O consumo de álcool entre quilombolas e indígenas: os padrões de uso e os sentidos que os constituem

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is considered a public health problem. Studies on different population groups have been developed to understand how this phenomenon occurs in the country. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate the pattern of alcohol use and the factors associated with it, as well as to analyze the meanings attributed to alcohol consumption among quilombolas and indigenous people, groups that live in a rural context. This study is an excerpt from a multicenter research and has a combined, quantitative-qualitative design, with an initial sample of 335 adult individuals who belong to quilombola and indigenous communities located in four Brazilian states. A sociodemographic questionnaire and tracking tools (SRQ-14 and AUDIT) were administered to all subjects. Then, participants with risky consumption and probable dependence on one of the states in the study were selected for a semistructured interview. For exploratory and inferential statistical analysis of quantitative data, SPSS for Windows software, version 15.0, was used. The interviews were analyzed on the basis of the Meaning Center proposal. The patterns of risk and binge drinking were those that stood out in the findings, identified in 9.9% and 17.9% of the sample, respectively. The risk factors associated with the risk pattern were: being male and young. As for the binge, in addition to age and gender, they were considered indigenous and lived in houses that were not made of masonry. Regarding the meanings regarding the consumption of these subjects, it was initially identified that use is important for the formation and maintenance of bonds. Furthermore, work regulates this consumption, and rest time is filled with the use of alcohol as a leisure option. Drinks are also seen as a possibility for alleviating the suffering arising from precarious living conditions and situations of racial discrimination. Gender difference is linked to quantity and place of use, with women consuming less in private places. Finally, problematic consumption for the participants is characterized as one in which the subject loses control over their own use, and with this there is social exclusion by the community. From these findings, it is possible to conclude that alcohol consumption in rural settings is influenced by inequalities of class, race, ethnicity, and gender. Thus, problematic use cannot be reduced to an individual problem, but rather to socially determined behavior.