title: Baseline research for action: adolescent alcohol consumption in Los Palacios Municipality, Cuba.
abstract: In Cuba, alcohol is an important contributor to morbidity, mortality and social problems. The foundation of Cuba's universal primary health care coverage, family doctor-and-nurse offices play a critical role in prevention, early detection and treatment of alcohol abuse. Los Palacios Municipality of the westernmost province of Pinar del Río, Cuba, is a socially complex, periurban area where alcohol abuse and alcoholism have been identified as important health problems. Adolescents constitute a population at high risk for alcohol abuse because of their receptivity to social influences, but the precise extent of the problem is unknown. This paper reports baseline findings from a survey and direct observation of alcohol consumption in the catchment area of a primary care center, conducted to inform planning for an educational intervention. KEYWORDS Alcohol, alcoholism, alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, adolescence, primary health care, Cuba.
authors.affiliation: Los Palacios Community Mental Health Center, Medical University of Pinar del Río, Los Palacios satellite campus, Pinar del Río, Cuba. yolandadiaz@princesa.pri.sld.cu
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Yairelis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Espinosa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003462:Cuba / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult