PATTERNS OF ALCOHOL-USE AMONG ADOLESCENTS LIVING IN PORTO-ALEGRE, BRAZIL

A cross-sectional household survey was used to assess patterns of alco hol experimentation and consumption among Brazilian adolescents, strat ified by age and sex. Trained interviewers administered a standardized questionnaire to 950 subjects, ages 10 to 18, which examined such thi ngs as age of first alcohol use, situational aspects of consumption, a mounts ingested and use among peers. Lifetime prevalence of alcohol us e was high (71.5%), especially in the older teens (94.4%). The mean ag e of first use was 10 years, and consumption of all types of alcohol, including hard liquor, was common. Alcohol use typically began in the home, at family celebrations and social occasions, and progressively e volved to street drinking with peers. This pattern was most evident in males, who reported a larger volume of alcohol consumption per episod e, when compared to females. The total amount of alcohol consumption r eported for all ages is very high and may be due to permissive cultura l views of alcohol. Age and gender play an important role in the evolu tion of drinking, with male adolescents being exposed to higher concen trations of alcohol and at younger ages than females, who seem to have a more conservative attitude toward excessive drinking. Subjects cons idered these practices normal, with no concern about the illegality of such behaviors.