Risk factors for harmful alcohol consumption: a multilevel analysis.
Jéssica Lima de Oliveira Pinheiro Gaia, Ana Vitória Corrêa Lima, Sheila Ramos de Oliveira and 3 others
PMID 41172389WHAT IT FOUND
Among 373 primary care users in São Paulo, 17.1% had risky or harmful alcohol use and 1.8% probable dependence.
Men, younger adults, people identifying as black, and high income were more likely to report risky or harmful use. Associations only, not causes.
Key findings
01Among 373 primary care users, 17.1% had risky or harmful alcohol consumption and 1.8% had probable alcohol dependence.
02After adjustment, risky or harmful alcohol consumption was more prevalent among men, people identifying as black, people with income of 10 or more minimum wages, and younger people.
03Probable alcohol dependence was more prevalent among users with lower education and among users reporting depression.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show that the listed characteristics caused harmful alcohol use or that alcohol use caused health problems. The sample was convenience-selected from 13 primary care centres and is not representative of São Paulo or other regions. Alcohol use was self-reported, so under-reporting and social desirability bias are possible. Current alcohol treatment, hearing impairment, confusion or intoxication, and low-risk or abstinence were listed as exclusions, limiting generalisability. The probable dependence analysis included only 40 users, making those associations very imprecise. Data collection occurred during the pandemic, with possible memory bias and no pre-pandemic comparison. Variables such as religion, social support, and other protective factors were not measured.
Declared interests
The study was financed in part by CAPES and FAPESP, Brazilian public research funding agencies; no commercial funding or other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat male sex, younger age, black race/color, high income, low education, or depression as causes of harmful alcohol use. The study did not test interventions, used self-report, and the probable dependence findings come from only 40 users with very wide estimates.