Age-related associations between heavy drinking and inconsistent condom use among unmarried adults: results from the Brazilian National Health Survey

Risky sexual behaviors, such as the nonuse of condoms, are identified in the literature as a possible outcome of excessive alcohol use. However, studies on this topic are focused on the high-risk population, namely young adults, men who have sex with men, and sex workers, which limits the analysis of life stages in this association. Thus, this study aimed to verify, for the first time, the association between heavy drinking, at global-level, and inconsistent condom use among unmarried, not cohabiting Brazilians aged 18 to 59 years in various phases of adulthood. Data were obtained from the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey (N = 15,835). Adjusted prevalence ratios and confidence intervals were estimated using Poisson regression models stratified by sex. Heavy drinkers, unmarried, not cohabiting adults were significantly more likely to report inconsistent condom use when compared with non-heavy drinkers for all age groups and both sexes. However, significant differences were not found for this association between the phases of adulthood.