title: Opinions and beliefs held by Spanish teenagers regarding tobacco and alcohol consumption: a descriptive study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preventive strategies are the most effective approach for dealing with issues of substance abuse, particularly in teenagers. Such strategies adapt well to this target population. Our objective was to reveal the opinions and beliefs held by teenagers about tobacco and alcohol as types of drugs, and their effects on health.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, participants completed a self-administered questionnaire based on the World Health Organization "Health Behaviour of School-aged Children" study. Our sample included 1,005 schoolchildren aged between 11 and 13 years, resident in the province of Córdoba in Spain. Descriptive and univariate analyses were performed using a chi-squared test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of respondents, 25% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.2-27.6%) and 61% (95% CI: 58.0-64.1%), respectively, did not consider tobacco or alcohol to be drugs. No relationship was found between tobacco and alcohol use, and the belief that these are drugs (p = 0.477 and p = 0.217, respectively). A total 98.2% of adolescents surveyed (95% CI: 97.3-99.1%) believed that tobacco causes physical damage, mainly to the lungs, heart, and to the developing fetus. Additionally, 92.4% (95% CI: 90.6-94.0%) believed that alcohol is detrimental to health and identified the liver as the organ most frequently damaged by alcohol consumption. The media was identified as the main source of information about these substances by 78.0% of respondents (95% CI: 75.4-80.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teenagers possess an acceptable level of knowledge and information about the negative effects of tobacco and alcohol on health; however, many of them do not consider these substances to be drugs.
authors: Faculty of Medicine, University Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid, Spain. r.ruiz.prof@ufv.es.|Escuela de Medicina, Edificio E, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Ctra. M-515 de Pozuelo-Majadahonda, Km. 1,800, 28223, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain. r.ruiz.prof@ufv.es.
authors: Roger
authors: R
authors: Ruiz-Moral
authors: Health Center Otero, Ceuta, Spain. sarapalen@hotmail.com.
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Palenzuela-Paniagua
authors: Health Center de Arrabal, Zaragoza, Spain. med000764@gmail.com.
authors: Rosa
authors: R
authors: Magallón-Botaya
authors: Sanitary District Cordoba and Guadalquivir, Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research Córdoba (IMIBIC)/Reina Sofia University Hospital/University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain. celia.jimenez.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors: Celia
authors: C
authors: Jiménez-García
authors: Health Center Villarrubia, Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research Córdoba (IMIBIC)/Reina Sofia University Hospital/University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain. jangel.fernandez.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es.
authors: Jose Angel
authors: JA
authors: Fernández García
authors: Teaching Unit of Family and Community Medicine in Córdoba, Sanitary District Cordoba and Guadalquivir, Maimonides Institute for Biomedical Research Córdoba (IMIBIC)/Reina Sofia University Hospital/University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain. luisangel.perula@gmail.com.
authors: Luis Angel
authors: LA
authors: Pérula de Torres
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
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