Total alcohol per capita consumption is high in Nicaragua, with 50% of Nicaraguans aged between 18 and 65 years consuming alcoholic beverages (WHO, 2014; FLASCO, 2013). 27% of the drinking population has a prevalence of heavy episodic drinking, concentrated in upper middle class adults and high school students (WHO, 2010). Moreover, men, university graduates, those residing in big cities, and those in the upper middle class, are the largest consumers of alcohol (FLASCO, 2013). These initial studies, however, have been limited in identifying the motives for alcohol consumption, which serve as the building blocks of an intervention.

GHRIC funds are being used to initiate collaborative research between two of the most prominent high schools in Nicaragua serving upper middle class students, and an interdisciplinary team of Miami University faculty. Specifically, we hope to examine the relationship between drinking motives (reasons for consuming alcohol), alcohol consequences, and alcohol consumption among upper middle class high school students. We will use this information to develop a workshop that will present the consequences of alcohol consumption and will be delivered to high school students in Nicaragua. To maximize distribution of content, we will also develop a workshop for in-service teachers detailing the research, activities, and methods for presenting the unit to high school students. The first phase of this project has already been completed in the winter term of 2017.

References

FLASCO (2013). Alcohol Consumption on the Caribbean Coast. Latin American Faculty on Social Sciences.

World Health Organization (2010). Country Profile: Nicaragua. Atlas of Substance Use Disorders. pp. 1-4.

World Health Organization (2014). Nicaragua. Global Alcohol Report.