Smoking, alcohol use in patients attending in the physiotherapy service at the Health System

Abstract

Model of the study: This is an epidemiological, descriptive, model survey and with a quantitative approach.Objective: The objective of this research is to analyze the epidemiological profile of patients attending inthe Center for Physicaltherapy Oscar Pires de Andrade, who is in the city of Itapira-SP and estimate thepercentage of the use to tobacco, alcohol and other drugs in the population studied.Methods: Through interviews, the instruments were applied: Socio - Demographic Questionnaire andthe Percentage of Smokers in Itapira Physiotherapy Center, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence(FTND) questionnaire and the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST)V.3.0. The interviews so taken with patients who attend physiotherapy service at the National HealthSystem (SUS), the city of Itapira-SP, in the months July-August 2010. The percentage of smokers is 17%,the median age of smokers is 48 years and 51% are female,the most (89%) reported smoking onlycigarettes commercialized, the median number of cigarettes smoked per day is 10 and the median timethat the person used the tobacco is 30 years. Half the smokers were classified according to the FTND, asvery low and low nicotine dependence, the mean score of the FTND is 4.1. About the use of psychoactivesubstances in life, tobacco (70%), alcohol (91%) and marijuana (14%) were the most frequently mentioned substances. Tobacco (31%) and alcohol (31%) were the most commonly mentioned to receivebrief intervention according to the ASSIST questionnaire.Conclusions: The legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco, are public health problems. It is important to worka prevention of psychoactive drugs in the Physicaltherapy services.