Search

The scope of this article is to describe and estimate the odds of problems among adolescents who reported binge drinking compared to those who reported alcohol consumption without binge drinking. The sample included 10,666 fourteen to eighteen-year-old public and private high school students in the 27 Brazilian state capitals who reported alcohol consumption at least once in the 12 months prior to the survey The odds of problems arising were estimated by ordinal logistic regression. Half of the students reported binge drinking and 33.1% admitted to at least one problem as a result. Binge drinking in the year (aOR = 4.7; CI: 3.9-5.7) and month (aOR = 4.4; CI:3.6-5.4) was associated with greater odds of reported problems. The most likely problems were: going to school or work drunk (aOR:6.5; CI:3.6-11.9); having sex without a condom (aOR:5.0; CI:3.7-6.8); and getting into a fight (aOR:4.5; CI:3.2-6.3). Adolescents who go binge drinking are more exposed to alcohol-related problems than those who report lower alcohol consumption. It is suggested that alcohol education/prevention programs should consider the most prevalent problems and risk behaviors, thereby broadening the discussion on consumption of alcohol versus non-consumption of alcohol.

As part of a multicenter project supported by the World Health Organization, we developed a web-based intervention to reduce alcohol use and related problems. We evaluated the predictors of adherence to, and the outcomes of the intervention. Success was defined as a reduction in consumption to low risk levels or to <50% of the baseline levels of number of drinks. From the 32,401 people who accessed the site, 3389 registered and 929 completed the full Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), a necessary condition to be considered eligible to take part in the intervention. Based on their AUDIT scores, these participants were classified into: low risk users (LRU; n=319) harmful/hazardous users (HHU; n=298) or suggestive of dependence users (SDU; n=312). 29.1% of the registered users (LRU=42; HHU=90; SDU=82) completed the evaluation form at the end of the six-week period, and 63.5% reported low-risk drinking levels. We observed a significant reduction in alcohol consumption in the HHU (62.5%) and SDU (64.5%) groups in relation to baseline. One month after the intervention, in the follow-up, 94 users filled out the evaluation form, and their rate of success was similar to the one observed in the previous evaluation. Logistic regression analyses indicated that HHU participants presented higher adherence than LRU. Despite a relatively low adherence to the program, its good outcomes and low cost, as well as the high number of people that can be reached by a web-based intervention, suggest it has good cost-effectiveness., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine the relationship between alcohol and tobacco use and sports in a national sample of secondary students., Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled a representative sample of secondary students from public and private schools from all 27 Brazilian state capitals. Students were assessed in 2010 by a self-report questionnaire including questions on drug use and sport activity in the last month (n=13,872)., Results: Subjects who played sports exhibited a higher frequency of alcohol use and heavy episodic drinking than their peers who did not play sports. Practices that were associated with higher odds of heavy episodic drinking in the last month included gym, weight training (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.0, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.6-2.4), and soccer (aOR: 1.3, 95%CI 1.1-1.5). Fighting, martial arts, or capoeira were associated with smoking (aOR: 1.9, 95%CI 1.2-3.2)., Conclusion: These results suggest a relationship between some sports preferences and a higher risk of alcohol or tobacco use among Brazilian secondary students. This relationship should be considered in preventive programs.

Background: To develop prevention programs or early interventions to reduce alcohol consumption and related problems among college students, it is essential to understand their motivations for drinking and the spontaneous (effective and non-effective) strategies they employ to control, considering the social and cultural contexts influence. This study aimed to explore these factors and the student's application of selfcare in different situations and environments, as well as to identify their reasons for not drinking. Methods: The students were invited to participate using a snowball sampling, up to the theoretical saturation point. Qualitative individual semi-structured interviews were carried out and the interviews contents were analyzed using the NVivo software. The participants were 23 college students between 18 and 24 years old, with diverse patterns of alcohol use (low-risk to suggestive of dependence). Results: Data analysis highlighted three main themes: (a) Contexts (such as bars, "open bar" parties and others) and consumption patterns; (b) Protective Strategies (such as stop-drinking intervals, eating before or during drinking, returning home in the company of a friend); (c) Motivations to control drinking (such as sense of responsibility, bad previous experiences, family and religious issues). Protective strategies and motivation to control drinking were perceived to be less prominent in specific contexts that favor high alcohol consumption, as open bar parties. Conclusions: Motivations and protective strategies varied according to the drinkers' profile, social situations and settings in which they consumed alcohol. The results highlight the need for preventive interventions planned for specific drinking patterns and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Web-based personalized normative feedback (PNF) interventions are less effective than their laboratory versions. Participant motivation may account for this reduced effect, but there is only a limited amount of research into the influence of motivation on PNF effectiveness. We evaluated the effectiveness of a web-based PNF in reducing alcohol use and consequences among college students with different motivation levels.Methods: Pragmatic randomized controlled trial among Brazilian college drinkers aged 18-30 years (N = 4460). Participants were randomized to a Control or PNF group and followed-up after one (T1), three (T2) and six (T3) months. Outcomes were: AUDIT score (primary outcome), the number of consequences, and the typical number of drinks. Motivation for receiving the intervention was assessed with a visual analog scale (range: 0-10). Generalized mixed models assessed intervention effects via two paradigms: observed cases and attrition models.Results: PNF reduced the number of typical drinks at T1 (OR = 0.71, p = 0.002), T2 (OR = 0.60, p < 0.001) and T3 (OR = 0.68, p = 0.016), compared to the control. Motivated students (score ≥3) receiving PNF also reduced the number of typical drinks at T1 (OR = 0.60, p < 0.001), T2 (OR = 0.55, p < 0.001) and T3 (OR = 0.56, p = 0.001), compared to the control. However, the attrition models were more robust at T1 and T2. In contrast, low-motivated students receiving the PNF increased AUDIT score at T3 (b = 1.49, p < 0.001).Conclusions: The intervention reduced alcohol use, and motivation for receiving the intervention moderated the intervention effects. Motivated students reduced their typical alcohol use, whereas low-motivated students increased their AUDIT score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scope of this article is to describe and estimate the odds of problems among adolescents who reported binge drinking compared to those who reported alcohol consumption without binge drinking. The sample included 10,666 fourteen to eighteen-year-old public and private high school students in the 27 Brazilian state capitals who reported alcohol consumption at least once in the 12 months prior to the survey The odds of problems arising were estimated by ordinal logistic regression. Half of the students reported binge drinking and 33.1% admitted to at least one problem as a result. Binge drinking in the year (aOR = 4.7; CI: 3.9-5.7) and month (aOR = 4.4; CI:3.6-5.4) was associated with greater odds of reported problems. The most likely problems were: going to school or work drunk (aOR:6.5; CI:3.6-11.9); having sex without a condom (aOR:5.0; CI:3.7-6.8); and getting into a fight (aOR:4.5; CI:3.2-6.3). Adolescents who go binge drinking are more exposed to alcohol-related problems than those who report lower alcohol consumption. It is suggested that alcohol education/prevention programs should consider the most prevalent problems and risk behaviors, thereby broadening the discussion on consumption of alcohol versus non-consumption of alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To identify the main modalities of Internet-based interventions to limit alcohol use among university students, and to describe the effects of these interventions on alcohol use and related consequences. Methods. A systematic review of PubMed, PsycINFO, and SciELO was performed using as search terms "alcohol drinking AND Internet," without date or language restrictions. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trial design, focus on college students and on Internet-based interventions, and evaluating the effects of the intervention on alcohol use or alcohol-related consequences. Results. Thirty-six articles were analyzed. Two main intervention modalities were identified: personalized normative feedback (PNF, n=28) and multicomponent interventions (n=8). Twelve studies with PNF reported reductions in alcohol use 3 months after the intervention. Multicomponent interventions reduced alcohol use and related consequences; most studies focused on the website AlcoholEdu, which reduced alcohol consumption and the consequences of alcohol use 6 months after the intervention. Conclusions. FNP and the AlcoholEdu website, the most frequently evaluated interventions among the selected studies, were effective in reducing alcohol use in university students. These strategies are an alternative to increase the access of university students to interventions aimed at limiting alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heavy episodic drinking (HED) (consumption of five or more drinks on the same occasion) among adolescents is related to several problems and partaking in sport or physical activities has been suggested as an option to prevent or reduce alcohol consumption among this population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between soccer practice and heavy episodic drinking among high school students from Brazil. Methods: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study among a representative sample of public and private high school students from all Brazilian state capitals (N=19,132). Only students aged from 14 to 18 who reported having taken part in soccer practice, other team sports or non-practicing sports in the last month were included. Characteristics of sport practice (frequency and motivation) and HED in the last month (type of drink; where and with whom they drank; frequency of HED) were also considered. Regression models were controlled for sociodemographic variables. Results: For all groups studied most of the students reported drinking beer, with friends and at nightclubs or bars. Soccer practice was associated to HED when compared to non-practicing sports and to other team sports. Compared to other team sports, playing soccer for pleasure or profession, but not for keep fit or health reasons, were more associated to HED. Frequency of soccer practice from 1 to 5 days per month and 20 or more days per month, but not from 6 to 19 days per month, were also more associated to HED. Conclusions: The relationship between soccer and HED appears to be particularly stronger than in other team sports among adolescents in Brazil. Induced sociability of team sports practice cannot be assumed as the main reason for HED among soccer players. Possibly these results reflect the importance of a strong cultural association between soccer and beer in Brazil and these findings should be integrated to future prevention or intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study explored whether treatment-specific processes linking therapist behaviors, post-session client ratings, and 3-month proximal outcomes (i.e., end of treatment) can explain 12-month outcomes for two contrasting alcohol treatment conditions with equivalent overall outcomes.Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of the UK Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT), a multi-center randomized controlled trial of treatment for alcohol problems comparing 3-session motivational enhancement therapy (MET) to 8-session social behaviour and network therapy (SBNT). Among 742 adult clients included in UKATT, 351 had one treatment session recorded and coded and were followed-up 3 and 12 months after baseline. The study team conducted serial mediation analyses to test whether the frequency and quality of MET and SBNT skills were related to 12-month alcohol outcomes (drinks per drinking day) through postsession client ratings of treatment progress (Processes of Change Questionnaire, PCQ), readiness to change (RTC) and social support for drinking after 3-months.Results: Higher quality of MET skills was related to higher PCQ scores, which were in turn related to greater post-treatment RTC, and subsequently to better alcohol outcomes. Total indirect effect was consistently significant. In contrast, only PCQ was predictive of treatment outcome in the SBNT portion of the model.Conclusions: This study provides evidence from a large pragmatic trial that the quality of MET skills positively influences alcohol outcomes in part through improvements in motivation during treatment and actively trying to change when treatment ends. Research should explore the ways in which SBNT secured outcomes that were equivalent to MET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]