Smoking, alcohol consumption and associated factors in medical students

ABSTRACT Objectives To describe the prevalence and factors associated with the use of alcoholic beverages among medical students. Estimate the prevalence of smoking. Methods Cross-sectional study (census) with a self-administered questionnaire in medical students at a public university in Bahia (n = 616) enrolled from the first to the eighth semester. Multivariate analysis using Cox Regression identified the factors associated with the use of alcoholic beverages, through three outcomes: presence and frequency of use and the pattern of use called binge drinking. Results 556 students were studied (90.2% response), among which, 58.7% drink, 21% consume alcohol at least once a week and 36% do binge drinking. The male population and those more physically active at leisure time showed a higher prevalence of alcohol use, either due to the higher frequency of use or the use of more doses on one occasion. School variables were associated with one or another method of measuring alcohol use. The prevalence of smoking was 4.8%. Conclusion The use of alcoholic beverages and their consumption pattern were high in the studied population, consistent with other student populations already investigated. The low prevalence of smoking is consistent with the literature that admits the success of public policies aimed at controlling this consumption in Brazil.