Perceived appropriateness of alcohol screening and brief advice programmes in Colombia, Mexico and Peru and barriers to their implementation in primary health care - a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Providing alcohol screening and brief advice (SBA) in primary health care (PHC) can be an effective measure to reduce alcohol consumption. To aid successful implementation in an upper middle-income country context, this study investigates the perceived appropriateness of the programme and the perceived barriers to its implementation in PHC settings in three Latin American countries: Colombia, Mexico and Peru, as part of larger implementation study (SCALA).

Methods: An online survey based on the Tailored Implementation for Chronic Diseases (TICD) implementation framework was disseminated in the three countries to key stakeholders with experience in the topic and/or setting (both health professionals and other roles, for example regional health administrators and national experts).

Impact of Training and Municipal Support on Primary Health Care-Based Measurement of Alcohol Consumption in Three Latin American Countries: 5-Month Outcome Results of the Quasi-experimental Randomized SCALA Trial.

Purpose: We aimed to test the effects of providing municipal support and training to primary health care providers compared to both training alone and to care as usual on the proportion of adult patients having their alcohol consumption measured.

Methods: We undertook a quasi-experimental study reporting on a 5-month implementation period in 58 primary health care centres from municipal areas within Bogotá (Colombia), Mexico City (Mexico), and Lima (Peru). Within the municipal areas, units were randomized to four arms: (1) care as usual (control); (2) training alone; (3) training and municipal support, designed specifically for the study, using a less intensive clinical and training package; and (4) training and municipal support, designed specifically for the study, using a more intense clinical and training package.

The Social Ecology of Parental Monitoring: Parent-Child Dynamics in a High-Risk Peruvian Neighborhood.

While parental monitoring is understood to protect adolescents from engaging in risk behaviors, little is known about how the family dynamics involved in parental monitoring differ across sociocultural contexts. We sought to gain an in-depth understanding of parent-child relationship dynamics and parental knowledge of adolescents' activities in an urban Peruvian neighborhood with high levels of crime and adolescent substance use. We conducted 15 in-depth interviews and two focus groups with adolescents and 12 in-depth interviews with mothers sampled from a secondary school in Callao, Peru.

Stigma towards mental illness and substance use issues in primary health care: Challenges and opportunities for Latin America.

Stigma towards mental illness and addictive disorders is a global problem and one of the main obstacles in tackling this issue remains the effective integration of mental health services into primary health care (PHC). In Latin America, information has significantly increased on the existence of stigma; however, little is known about effective interventions to prevent stigma and promote recovery-oriented practices in PHC. The aim of this study is to understand the existing evidence regarding mental health stigma in PHC with a special focus on the Latin American region.

Family Factors and Adolescent Problem Drinking in a High-Risk Urban Peruvian Neighborhood.

Background: Family relationships are widely recognized as playing a role in adolescent alcohol use. Although family relationships and parenting vary by culture, limited research has explored these relationships in Latin America.

Objectives: We sought to determine which family factors are associated with adolescent alcohol use in Callao, Peru.

[Perceived norms among Peruvian students for drug use among peers].

Objective: to evaluate the difference between perceived norms about drug use among peer and actual drug use as reported by the same university students. The students were between 18 and 24 years old and attended health courses.

Method: cross-sectional study based on a survey, using an anonymous questionnaire filled out by the students.

University students' perceived norms of peers and drug use: a multicentric study in five Latin American countries.

This cross-sectional study compared perceived peer drug use and actual drug use in a sample of Latin American university students. Students from nine universities in five countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Honduras and Peru) completed a questionnaire that addressed the use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. Analysis focused on comparing perceptions to actual drug use.