Prevalencia y características del consumo de alcohol en escolares de la Comuna de Quintero

Abstract

This is a study of the prevalence and characteristics of the consumption of alcohol among 877 children in secondary schools. The study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire in Ouintero, a area in the V Region in Chile. The results showed that 83.5% of the respondents had drunk alcohol and half of these got drunk at least once a year. Most respondents drank for social reasons, and the commonest form of alcoholic beverage was beer. 13.9% of school children drank for psycological reasons. In 61.7% of the homes where alcohol was consumed, it was the fathers who drank, 10.3% of whom got drunk at least once a month. This study confirms the results of previous studies and reasserts the need to continue and to stimulate the primary prevention of alcoholism and the need for new studies that focus on the school children who drink in excess.