Alcohol and tobacco experimentation among adolescents of the Midwest Region/Brazil.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco experimentation among adolescents of the Brazilian Midwest its association with sociodemographic factors. This is a cross-sectional study, with data from the National School Health Survey - PeNSE, carried out in 2015. The sample consisted of ninth-graders. The dependent variable was alcohol and tobacco experimentation at some point in life. A Poisson regression model was performed to identify the associated variables. The weighted estimated prevalence of alcohol and tobacco experimentation was 57.17% (95% CI: 56.20-58.14) and 22.38% (95% CI: 21.56-23.20), respectively. The prevalence of alcohol experimentation among females was higher than in males. However, regarding tobacco, males had a higher prevalence than females. Alcohol and tobacco experimentation was statistically significant with age. Public schools' administrative dependency showed a 23.99% higher prevalence than private schools concerning tobacco experimentation. We concluded that alcohol and tobacco experimentation was high among school adolescents and was shown to be associated with sociodemographic factors .