ACTITUDES FAVORABLES Y CONSUMO DE ALCOHOL EN ADOLESCENTES ECUATORIANOS

Objective. To know the differences in attitudes toward alcohol use among risk and non-risk drinkers, and the relationship towards consumption in a sample of Ecuadorian adolescents. Method. Descriptive, comparative, correlational study with the AUDIT and Attitudes toward Alcohol scales (EAA). 1259 adolescents (55.3% men), aged 12 to 19 years (M = 15; DT = 1.56) students from 11 educational centers (68.1% public) of Basic General Education (58.1%) and Baccalaureate (41.9%). Results. Levels of alcohol use are low, attitudes toward consumption are unfavorable. There are more favorable attitudes towards alcohol use among consumers at risk and not risk (t = -18.48, p < 0.001). Attitudes toward consumption predict changes of variance in standardized samples between 23% and 15%, but not in samples with a risk profile for alcohol use. Conclusion. Attitudes to consumption are limited when predicting risk behaviors such as alcohol consumption.