Tobacco and alcohol consumption and health behaviors among nursing students

• Published in: Avances en enfermería Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 254 - 266
• Main Authors: Teixeira da Silva, Augusto César, Chagas Gerônimo de Lima, Carla Cristiane, de Oliveira Prado Sousa, Bárbara, Dos Santos, Manoel Antônio, Pillon, Sandra Cristina, Souza, André Luiz Thomaz de
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia 01-08-2022
• Subjects: Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde; Conductas Relacionadas con la Salud; Estilo de Vida; Estudantes de Enfermagem; Estudiantes de Enfermería; Health Behaviors; Lifestyle; NURSING; Nursing Students; related Disorders; Substance; Substance-related Disorders; Transtornos Relacionados com Substâncias; Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias; Transtornos Relacionados com Substâncias (fonte: Dees, BIREME); Conductas Relacionadas con la Salud; Estilo de Vida; Estudiantes de Enfermería; Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde; Lifestyle; Substance-related Disorders (source: Decs, BIREME); Estudantes de Enfermagem; Health Behaviors; Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias (fuente: Dees, BIREME); Nursing Students
• ISSN: 0121-4500; 2346-0261; 2346-0261
• DOI: 10.15446/av.enferm.v40n2.92408

Objetive: To evaluate the association between attitudes, health behaviors, and the use of tobacco and alcohol among nursing students.
Materials and method: Exploratory, descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted with 182 undergraduate nursing students in the countryside of São Paulo, Brazil. Sociodemographic Information Form, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – C(AUDIT-C), Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Attitudes and Health Behaviors Questionnaire (AHBQ), and Patient Health Questionnaire – 2 (PHQ-2) were applied.
Results: More than half of the students showed appropriate health behaviors and positive attitudes. Approximately 50% of the participants had consumed alcoholic beverages in the last month. Experimental use of illicit drugs and smoking were also observed. In addition, students who reported excessive alcohol use presented a deficit in self-care.
Conclusion: The precariousness in health attitudes and behaviors identified in this study was associated with various patterns of psychoactive substance use. Thus, the results indicate the need for interventions aimed at promoting well-being and a healthy lifestyle in the university environment.