ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONSUMPTION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN PORTO-ALEGRE, A SOUTHERN BRAZILIAN CITY - A POPULATION-BASED SURVEY

Objective: To describe the pattern of alcoholic beverage consumption a nd the prevalence of at risk drinking behaviors, as well as their asso ciation with demographic and socioeconomic factors in the adult popula tion of Porto Alegre, a southern Brazilian city. Method: In a cross-se ctional, population-based, multistage random sampling study, 1,091 (60 0 female) individuals (92% of those eligible) were selected and interv iewed at home. Exposure to alcohol was measured by the CAGE questionna ire and by inquiring about the type, quantity and frequency of alcohol ic beverage consumption. An average consumption of 30 g per day or mor e, a level of exposure associated with health risks, was considered as heavy drinking. Two positive answers to the CAGE questionnaire repres ented the cutoff for indicating dependence. Results: The prevalences w ere: 9.3% (95% CI: 7.6 to 11.0) for dependence, 15.5% (13:4 to 17.7) f or heavy drinking and 12.3% (10.4 to 14.2) for daily drinking; 24.1% ( 21.7 to 26.6) were abstinent. Women consumed alcoholic beverages in lo wer frequency and amounts than men. The most widely consumed beverages were beer, wine and ''cachaca'' a Brazilian sugarcane spirit. In a lo gistic repression model, increasing age, lower education and income, a nd nonwhite race were associated with heavy drinking and dependence. H ouseholds with 3-4 persons were associated with the lowest risk of hea vy drinking, but the prevalence of dependence was higher in crowded ho useholds. The presence of another heavy drinker or dependent in the ho usehold was associated with heavy drinking but not with dependence. Co nclusions: The study characterized a detailed pattern of alcoholic bev erage use and indicated that at risk drinking is an important public h ealth problem in a developing country. The risk factors for heavy drin king and dependence were the same, with the exception of age at starti ng to drink, heavy drinking or dependence-positive household members.