Does religiosity impact binge drinking among early adolescents? A cross-sectional study in a city in Southeastern Brazil

Abstract This study evaluated the association between religiosity and binge drinking in early adolescence. A cross-sectional study was conducted with adolescents aged 10-13 from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Stratified random sampling was performed considering the administrative district and school year. Adolescents filled an AUDIT-C form, containing questions about religiosity and binge drinking by parents and their best friends. Adolescents’ caregivers answered a form regarding socioeconomic issues. Descriptive analysis, univariate, and multivariate logistic regression were performed. A total of 650 adolescents participated in the study. The frequency of binge drinking was 13.7%. In the adjusted model, religiosity was not associated with binge drinking. The covariates associated were the age of 12-13 years (OR: 1.94; CI95%: 1.06-3.56; p=0.030), maternal binge drinking (OR: 3.12; CI95%: 1.76-5.52; p<0.001) best friend binge drinking (OR: 6.01; CI95%: 3.40-10.62; p<0.001) and nonnuclear family (OR: 1.80; CI95%: 1.01-3.23; p=0.045). The findings revealed that, for binge drinking, the main factors that influenced this decision were the best friend and maternal binge drinking and family structure, although the adolescents claimed to be religious.