PREVALENCE OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND MARIJUANA CONSUMPTION AMONG BRAZILIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana consumption among brazilian university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a random sample of 203 academics (from undergraduate courses in all areas of knowledge) from a Brazilian public university. A questionnaire composed of already validated instruments was used, which was collected in 2019. Descriptive analyses were performed using the SPSS software. The sample was young adult men, self-declared white, without a job, without an extracurricular internship, without religion, heterosexual, single, living with friends; without health insurance. Regarding tobacco use, 71.4% have already tried it; 32.6% were currently smokers. Regarding alcohol, 83.7% consumed the beverage in the last 30 days. The findings showed high prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana consumption. Thus, strategies aimed at raising awareness about health risks should be developed, using the academic space itself as an ally in the practices of health education and welcoming of these young people. Further research should be encouraged, in order to understand even more about possible factors associated with the excessive use of these substances among this population.