Use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by adolescents students from Porto Velho-RO, Brazil

Objective: to study the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol and drug use and associated factors. Method: this was a cross-sectional study with adolescents attending state schools in Porto Velho-RO, Brazil; associations were investigated using multivariate Cox regression. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Results: the prevalence of alcohol, tobacco and other drug consumption was 24.0%, 6.4% and 2.3%, respectively; alcohol use was associated with tobacco use (PR 6.68; 95% CI 3.17-14.10; p=0.00), illicit drug use (PR 4.34; 95% CI 1.28-14.76; p=0.01) and parental alcohol consumption (PR 1.52; 95% CI 1.14-2.02; p=0.00); consumption of tobacco by parents and friends and use of other drugs by friends were associated with the consumption of these substances by the students. Conclusion: there is an evident need to involve schools and families in actions directed to preventing the use of these substances among adolescents.