Developing a standardised global survey to monitor alcohol use and related harms among school-going adolescents

Abstract

Harmful alcohol use is a leading contributor to adolescent morbidity and mortality worldwide, linked to injuries, risky sexual behaviors, and long-term disease. Despite this burden, global surveillance of youth alcohol use remains critically fragmented. While standardized tools like the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) have unified tobacco monitoring, no equivalent exists for alcohol. This commentary proposes the development of a Global Youth Alcohol Survey. The survey would be a school-based, standardized instrument designed to generate comparable data on use patterns, access, marketing exposure, and harms among adolescents aged 13 to 17. Its implementation worldwide could support the development of evidence-based policies, enable monitoring of progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.5, and contribute to protecting adolescents from harmful alcohol use while promoting their health and well-being. The purpose of this commentary paper is to propose a standardized global surveillance approach rather than reporting primary data.