|
Article Excerpt
Disorders associated with alcohol use have been widely investigated in the community because of several associated social and health problems. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO 2002), 4% of all morbidity and mortality globally in 2000 was related to alcohol use. In Brazil, despite methodological differences, studies have shown that this problem is relevant and increasing. Galduroz, Noto, Nappo & Carlini (2003) compared the prevalence of alcohol dependence in the 24 largest cities of Silo Paulo state in 1999 and 2001, observing increases ranging from 6.6% to 9.4%. Andrade, Waiters, Centl & Laureti (2002), analyzing two neighborhoods of Silo Paulo, found a 4.5% annual prevalence of alcohol abuse/dependence in the past year.
In Brazil only a few studies have been done that examine patterns of alcohol use by the general population; although the alcohol-use criteria vary, the estimates of risky use are uniformly high. In a study conducted in Rio Grande do Sul, Lima, Dunn, Novo, Tomasi & Reisser (2003) found high-risk use in 4.5% of the population--8.1% among men and 1.7% among women. These authors defined high-risk drinking as daily ethanol intake of more than 57 grams for men and 41 grams for women. In the study conducted by Almeida-Filho, Lessa, Magalhaes, Araujo, James, et al. (2005), high-risk drinking was defined as binge drinking (at least once a week) plus episodes of drunkenness or high intake, or any use of alcoholic beverages but with drunkenness at least once a week. The annual prevalence of high-risk drinking was 7.0%, with higher rates for males and with higher socioeconomic status.
Few studies in Brazil have looked at differences in patterns of use in the context of gender. Kerr-Correa, Hegedus, Trinca, Kerr-Pontes, Sanches, Floripes, et al. (2005) carried out a survey that analyzed differences in patterns of alcohol use between men and women in a small city in southeastern Brazil. In this study the authors observed that the heavy drinking (HD) pattern was more frequent among men, in the group that presented the risk factors of age and tobacco use. For women the only factor predictive of HD was drinking alone. Silveira, Wand, Andrade & Andrade (2007), analyzing data collected ten years before in the city of Sao Paulo, observed the same differences in pattern between men and women. In this study, after control for potentially confounding variables, youth was shown to be a risk factor for both genders, while marital status was found to be predictive only in women.
Diverse hypotheses that seek to explain the differences in alcohol use between men and women include those addressing biological and sociocultural aspects (Graham, Wilsnack, Dawson & Vogeltanz 1998; Wilsnack, Vogeltanz, Wilsnack & Harris 2000). From the biological point of view, women reach a higher blood alcohol concentration than men from the same amount of alcohol. In part this fact is explained by the difference in metabolism (Frezza, Di Padova, Pozzato, Terpin, Baraona & Lieber 1990) or even by hormonal levels (Gavaler, Deal, Van Theil, Arria & Allan 1993). Yet, from the sociocultural perspective, other aspects such as, for example, differences in social roles of men and women, have been described as factors associated with distinct patterns of alcohol use (Kerr-Correa et al. 2005; 2006; Obot & Room 2005). Rahav, Wilsnack, Bloomfield, Gmel & Kuntsche (2006), in a study that included 29 countries in Project GENACIS, observed that in all these countries the consumption indicators were higher among men. According to the authors, although the gender ratio between men's and women's drinking varied among countries, the discrepancy between the genders was lower with modernization.
Objectives
The present study aims to identify patterns of alcohol use and associated variables in adults living in Silo Paulo City, Brazil, to better understand gender differences in alcohol consumption as well as risk factors for heavy drinking. The following hypotheses regarding alcohol and gender were examined. Our first hypothesis was that men drink more than women, especially in the heavier consumption patterns, and women have higher abstinence rates. Our second hypothesis was that religion would increase abstinence, and that religious drinkers would stay in the light consumption range. Third, we expected that drinkers, especially heavier drinkers, would have a more positive attitude towards alcohol. Finally, our hypothesis was that having a partner who is also a heavy drinker would increase a person's chances of being a heavy drinker.
Methods
Setting
Sao Paulo City is the capital of Silo Paulo State and the largest city in Brazil and the southern hemisphere. It is...
|
%20of%20sao%20paulo%20city%20brazil.%20%20&position=1)