TEENAGE drinking rates in Scotland have plummeted by 30% since 2002, new research shows.

Weekly drinking for girls has fallen from 41% to 11%, according to work led by St Andrews University, with prevalence for boys going from 41% to 14%.

The change marks the second biggest for girls and fourth largest for boys out of 36 European countries covered in a new paper for the World Health Organisation.

Lead editor Dr Jo Inchley, senior research fellow in the School of Medicine at St Andrews University, said: “Overall reductions in harmful drinking have been greatest in countries that traditionally have had higher prevalence, such as Great Britain and the Nordic region.

“This makes it clear that change is possible; however, more should be done to ensure that adolescents are effectively protected from the harms caused by alcohol.”

Around one third of youngsters say they began drinking alcohol at age 13 or younger.

Consumption of spirits by girls in Scotland also dropped “significantly” from 37 per cent in 2002 to 7% in 2014, and to 5% from 26% in boys.

The data is taken from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, which has collected information on Scottish young people’s health and wellbeing every four years since 1990.

Changes in household income, marketing and prevention approaches are cited as possible reasons for the drinking decline, as are shifts in adult norms and teen culture.

However, Inchley emphasised the need for continued action to further reduce levels of alcohol consumption by young people.

Commenting on possible measures to achieve change, she stated: “Studies have shown that young people who are exposed to alcohol marketing are more likely to start drinking at an earlier age and to drink more.

“We therefore need to implement stricter policies to restrict advertising to young people, alongside other measures which have been shown to be effective, such as taxation, minimum pricing and enforcing age restrictions on the sale of alcohol.”