Asociación entre Tatuajes, Perforaciones y Conductas de riesgo en Adolescentes

Resumen

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TATTOOS, PIERCINGS AND RISK BEHAVIORS IN ADOLESCENTS
Background: The use of tattoos and piercings has increased, especially among adolescents in the last decades. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of these behaviors in adolescents and their  association with risk behaviors such as alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use and sexual promiscuity. Material and methods: An anonymous and confidential survey about tattooing and piercings was  applied to randomly selected high school teenagers, attending municipal, private-subsidized and private schools, in four sectors of Santiago (north-east, south-east, north-west, south-west). Results: The surveys were answered by 1329 participants with a mean age of 15 years (62% women) from 9 schools in Santiago.  The prevalence of tattoos was 1.7% (confidence intervals (CI) 1.1% to 2.5%). The figure for piercings was 30.6% (CI 28.2 to 33.1%). A higher prevalence of tattooing and piercings was observed in groups with a history of psychiatric disorders, criminal records, alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug consumption and  initiation of sexual activity (p <0,001). Conclusions:  This study confirms that tattoos and piercings are indicators of adolescent risk behaviors.