Practically each second teenage boy and each fifth teenage girl start to drink alcohol up to the age of 15. At the same time, 57% of the women aged between 15 and 49 and 80% of the men drink at least one portion of alcohol once or several times a month, shows a study made by UNICEF in cooperation with the Ministry of Health.

According to the study, more than half of Moldova’s population drinks alcohol. Contacted by IPN, vice director of the National Narcological Dispensary Anatol Marandici said that an increasing number of young people now drink alcohol, with 10-12 teens aged over 17 being annually hospitalized for treatment.

The study also shows that half of the men aged between 15 and 49 smoke, most of them being from poor households. The situation among women is different. The women with higher incomes smoke twice more than the poor women.

5% of the children younger than five are overweight. Among rich families, this index is 7%. The children from rich families are two times more exposed to the risk of being obese.

The study, which was presented recently, is based on data collected in 2012 on a sample of 12,000 Moldovan households.