Gender differences in the use of alcohol and psychotropics in a Brazilian population

This cross-sectional, interview-based survey aimed to assess the use of licit substances in terms of gender and sociodemographic factors in the city of Pelotas, southern Brazil. Subjects aged 15 years and over and living in urban areas were eligible and a total of 1277 subjects were interviewed. The prevalence of alcohol consumption was 54.2%; 11.9% (21.7% of men and 4.1% of women) reported potentially harmful levels of alcohol use ("at-risk alcohol intake"); 4.2% were classified as manifesting alcohol dependence by CAGE questionnaire. At-risk alcohol intake and subjects with a positive CAGE score were more common among males aged 35-54 yrs. Among the youngest age group, the prevalence of CAGE positive score was similar for males and females, while subjects with lower educational levels showed a higher prevalence. Women were more likely than men to report the use of psychotropic drugs (15% vs. 7%). These results highlight the importance of substance use in Brazil, and suggest that gender differences must to be taken into consideration when planning intervention programs in developing countries.