We carried out a cross-sectional, population-based study comparing the prevalence of recent psychoactive substance use in a probabilistic sample of 798 adolescent students that were also workers and of'1,493 that did not work. Students were enrolled in state Basic Education schools in the urban area of Cuiabá, Brazil. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by subjects in the classroom. This questionnaire included items on sociodemographic and school-related variables, as well as on the consumption of psychoactive substances. Recent use was defined as once or more in the 30 days prior to the interview. Prevalence in the sample of recent use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs was 37.4%, 9.5%, and 8.4%, respectively, and was higher among workers than among non-workers (47.4% vs. 32.1%, OR = 1.91, 95%CI 1.60-2.28; 13.6% vs. 7.3%, OR = 1.98 95%CI 1.49-2.63; 11.1% vs. 6.9% OR = 1.68, 95%CI 1.24-2.26). After logistic regression analysis, use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs remained associated with working adolescents in the 15-20 years age group, males, and from C+D+E social classes. We conclude that the recent use of psychoactive substances differed between working and non-working students. These results may support public health and education policies regarding the implementation of concatenated preventive and therapeutic measures targeting the adolescent population.
Epidemiology; Work; Psychoactive Substances; Adolescent Student; Public Health
