Citation

Sanchez ZM, Nappo SA, Cruz JI, Carlini EA, Carlini CM, Martins SS. Clinics (Sao Paulo) 2013; 68(4): 489-494.

Affiliation

Escola Paulista de Medicina, Department of Preventive Medicine, Brazilian Center of Information of Psychotropic Drugs, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo,SP, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Hospital das Clinicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sao Paulo)

DOI

10.6061/clinics/2013(04)09

PMID

23778342

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol and other drug use appears to reduce decision-making ability and increase the risk of unsafe sex, leading to possible unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases/human immunodeficiency virus/HIV transmission, and multiple sexual partners. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that risky sexual behaviors among adolescents are associated with legal and illegal drug use. METHODS: A national cross-sectional survey of 17,371 high-school students was conducted in 2010. Students were selected from 789 public and private schools in each of the 27 Brazilian state capitals by a multistage probabilistic sampling method and answered a self-report questionnaire. Weighted data were analyzed through basic contingency tables and logistic regressions testing for differences in condom use among adolescents who were sexually active during the past month. RESULTS: Approximately one third of the high school students had engaged in sexual intercourse in the month prior to the survey, and nearly half of these respondents had not used a condom. While overall sexual intercourse was more prevalent among boys, unsafe sexual intercourse was more prevalent among girls. Furthermore, a lower socioeconomic status was directly associated with non-condom use, while binge drinking and illegal drug use were independently associated with unsafe sexual intercourse. CONCLUSION: Adolescent alcohol and drug use were associated with unsafe sexual practices. School prevention programs must include drug use and sexuality topics simultaneously because both risk-taking behaviors occur simultaneously.

Language: en