Health promotion to reduce alcoholism through socio-cultural management: a shared experience

Background: the university career Socio-cultural Management for Development has accumulated an experience in prevention, through projects developed by students to enrich their work practice. Objective: to show the effectiveness of a health promotion project to reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages in a population of adolescents at Caibarién municipality, applied by third year students of the Socio-cultural Management for Development. Methods: a participatory action research was carried out, from September 2015 to July 2016, in “Marta Abreu” Central University of Las Villas. Theoretical methods were used: analysis-synthesis and induction-deduction; and empirical ones: survey and group techniques for the diagnosis of needs and the results of implementation of the project. Results: it was found that the majority of the adolescents in the study group can be considered as social drinkers and have little knowledge and risk perception on alcoholism, so a health promotion project was designed and implemented to reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages; once applied, the above criteria were modified and sensitization and awareness-raising manifestations were perceived facing up the harmful habit. For the university students involved in the project, it meant a different professional experience and strengthened their professional orientation. Conclusions: the project implemented to reduce the consumption of alcoholic beverages, from the socio-cultural management was a successful experience for the adolescents involved as well as for the students of Socio-cultural Management for Development as their performers. Fundamento: la carrera universitaria Gestión Sociocultural para el Desarrollo ha acumulado una experiencia en la prevención, mediante proyectos desarrollados por los estudiantes para enriquecer su práctica laboral.Objetivo: exponer la efectividad de un proyecto de promoción de salud para disminuir el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas en una población de adolescentes del municipio Caibarién, aplicada por estudiantes de tercer año de la carrera de Gestión Sociocultural para el Desarrollo.Métodos: se realizó una investigación de acción participativa, de septiembre 2015 a julio 2016, en la Universidad Central “Marta Abreu” de las Villas. Se utilizaron métodos teóricos: análisis-síntesis e inducción-deducción; y empíricos: encuesta y técnicas grupales para el diagnóstico de necesidades y los resultados de la aplicación del proyecto.Resultados: se constató