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Health Behaviours Among Users of Drugs: in a Brazilian Sample

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Abstract

This study examines health behaviours among 140 substance misusers from an outpatient department. A cross-sectional study was undertaken at an addiction centre in southern Brazil. Data were collected from a sample population who completed a set of questionnaires about their sociodemographic information, Severity Alcohol Dependence Data, Severity of Dependence Scale, Health Behaviour Questionnaire, and the Addiction Severity Index. For data analysis, Fisher’s exact test, analysis of variance, Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analyses were used. Severe levels of alcohol and drug dependence syndromes were identified. No significant differences were found between the cocaine and crack users, but these differed from the multiple drug user groups, which showed higher scores on the Severity of Dependence Scale and Health Behaviour Questionnaire. The findings also show that the consumption of these substances has a significant influence on the health behaviour of substance misusers and interfere with preventive health behaviours.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) [Universal 14/2011—Process 482442/2011-5] and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) [Process 2009/14861-2].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Nursing at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Sandra Cristina Pillon, Josélia Benedita Carneiro Domingos, Natália Priolli Jora Pegoraro & Maria Fernanda Rosa de Almeida

  2. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center for Alcohol and Drugs (CAPS ad), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

    Natália Priolli Jora Pegoraro

  3. Faculty of Nursing, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Denis da Silva Moreira

  4. Islamic Online University, Kanifing South, KMC, Gambia

    Goolam Hussein Rassool

  5. Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Manoel Antônio dos Santos

Authors
  1. Sandra Cristina Pillon
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  2. Josélia Benedita Carneiro Domingos
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  5. Denis da Silva Moreira
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  7. Manoel Antônio dos Santos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sandra Cristina Pillon.

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Prior to data collection, approval was given by the Committee of Clinical Research Ethics “in Anima Nobili” of the São Paulo University Faculty of Nursing at Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, and the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center for Alcohol and Drugs (Protocol Number 1471/2011).

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All the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Pillon, S.C., Domingos, J.B.C., Pegoraro, N.P.J. et al. Health Behaviours Among Users of Drugs: in a Brazilian Sample. Int J Ment Health Addiction 15, 782–794 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9773-8

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