Alcoolismo e tabagismo em indígenas: uma perspectiva clínico-epidemiológica em ambulatório de saúde indígena do norte do Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of smoking and alcohol consumption among the indigenous population seen at the indigenous outpatient clinic in Northern Rio Grande do Sul, from a clinical-epidemiological perspective. Methods: A cross-sectional study with analysis of electronic medical records of indigenous individuals aged 20 years or older, seen between August 2021 and June 2024. Sociodemographic (sex, age, education, housing situation), behavioral (smoking, alcohol use), and clinical (presence of diseases) variables were analyzed. Clinical conditions were extracted from structured fields with "yes/no" responses and included systemic arterial hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, cholelithiasis, respiratory diseases, and mental health problems. Absolute and relative frequencies of the variables were calculated, as well as the prevalence of smoking and alcohol consumption with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). The relationship between smoking and alcohol consumption and independent variables was tested using the chi-square test (p<0.05). Results: The sample consisted of 570 participants, mostly women (59.3%), with a highlight on the 20-59 age group (86.6%) and low education level (71.4%). The most frequent health conditions were hypertension (26.4%), diabetes mellitus (11.2%), dyslipidemia (5.4%), and a history of myocardial infarction and stroke (2.4% and 2.3%, respectively). Furthermore, 13% had a diagnosis of cholelithiasis, 1.9% had respiratory diseases, and 8.4% had mental health problems. Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking and alcohol consumption in the sample was 30% (95% CI 26-33), with 26.6% for smoking and 21.6% for alcohol consumption. This outcome was more frequent among males (44%; p<0.001), the elderly (40.8%; p=0.023), those with no formal education (48.8%; p=0.003), residents in camps or settlements (37.9%; p=0.005), and those diagnosed with mental health problems (43.8%; p=0.025), pointing to the need for targeted approaches in indigenous health care.