Consumo de álcool segundo raça/cor e comportamento de risco no trânsito na população da Região Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

The habit of consuming alcoholic beverages is a common practice, influenced by factors operating at both individual and contextual levels. It has high prevalence and is a risk factor for traffic accidents, thus considered a significant public health issue. In response, a cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2019 National Health Survey (PNS), with individuals aged 18 or older from the Northeast region of Brazil. The aim of Article 01 was to analyze the factors associated with episodic binge drinking (EBD) according to race/color. The outcome was EBD, defined as consuming five or more drinks on a single occasion within the past thirty days. To evaluate the association between sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health/disease variables, Poisson regression with robust variance was used. The analyses were stratified by race/color. In Article 02, the goal was to estimate the prevalence of drinking and driving behavior and associated demographic variables. The outcome was characterized by driving vehicles after consuming alcoholic beverages. Poisson regression with robust variance was employed, and the analyses were stratified by gender. In Article 01, the prevalence of EBD was 16.6% among whites and 17.6% among blacks. In both groups, the factors positively associated with EBD were: male gender, younger age, living without a partner, higher per capita household income, being employed, engaging in physical activity, tobacco use, and having poor dietary habits. In the black population only, positive associations were observed for higher education and not seeking health services, while a negative association was observed for self-assessed health with EBD. Among whites, a negative association was identified with having three or more chronic diseases and a positive association with overweight/obesity. In Article 02, the prevalence of drinking and driving behavior was 21.0% for the total population, with 24.6% among men and 10.1% among women (p-value <0.001). Among the male population, positive associations were observed with younger age, per capita household income above half the minimum wage, living in rural areas, and riding motorcycles for the behavior of drinking and driving. The results obtained from these studies fill a gap in the existing Brazilian literature. The risk behaviors studied have high prevalence in the population of the Northeast region of Brazil, a situation that may negatively impact the health of this population, especially among blacks, due to greater social and health vulnerabilities. It is suggested that intersectoral partnerships be established to strengthen preventive actions, along with expanded health investments that reach all population groups equitably.