Prevalência do consumo de álcool entre adolescentes escolares e fatores associados

Abstract

Adolescence is one of the fastest and most conflicting phases of human development in which changes in health-related behaviors occur. It is a time of discoveries and experimentation that lead to greater exposure to risky situations, such as the use of alcohol. This research aimed to estimate the prevalence of alcohol consumption in school adolescents in Montes Claros/MG and to identify associated factors. This is a cross-sectional, analytical and epidemiological study. The population consisted of adolescents of both sexes aged between 10 and 16 years, enrolled in the morning and afternoon shifts of the state network of Montes Claros, in the north of Minas Gerais, Brazil. For data collection, a self-administered questionnaire was used for sociodemographic characterization, assessment of diet, quality of life and body satisfaction, as well as the measurement of anthropometric data. The dependent variable selected for the study was alcohol consumption, characterized as having consumed alcohol at least once in a lifetime, in any frequency or quantity. Data were organized, audited and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS®) version 22.0 program. Simple frequency and prevalence of variables related to alcohol consumption were presented. As for the independent variables, bivariate analyzes were performed using Pearson's X2 test. Poisson regression with robust variance was used to estimate the crude prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). It was found that the prevalence of alcohol consumption by students was 17.9%, showing a significant association with age, smoking, body satisfaction, if the teenager has not had fun and with family income, which was a protective fator. It is hoped that the results obtained through this study can encourage the implementation of health policies that encourage prevention and the promotion of adolescent health.