Abstract

CONCHA SANZ, Susana; TORRE RUIZ, Mar  and  HURTADO AGUILAR, Alejandra. Tobacco and alcohol consumption in the first and second year of secondary education in a rural population. Rev Clin Med Fam [online]. 2014, vol.7, n.3, pp.169-176. ISSN 2386-8201.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S1699-695X2014000300002.

Study Objective: To establish alcohol and tobacco consumption patterns in students in the first cycle of Obligatory Secondary Education (ESO), (ages: from 12 to14) in a rural town. Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Setting: Public Secondary School in Molina de Aragón, Guadalajara (Spain). Participants: 156 students in the first and second year of Secondary Education. Main measures: Socio-demographic variables (age, sex, school year, associations and sports), alcohol and tobacco consumption, types, motivations and family models. Results: The response rate was 97.4%. Mean age (± standard deviation):12.96 ± 1.4 years. 52.2% were men. 29.6% participants had smoked, with average starting age of 11.92 in men and 12.05 in women. Girls show higher consumption frequency with respect to boys (32.8% vs. 21.4%; p=0.13). Regarding alcohol consumption, 27.6 reported they started drinking at an average age of 12.25 years in women vs 12.42 in men. Alcohol consumption rate was 35.9% for girls compared to 20% for boys (p=0.036). In the first year of ESO (12-13 years-old), 5.3% of students were smokers or reported drinking, while in the second year (ages from 13 to 14) that percentage increased to 32% (p<0.05). 38.2% smoked every day; while 78.6% of those who drink alcohol usually did it during the so-called "botellón" (outdoor binge drinking). The highest motivation for drinking is because they like it (59.5% in the case of alcohol and 60% for tobacco). Among smokers, in 46.6%, their families also smoked in front of them (43.2% in the case of alcohol consumption). Association membership or sport practice did not seem to have an influence at this age to prevent consumption. Conclusions: In this pre-teen group studied there is an early start of alcohol/tobacco consumption, being girls more active. An important change has been observed from the first to the second year of secondary education in relation to consumption habits, without having influence from sport practice but being affected by the family environment.

Keywords : Tobacco Consumption; Alcoholic Drinks Consumption; Adolescents; Family Relations; Sports.

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