Association between the risk of alcohol use and unprotected sex in adolescents in a city in the southern region of Brazil.

Luana Dallo,Raul Aragão Martins

doi:10.1590/1413-81232018231.14282015

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze alcohol abuse and unprotected sex and the association between them in students in a city in the southern region of Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study using a quantitative approach with 590 secondary school students from two public schools. Regarding alcohol use, 14% scored from eight to 40 in The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which means, at least, a risky drinking behavior, with higher rate among boys. Moreover, 31.1% indulged themselves in binge drinking, which means drinking six or more doses according to AUDIT; and even among those who are low- risk drinkers, 21.1% had this drinking pattern. Regarding sexual behavior, young boys started sexual life earlier and the kind of relationship more referred to by them is one with no commitment; boys have uncommitted relationships, while girls have more relationships with commitment. In relation to the results of the association between alcohol use and sexual intercourse, 47.3% stated alcohol use before having sex, and those who started sexual activity got more drunk and had higher scores in the AUDIT. New studies are recommended regarding the association between both behaviors in Brazil, considering that the causal relationship is not clear and shows several explanation models.

Highlights

Health risk behaviors in adolescents have been highlighted as a priority in public health, and the school environment is the ideal space for prevention work
As to the beginning of the sexual life of the group studied, which was defined through answer “Yes” to the question: “Did you already have a sexual relationship?”, 157 students (28.8%) answered affirmatively, and 18 (3.2%) left this question blank
In a study with university students[22], the mean age of sexual initiation is above the average age of young people in the general Brazilian population, suggesting that the level of schooling is likely to influence young people’s sexual behavior

Summary

Introduction

Health risk behaviors in adolescents have been highlighted as a priority in public health, and the school environment is the ideal space for prevention work. The most common risk behaviors among adolescents are legal and illegal drug use, involvement in violence, inadequate food intake, insufficient levels of physical activity and unprotected sexual behaviors[1]. The onset of adolescence happens with the physical changes of puberty. Puberty and adolescence are two different phenomena. The first involves unavoidable biological changes, whereas adolescence refers to psychological and social components; this means that adolescence begins in biology and ends in culture, at a time when adolescents achieve reasonable independence from their parents. This stage may be brief, but tends to last longer[2] in those perceived as technologically more advanced

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