Alcohol consumption and gender in the adolescent school population of Peru: evolution and intervention challenges

Abstract

The involvement in the use of alcohol represents a significant risk for the mental and physical development of adolescents. The objective of this article is to describe the evolution of alcohol consumption in male and female secondary school students in Peru during the 2007-2017 period, emphasizing the findings on the reduction of differences in the usage magnitudes between both genders and recent information on high prevalence in the adolescent female population. Recommendations are proposed aimed at expanding coverage and quality of preventive programs in the school, adaptation of gender-sensitive content and preventive strategies, creation of articulated mechanisms for early detection, referral and brief intervention, development of specific guidelines and protocols for treatment for adolescents, and strengthening of the intersectoral articulation for the reduction of alcohol consumption in adolescents.