Emérita Sátiro Opaleye

Fatores associados ao uso pesado de álcool entre estudantes das capitais brasileiras

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associacao entre o uso pesado de alcool entre estudantes e os fatores familiares, pessoais e sociais. METODOS: Estudo transversal realizado com estudantes de dez a 18 anos de escolas publicas de 27 capitais brasileiras, em 2004. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionario anonimo, de autopreenchimento, adaptado de instrumento desenvolvido pela Organizacao Mundial da Saude. A amostra representativa, composta por 48.155 estudantes, foi estratificada por setores censitarios e por conglomerados (escolas). Associacoes entre o uso pesado de alcool e os fatores estudados foram analisadas por meio de regressao logistica, considerando nivel de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: Do total de estudantes, 4.286 (8,9%) fizeram uso pesado de alcool no mes anterior a entrevista. A analise por regressao logistica mostrou associacao entre relacoes ruins ou regulares com pai (OR=1,46) e mae (OR=1,61) e uso pesado de alcool. Seguir uma religiao (OR=0,83) mostrou-se inversamente associado a este tipo de consumo de alcool. A pratica de esportes e o fato de a mae se percebida como liberal nao mostraram significância no modelo. Houve maior prevalencia de uso pesado de alcool entre os estudantes que trabalhavam. CONCLUSOES: Ligacoes familiares mais coesas e seguir uma religiao podem prevenir o uso abusivo de alcool entre estudantes.

Social factors associated to binge drinking: a cross-sectional survey among Brazilian students in private high schools

BackgroundBinge drinking (BD) seems to be related to health and social complications among adolescents. Considering that knowledge about BD in developing countries is limited and that in Brazil high socioeconomic status is a risk factor for alcohol abuse, this study sheds light about this phenomenon among adolescents from a different cultural background than prior North-American and European studies.MethodsBrazilian students (n = 2691) selected through a representative, stratified and clustered sampling method were asked to answer a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire contained questions about patterns of alcohol consumption, religious beliefs, leisure activities, family structure and relationships. Data were analyzed with basic contingency tables with Chi-square tests followed by a decision tree analysis and weighted logistic regression.ResultsAlmost thirty-five percent of the students reported recent binge drinking. BD in the past month was positively associated with older age (aOR = 1.5[1.2-1.7]), male gender (aOR = 1.5[1.2-2.0]) going out with friends almost every night (aOR = 33.9[14.2-80.7]), not living with mother (aOR = 2.4[1.3-4.7]), believing in God with little conviction (aOR = 1.6[1.2-2.0]) and rarely talking to parents about anything (aOR = 1.7[1.3-2.2]) or always about drugs (aOR = 1.8[1.3-2.5]). Factors inversely associated with BD were: paying lower monthly tuition fees (aOR = 0.5[0.4-0.9]), living with people who do not get drunk (aOR = 0.6[0.4-0.7]) and frequent engagement in worships (aOR = 0.7[0.5-0.9]).ConclusionThe habit of BD in adolescents enrolled in private high schools in Brazil is strongly linked to the frequency with which they go out with friends at night. Factors such as religiosity, expressed by trust in God and participation in worship, and being enrolled in a school with cheaper tuition fees were associated with avoidance of BD in this population.

Adolescent gender differences in the determinants of tobacco smoking: a cross sectional survey among high school students in São Paulo

BackgroundDiverse psychosocial factors have been associated with the use of cigarettes by adolescents. We investigated gender differences in tobacco smoking, and factors correlated with smoking among boys and girls.MethodsData was collected on recent cigarette smoking (CS) and related factors, with a focus on religious beliefs, leisure activities, family structure, relationships and parental monitoring from 2,691 private school-attending youths from 28 schools in São Paulo, Brazil, selected via probability sampling. Estimates were derived via weighted hierarchical logistic regression models.ResultsThere was no difference in the prevalence of recent cigarette smoking between boys and girls (14.2%). Older age (aORboys = 1.71[1.33-2.21]; aORgirls = 1.73[1.35-2.23]), second-hand smoke exposure at home (aORboys = 1.52[1.00-2.29]; aORgirls = 1.74[1.13-2.68]) and not having a religion (aORboys = 1.99[1.41-2.81]; aORgirls = 1.78[1.14-2.78]) were associated with CS in boys and girls. Adolescents who went out often at night were more likely to be tobacco smokers (aORboys = 8.82[3.96-19.67]; aORgirls = 14.20[6.64-30.37]). For girls, data suggest that CS was also associated with a lack of parental attention and care (aORgirls = 4.37[1.19-16.04]) and no participation in youth religious activities (aORgirls = 2.76[1.49-5.12]). For boys, CS was additionally associated with the loss of one or both parents (aORboys = 3.75[1.78-7.85]).ConclusionsAlthough older age, living with smokers at home and lack of religion were common contributing factors to cigarette smoking among all adolescents, girls were influenced to a greater degree by family relationships and religiosity than boys. The study results may be materially important to the development of prevention programs that influence determinants connected to gender and the implementation of single-core models of prevention; gender differences must be considered in order to reduce adolescent CS.

The Brazilian smoker: a survey in the largest cities of Brazil

OBJECTIVE To understand the sociodemographic factors associated with daily consumption of cigarettes and pattern of cigarette use among Brazilian smokers. METHOD A cross-sectional study was performed in 2005 involving the 108 largest Brazilian cities. Data were collected through interviews with subjects aged 12 to 65 years in randomly selected households. Based on a questionnaire adapted to the Brazilian context, a logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between the sociodemographic characteristics of the sample and smoking. RESULTS Of the 7,921 subjects interviewed, 16.4% reported daily use of cigarettes. The smoking prevalence was similar between genders, although women reported to start smoking at a later age and smoke fewer cigarettes per day. Almost 65% of the smokers were interested in quitting or reducing their smoking habit. The main sociodemographic characteristics associated with smoking were as follows: adult age (30-59 years old), unemployment, low education level, and low socioeconomic level. Alcohol abuse was also shown to be associated with smoking. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that adverse socioeconomic characteristics are implicated in increased susceptibility to smoking in Brazil. In our sample, a high proportion of smokers reported interest to quit or reduce smoking. These data suggest that sociodemographic factors should be considered in the elaboration of smoking prevention and treatment policies.

Socioeconomic influences on alcohol use patterns among private school students in São Paulo

OBJECTIVES To describe alcohol use by socioeconomic level and gender among private high school students in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS Cross-sectional study of students in private schools in São Paulo. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was distributed in the classroom. A total of 2,613 students were selected by the stratification and conglomerate methods. Chi-squared tests, t-tests and ANOVA were used to test for associations between alcohol use and gender and socioeconomic status; for binge drinking, an ordered logistic regression model was developed. RESULTS Overall, 88% of students reported lifetime alcohol use, with 31.6% in combination with energy drinks. Half of the students (51.3%) reported alcohol use in the last month, most frequently beer (35.2%), alcopop (32%) and vodka (31.7%); 33.2% reported binge drinking in the last month (5 drinks per occasion). Most evaluated parameters showed higher rates of use among males and higher social classes. The regression model exhibited an increasing rate of binge drinking with increasing socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that socioeconomic features help to define alcohol use among São Paulo students. Use behaviors such as binge drinking are more prevalent among students from the upper social classes.

Nonprescribed use of tranquilizers or sedatives by adolescents: a Brazilian national survey.

BackgroundAlthough the nonprescribed use of tranquilizers or sedatives by adolescents is a cause for concern in many countries, there is a shortage of data from low and middle income countries (LAMIC). The present study aims to estimate the prevalence of nonprescribed use of tranquilizers/sedatives by adolescents in Brazil, and to assess how socioeconomic and demographic circumstances, as well as indicators of access to these substances are associated with their use and with risk perception.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using a multi-stage probability sample of 18131 high school students from public and private schools from all 27 Brazilian state capitals. A self-reporting questionnaire was used to obtain information on social and economic circumstances, nonprescribed use of tranquilizers or sedatives and risk perception of their use.ResultsLifetime nonprescribed use of tranquilizers or sedatives was reported by 5% of respondents, more commonly among females (OR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.75-2.75) and those attending private schools (OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.17-1.84). The use of tranquilizers/sedatives by relatives or friends was associated with nonprescribed use by the participant (OR: 4.26, 95% CI: 3.46-5.23) and a majority of lifetime users obtained these substances from a family environment (82%). Previous medical prescription was independently associated with nonprescribed use (OR: 6.61, 95% CI: 4.87-8.98) and with low risk perception (OR: 2.42, 95% CI: 1.12-5.24).ConclusionsA substantial proportion of Brazilian adolescents use nonprescribed tranquilizers/sedatives. Easy access to these substances seems to play an important role in this use and should be tackled by preventive and treatment interventions.

God Forbids or Mom Disapproves? Religious Beliefs That Prevent Drug Use Among Youth

Researches have emphasized religiosity as a protective factor against drug use although the mechanism through which it occurs is still unknown. This article aims to explore religious beliefs that could prevent drug use among youth. Three sources of qualitative data were used: participant observation in 21 religious institutions, semistructured interviews of 37 religious leaders, and 6 focus groups comprised of 55 religious drug-naïve youths. The young people’s discourses and the sermons of religious leaders revealed that conceptions about drugs were based on media content, with little religious or scientific context. Catholics and Spiritists considered the consumption of licit drugs less harmful than that of illicit ones and were especially tolerant of the use of alcohol. Protestants were more emphatic when describing all drugs as being harmful to one’s health. Findings suggest that young people who practice a religion invoke several religious concepts to justify their choice for not using drugs, and they attribute this position more to the family legacy than to their own religiosity. Thus youths’ antidrug position was more reflective of family values than religious beliefs.

Factors associated with heavy alcohol use among students in Brazilian capitals

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associacao entre o uso pesado de alcool entre estudantes e os fatores familiares, pessoais e sociais. METODOS: Estudo transversal realizado com estudantes de dez a 18 anos de escolas publicas de 27 capitais brasileiras, em 2004. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionario anonimo, de autopreenchimento, adaptado de instrumento desenvolvido pela Organizacao Mundial da Saude. A amostra representativa, composta por 48.155 estudantes, foi estratificada por setores censitarios e por conglomerados (escolas). Associacoes entre o uso pesado de alcool e os fatores estudados foram analisadas por meio de regressao logistica, considerando nivel de significância de 5%. RESULTADOS: Do total de estudantes, 4.286 (8,9%) fizeram uso pesado de alcool no mes anterior a entrevista. A analise por regressao logistica mostrou associacao entre relacoes ruins ou regulares com pai (OR=1,46) e mae (OR=1,61) e uso pesado de alcool. Seguir uma religiao (OR=0,83) mostrou-se inversamente associado a este tipo de consumo de alcool. A pratica de esportes e o fato de a mae se percebida como liberal nao mostraram significância no modelo. Houve maior prevalencia de uso pesado de alcool entre os estudantes que trabalhavam. CONCLUSOES: Ligacoes familiares mais coesas e seguir uma religiao podem prevenir o uso abusivo de alcool entre estudantes.

Drug use among street children and adolescents: what helps?

The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated to frequent and heavy drug use among street children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. A sample of 2,807 street children and adolescents from the 27 Brazilian state capital cities was analyzed. A World Health Organization questionnaire for non-students was adapted for use in Brazil. Data analysis was performed using logistic regression and decision tree models. Factors inversely associated with frequent and heavy drug use were: being age nine to 11 years (OR = 0.1); school attendance (OR = 0.3); daily time (one to five hours) spent on the streets (OR = 0.3 and 0.4); not sleeping on the streets (OR = 0.4); being on the streets for less than one year (OR = 0.4); maintenance of some family bonds (OR = 0.5); presence on the streets of a family member (OR = 0.6); not suffering domestic violence (OR = 0.6); being female (OR = 0.8). All of these variables were significant at the p < 0.05 level. The findings suggest that being younger, having family bonds and engagement in school are important protective factors that affect drug use among this population and should be considered in the formulation of public policies.

An anti‐inflammatory as a recreational drug in brazil

Benzydamine hydrochloride is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, with medical indication for disorders of the oral and vaginal mucosa. It is available in a number of countries and in different pharmaceuticals preparations, such as pills, vaginal douche preparations, mouthwash, dermal cream and aerosol. In Brazil, it can be purchased for less than US