Risk perception and strategies of harm reduction related to alcohol comsuption used by teenagers

• Grant number: 13/12074-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: June 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Human Development Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Ana Regina Noto
• Grantee: Larissa Padovez Gonçalves
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria de Graduação. Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is one of the main behaviors associated with vulnerability between teenagers, involving social and physical risk situations, for example, fights, accidents, and unsafe sex. This project has the objective of verifying adolescents' risk perception about alcohol consumption and which strategies they use to reduce harm related to its consumption. The project will use the qualitative methodology of Focus Groups (FG). About 280 teenagers from private schools of São Paulo, aged 12 to 17 years old, will participate in the FGs. There will be at least 24 FGs. Half of them will be composed of year 9 students and the other half of high school students. All students from year nine classes and high school students will be invited to participate. Each class will be divided by gender into smaller groups from 6 to 12 students. The FG's questions will approach dangers and risks of alcohol consumption from a teenager's point of view and strategies of harm reduction used by them to avoid or reduce negative consequences of alcohol use. FGs content will be recorded and literally transcribed to allow subsequent analysis. Data analysis will be made by the technique of content analysis with the assistance of the NVIVO program. The research has been approved by the research ethics committee of the UNIFESP (1084/11). (AU)