The chief medical officer of Northern Ireland has highlighted underage drinking as a cause for concern in his annual report.

Dr Michael McBride said advertising, television and the behaviour of adults may be to blame for the rise in teenage drinking. Young people are exposed to television and adverts glamorising alcohol, and they watch adults speak about alcohol and notice how adults behave when they drink too much, he said.

We all have a responsibility to make sure young people know the facts about alcohol and the consequences it can have.

McBride said research showed four in five 16-year-olds had drunk alcohol.

We are all quick to point the finger at others, the places where young people can buy alcohol even though they are underage, at people who buy alcohol for young people, the police and at parents – at everyone except ourselves, he said.

McBride’s report also flagged up the importance of getting children to take exercise and looked at mental health issues.

Our suicide rates remain above the UK average, he said. To deal with this, he added, a crisis response hotline had been set up offering free counselling to anyone in Northern Ireland at risk of suicide.

The report also looked at the impact of the smoking ban in Northern Ireland. Almost 80 per cent of adult smokers here say they started when they were teenagers. That is why it is so important to discourage young people from smoking, he said.