Abstract

Alcohol use is responsible for a high level of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. The WHO global strategy recommends that the detrimental effects of alcohol use be reduced. The objective of this paper was to investigate, using data from the 2010 Togo STEPS survey, alcohol use and other health-related factors in the general population of Togo. This epidemiological investigation using the STEPwise approach was undertaken from December 1st, 2010, to January 23rd, 2011, throughout the five regions of Togo. Togo is a low-income country (World Bank) located in West Africa. The study involved 4800 people aged 15 to 64 who were representative of the population of Togo and who were selected using the one-stage cluster sampling method. The sample was young and predominantly male. Approximately one-third of the respondents were alcohol abstainers, with the majority of these being women. Approximately the same proportion of current drinkers (daily consumption) by gender was observed. The reported daily average consumption of alcohol was 13 g of pure alcohol for men and 9 g for women. The mean number of heavy drinking days over the previous 30 days was higher for men (3 days), and this included 37.5% of the men who drink. We suggest a comparative analysis of the prevalence of harmful alcohol use in Togo and the WHO African region.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate school contextual effects on daily tobacco smoking, heavy alcohol use and hashish use among adolescents, using multilevel analyses adjusting for individual-level factors. The 2012 public health survey among adolescents in Skåne includes pupils in ninth grade in primary school (predominantly 15–16 years old) and second grade in secondary school (gymnasium) (predominantly 17–18 years old). Multilevel logistic regressions were performed. The prevalence of all three behaviors was higher in the second grade in the gymnasium. Several sociodemographic, psychosocial and parental factors were associated with these behaviors. In the ninth grade, variance partition coefficients (VPCs) for tobacco smoking decreased from 10.2% in the empty model to 1.9% in the fully adjusted model, for heavy alcohol use from 6.5% to 6.3%, while VPCs for hashish increased from 9.9% to 11.0%. In the second grade, VPCs for daily tobacco smoking decreased from 13.6% in the empty model to 6.5% in the fully adjusted model, VPCs for heavy alcohol use decreased from 4.6% to 1.7%, and VPCs for hashish use increased from 7.3% to 8.3%. Daily tobacco smoking (in both grades) and heavy alcohol use in the second grade in the gymnasium may be preventable by actions directed against individual-level protective factors including social capital, social support and peer/parent behavior and attitude, while interventions directed at school contexts may be more important for alcohol use in the ninth grade and hashish use in both grades.

Abstract

Studies looking at the association between perceived risk and simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana are scarce. The present study has three purposes: (1) to examine the association between alcohol and marijuana use at the daily level, (2) to document how this association varies by the perceived risk of using alcohol and marijuana simultaneously, (3) to test whether the association varies by college attendance. 89 young adults (Mean Age = 18.3 years, SD = 0.5) participated between October 2012 and May 2013. Participants completed a 30-min survey followed by 14 brief daily surveys in each of three waves. Alcohol use on a given day was associated with increased odds of marijuana use that day, especially among young adults with lower perceived risk. For college students, the association between alcohol and marijuana was weaker than for non-students. Alcohol and marijuana use were associated at a daily level, especially among young adults with lower perceived risk and those who were not attending college.

Abstract

The abuse of alcohol beverages is considered a public health problem worldwide. Several researchers have been addressing this problem and one of the best ways to know it is by surveying attitudes. The attitudes toward alcohol use are consistent predictors of alcohol use, but the intended use may mediate these relations. With this goal in question, we sought to test this mediation model: attitudes toward alcohol use → alcohol use’s intention → alcohol use. A total of 220 students participated in the study of public and private high schools of the Federal District, Brazil, equally distributed by gender, with ages ranging from 12 to 42 years, the majority of young people. It is shown correlations between measures of attitudes toward alcohol use, intended use and use and is further corroborated the model of partial mediation. These results are compared with previous research and suggestions in advance to the prediction of alcohol use by the attitudes.

Abstract

This study focuses on, what is believed to be, a key client group of sex workers: mobile workers. While several studies have been conducted in Turkey on sex workers, little evidence exists on their clients, the demand side of the commercial sex market. Research from other countries has shown that mobile workers, who are often working-age males spending significant time away from home, are more likely to have multiple sexual partners and visit sex workers (World Bank, 2009; Kulis et al., 2009; Marck, 1999). The objective of this study is to determine the HIV knowledge, awareness, and behaviors among four mobile worker groups in Turkey that may have elevated risks for HIV infection and transmission: sailors, truck drivers, construction, and tourism workers. International transportation, construction, and tourism are some of the fastest growing sectors of Turkey's economy, and mobile workers in these sectors are believed to be one of the main HIV transmission routes for future infections (Tumer and Unal, 2006). It is important to note two caveats of this study. First, no biomarker data (e.g., HIV testing) was collected from these workers, so conclusions regarding HIV prevalence or concentration of the epidemic cannot be made. Second, the sample did not include other at-risk groups or the general population, so it is difficult to know whether the behaviors are more or less risky in other population groups. Where possible, comparisons with other studies or countries are presented, but there are likely important differences in sampling and methodology. The major contribution of this study, however, is that it characterizes the risk factors within the mobile worker population in Turkey.