studies, to help young people continue the trend and find ways to replicate these reductions in other age groups."
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