Levantamento sobre uso de álcool e outras drogas e vulnerabilidades relacionadas de estudantes de escolas públicas participantes do programa saúde do escolar/saúde e prevenção nas escolas no município de Florianópolis

[Alcohol use, family conflicts and parental supervision among high school students]

The association between alcohol consumption by students with family conflicts, parental supervision and quality of relationships was investigated. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,265 adolescents from 21 schools. The Brazilian version of the Drug Use Screening Inventory/DUSI was used, and absolute and relative prevalence for categorical variables was estimated, while bivariate analyses and Pearson's Chi Square test were conducted. For the magnitude of the association between the dependent and independent variables, prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson multivariate regression. There was an association between alcohol consumption and drug use by family members, frequent discussions and parental lack of awareness about adolescents' activities. Family supervision, a good relationship with parents/guardians, establishing an affective family bond and parents' knowledge about teenagers' whereabouts, were protective factors for alcohol use. The conclusion was that the high rate of schoolchildren who consume alcohol is worrying, liable to health complications in general, and a harmonized family relationship is fundamental. The implementation of measures of intervention between school and the Family Health Strategy, can contribute to the establishment of a protective bond.

Prevalence and co-occurrence of Adverse Childhood Experiences: a school-based survey in Rio de Janeiro

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of categories of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) among high school students in Rio de Janeiro, investigate the ACE co-occurrence profile, and examine the distribution of exposure to ACE according to individual, family, socioeconomic, and school characteristics. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 681 individuals selected using a complex random sampling design. Exposure to ACE categories was identified using a cross-culturally adapted version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and direct questions. We calculated prevalence and correlation between ACE pairs and determined the co-occurrence profile of childhood adversities. The findings reveal that the most common adversities were emotional abuse and neglect and biparental family dissolution. Seventy percent of the sample reported having been exposed to at least one ACE and 9% had been exposed to four or more. Around 20% of respondents reported exposure to abuse and neglect and 9% to the co-occurrence of abuse, neglect, and absence of at least one parent during childhood. The most vulnerable subgroups were girls and respondents who were born to teenage mothers, not living with both parents, studying at public schools, and from low-income families. The high prevalence and co-occurrence profile of ACE reveals the need for wide-ranging intersectoral policies designed to prevent adverse childhood experiences and provide victim support.

Drug use prevention projects in schools in Vitória, Brazil: quality analysis and improvement proposals

Adolescents living in vulnerable regions are more exposed to risk factors for drug use. The prevention of such use in school is a public policy that needs evaluation. Based on technical criteria and derived from a mixed research, this article analyses the quality of school-based prevention of drug use in Vitória, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, and proposes improvements. A checklist of quality elements was completed with data from 16 projects proposed by 99 teachers from public schools. In 10 projects (62.5%), the approximate quality index was above 0.50. The majority of projects fulfilled the requirement of theoretical foundation (81.25%) and some of the methodological (93.75%), design (75%) and implementation (62%) requirements. Other requirements were absent: the majority were not designed by the whole school community (87.5%), and the participation of the family (62.5%) or the students as mediators (62.5%) was not considered. In general, contents of life skills (87.5%), positive relationships and alternative activities to drug use (56.25%) were not included. Activities for reinforcing the content were not described in any of the projects, and evaluation activities were described in only a few (31.25%). Many projects did not describe the inclusion of the project in the school curriculum (62.5%). Although, considering all items of effectiveness, regardless of their weight, more than half of the projects had an above average quality. The present items provide quality to the projects, whereas absent items indicate shortcomings to be improved using some of the measures described in this study.