Sistema FMUSP-HC: Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) e Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSPPEREZ, Arlene de MariaBENSENOR, Isabela Martins2015-10-262015-10-262015SAO PAULO MEDICAL JOURNAL, v.133, n.3, p.235-244, 20151516-3180https://observatorio.fm.usp.br/handle/OPI/11566CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The lifestyle of military personnel has been little studied in Brazil. This study evaluated the frequencies of tobacco and alcohol use, sexual behavior and mental health among military students. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study at the Police Academy, in Sao Paulo. METHODS: Students answered a questionnaire about tobacco use, alcohol consumption, sexual behavior and common mental disorders (CMDs). To analyze associations among the frequencies of smoking and alcohol use, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and CMDs during the undergraduate years, we built a multinomial logistic regression model adjusted for age and sex. RESULTS: All 473 students were invited to participate and 430 (90.9%) agreed (10.5% were women). Most were white (76.6%), aged < 30 years, from the upper middle class (78.1%). The frequency of smoking was 6.5%, alcohol consumption 69.3%, STDs 14% and CMDs 15.6%. The use of condoms was low. Fourthyear students presented a lower odds ratio (OR) for STDs than the first-year students: 0.44 (95% confidence interval: 0.22-0.90). Third-year students presented a lower OR for CMDs than the first-year students. CONCLUSION: The frequencies of smoking and CMDs were low, while the frequency of alcohol consumption was similar to that of the Brazilian population. The use of condoms was low, in comparison with previous studies with similar samples. The results suggest that there was a certain degree of protection against CMDs and STDs during the undergraduate years.engopenAccessMilitary personnelTobaccoAlcoholic beveragesSexual behaviorMental healthdepartment-of-defenseactive-dutyunited-statesmillennium cohortrisk behaviorsubstance usehealthpersonneltrendsprevalencearticleCopyright ASSOCIACAO PAULISTA MEDICINA10.1590/1516-3180.2014.9102711Medicine, General & Internal