Alcohol outlets availability in school neighborhoods and alcohol use among adolescents

Disponibilidade de locais de venda de álcool na vizinhança de escolas e consumo de álcool entre adolescentes

Disponibilidad de establecimientos para la venta de alcohol en las cercanías de las escuelas y consumo de alcohol entre adolescentes

Loren Salazar Cardoza Christiane Opuszka Machado Clara Telles dos Santos Doroteia Aparecida Höfelmann About the authors


This cross-sectional study investigated the association between alcohol use by adolescents and the availability of alcohol outlets in the neighborhood of public schools. We collected primary data including variables at individual and school neighborhood level. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for alcohol use with the exposure variables. A total of 18.4% (95%CI: 13.2; 24.1) of adolescents reported using alcohol, which was associated with variables on the individual level such as being 18 years or older, working, and having previously smoked. Lower alcohol use was observed among adolescents from schools that were located 250m or more from alcohol outlets (OR = 0.29; 95%CI: 0.17; 0.48). Actions to reduce the use of alcohol among adolescents should take student’s and school neighborhood’s characteristics into account.

Underage Drinking; Neighborhood; Multilevel Analysis
