Individual and Contextual Characteristics Associated With Alcohol Use Among Brazilian Adolescents

Int J Public Health. 2022 Jun 2:67:1604397. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604397. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the association between individual and contextual characteristics with alcohol indicators of experimentation, use in the last 30 days and drunkenness in Brazilian adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional study based on data from 100,914 student attending 9th grade from the 2015 National School Health Survey. Multilevel logistic regression models were performed for the outcomes: alcohol experimentation; use in the last 30 days and drunkenness; and exposures, adjusted for adolescents' sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Girls were more likely to experiment alcohol (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.05-1.12), use it in the last 30 days (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 1.00-1.13) and less prone to drunkenness (OR = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.87-0.93). A higher proportion of public-school students reported drinking. There was a positive association of substance use by parents, peers and the adolescents themselves with the outcomes. Having a policy of banning alcohol consumption at school was associated with a greater chance of alcohol experimentation in public schools. Conclusion: Exposure to legal and illegal substances by friends, family members and a prohibitive school environment favored the outcomes.

Keywords: adolescent; adolescent behavior; alcoholic drinks; educational institutions; health education.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior*
  • Alcohol Drinking / epidemiology
  • Alcoholic Intoxication*
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Ethanol
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Schools

Substances

  • Ethanol