Abstract
Background: Discrimination is detrimental to physical and mental health, particularly insofar as health-risk behaviors are concerned. Particular attention has been paid to excess alcohol consumption and smoking in view of the ready availability of these substances in Western societies. Objectives: To determine whether an association exists between perceived discrimination and excess alcohol intake and smoking in women and men enrolled in the ELSA-Brasil cohort study. Methods: The sample included in the ELSA-Brasil cohort consisted of 15,105 civil servants. Data from waves 1 and 2 of the study were used. A multidimensional questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic characteristics and evaluate perceived discrimination, alcohol consumption, and smoking. Results: An association was found between excess alcohol intake and perceived discrimination only in the men, with this association remaining significant in the youngest age group, in university-educated individuals, and in the group classified as middle-class. An association was found between smoking and lifetime perceived discrimination in women, particularly in those ≥60 years of age, brown-skinned women, those who had completed elementary school, and those classified as upper social class. This same association was found in the men, mainly those of 50–59 years of age, white-skinned males, those who had completed high school, those with a university education, and those classified as upper social class. Conclusions/Importance: Investing in public health policies aimed at combating the different forms of discrimination would appear essential. Not only does discrimination contribute to social injustice, but it also encourages health-risk behaviors such as excess alcohol intake and smoking.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the entire ELSA-Brasil team and to the participants of this cohort who generously provided information on their lives and on their health.
Disclosure statement
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.