Staff working in well woman and antenatal clinics may need to be trained to identify early signs of heavy drinking in young women, suggest researchers in this week's BMJ.
In a recent survey of the drinking patterns of British adults, by far the highest proportion of women who were high-risk drinkers (consuming 35 or more units a week) was among those aged only 18-24.
This is consistent with other studies, which have reported that young people in the United Kingdom are particularly likely to drink heavily.
"Our study suggests that different trends may be developing in the drinking careers of women and men," say the authors. "If this is so, the number of younger women developing problems related to alcohol is likely to increase."
Given that women are less likely to attend treatment agencies concerned with alcohol problems, staff working in the types of agencies that young women attend - including well woman and antenatal clinics - need to be trained in early identification of such problems, they conclude.