[Religiousness, alcohol consumption and smoking in adolescence].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the association between religiousness and exposure to alcohol consumption and smoking in adolescence.


METHODS
The sample included 4 210 high-school students from state schools in Pernambuco, Brazil, selected through two-stage cluster sampling. Information was collected using the Global school-based student health survey (GSHS). Exposure to alcohol consumption and smoking was defined as consumption of either substance at least 1 day in the past 30 days, regardless of intensity. Religious affiliation and practice were analyzed as religiousness-related variables.


RESULTS
The prevalence of exposure to alcohol consumption was 30.3% (95%CI: 28.9-31.7). Alcohol consumption was significantly higher in males (38.6%) than females (24.8%). The prevalence of exposure to smoking was 7.8% (IC 95%: 7.0-8.7), higher in males (9.8%) than females (6.2%). Crude analyses revealed that regardless of sex, exposure to alcohol consumption and smoking was inversely proportional to religious affiliation or practice. Logistic regression adjustment revealed that the likelihood of reporting exposure to alcohol consumption (OR = 0.71; 95%CI: 0.60-0.83) and smoking (OR = 0.61; 95%CI: 0,46-0,79) was lower in adolescents who reported religious practice, independently of affiliation.


CONCLUSIONS
The present results suggest that religiousness may act as a modulator for the exposure to alcohol consumption and smoking in adolescence. Further studies should be carried out to analyze how the protective effect of religiousness can be enhanced through health interventions and campaigns.
Bezerra
Jorge
J
Escola Superior de Educação Física, Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil.
Barros
Mauro Virgílio Gomes
MV
Tenório
Maria Cecília Marinho
MC
Tassitano
Rafael Miranda
RM
Barros
Simone Storino Honda
SS
Hallal
Pedro C
PC
D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012067:Religion; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult