Abstract
We sought to identify the prevalence and factors associated with alcohol abuse among farmers living in a medium-sized municipality in northeastern Brazil during 2019 and 2020. Trained interviewers applied the standardized questionnaire to 450 participants. Sociodemographic, health, income and work characteristics were investigated. The tracking of alcohol misuse was done using the CAGE questionnaire (Cut down, Annoyed by criticism, Guilty and Eye-opener), being the cut-off point ≥ 2. Poisson Regression was applied with robust estimation to verify the reasons of prevalence (RP) in bivariate and multivariate analysis. The prevalence of alcohol abuse among farmers was 32% (95% CI 27.8-36.4). Factors such as being male, having a diagnosis of mental disorder in the family, being a smoker, and using drugs were associated with the higher prevalence of the outcome. Being 60 years old or older was associated with a lower prevalence of alcohol abuse. These results indicate the need for social support to this group of workers in the context of occupational health.
Highlights
The abuse of alcoholic beverages is a public health problem all over the world
Alcohol abuse is associated with increased mortality and morbidity due to its potential to cause disease and is related to loss of Quality of Life (QL) [3]
In order to contribute to the advancement of research on alcohol consumption in rural populations, among farmers, this study aims to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with alcohol consumption in farmers in the municipality of Caico/ Rio Grande do Norte (RN)
Summary
The abuse of alcoholic beverages is a public health problem all over the world. Alcohol is described as a substance capable of leading to chemical dependence and causing serious health problems, liver cirrhosis, several types of cancer and pancreatitis [1]. Mortality and functional limitations caused by alcohol abuse bring high costs to the health system [2]. Alcohol abuse is associated with increased mortality and morbidity due to its potential to cause disease and is related to loss of Quality of Life (QL) [3]. The harmful use of alcohol results in 3 million deaths per year, representing 5.3% of all deaths, and a causal factor for over 200 diseases and injuries. 5.6% of all deaths worldwide are attributable to alcohol consumption and 0.6% of deaths among women [4]
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