Health literacy, a more complex concept than knowledge, is a required capacity to obtain, understand, integrate and act on health information [1], in order to enhance individual and community health, which is defined by different levels, according to the autonomy and personal capacitation in decision making [2]. Medium levels of Health literacy in an adolescent population were found in a study conducted in 2013/2014, being higher in sexual and reproductive health and lower in substance use. It was also noticed that the higher levels of health literacy were in the area adolescents refer to have receipt more health information. The health literacy competence with higher scores was communication skills, and the lower scores were in the capacity to analyze factors that influence health. Higher levels were also found in younger teenagers, but in a higher school level, confirming the importance of health education in these age and development stage. Adolescents seek more information in health professionals and parents, being friends more valued as a source information in older adolescents, which enhance the importance of peer education mainly in older adolescents [3]. As a set of competences based on knowledge, health literacy should be developed through education interventions, encompassing the cultural and social context of individuals, since the society, culture and education system where the individual is inserted can define the way the development and enforcement of the health literacy competences [4]. The valued sources of information should be taken into account, as well as needs of information in some topics referred by adolescents in an efficient health education. Schizophrenia is a serious and chronic mental illness which has a profound effect on the health and well-being related with the well-known nature of psychotic symptoms. The exercise has the potential to improve the life of people with schizophrenia improving physical health and alleviating psychiatric symptoms. However, most people with schizophrenia remains sedentary and lack of access to exercise programs are barriers to achieve health benefits. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of exercise on I) the type of intervention in mental health, II) in salivary levels of alpha-amylase and cortisol and serum levels of S100B and BDNF, and on III) the quality of life and selfperception of the physical domain of people with schizophrenia. The sample consisted of 31 females in long-term institutions in the Casa de Saúde Rainha Santa Isabel, with age between 25 and 63, and with diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). Physical fitness was assessed by the six-minute walk distance test (6MWD). Biological variables were determined by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Psychological variables were assessed using SF-36, PSPP-SCV, RSES and SWLS tests. Walking exercise has a positive impact on physical fitness (6MWD -p = 0.001) and physical components of the psychological test...

Background Physical activity is a cornerstone of type 2 diabetes treatment and control. Aim We analysed and synthesised the guidelines and recommendations issued by scientific organisations, regarding exercise prescription for patients with type 2 diabetes. Method A systematic bibliographic search in Pubmed, Web of Science and Scopus databases was conducted. Clinical guidelines from major international scientific organisations in the field of diabetology, endocrinology, cardiology, public health and sports medicine were also considered. 11 publications were selected. Results Published guidelines recommend a weekly accumulation of a minimum of 150 min of aerobic exercise at moderate-to-vigorous intensity spread over a minimum of 3 days per week. Resistance exercise for muscle strengthening is also recommended at least 2 days a week. Flexibility exercises may complement other types of exercise. Combining aerobic and resistance exercise within the same exercise session is recommended by most guidelines. Conclusions Exercise prescription for individuals with type 2 diabetes should include specific information on the type, mode, duration, intensity and weekly frequency. The exercise strategies must be adapted for each individual, based on comorbidities, contraindications and realistic personal goals.

Introduction/Objective Adolescence is a critical period for the development of obesity. Obesity arises from a complex interaction between several factors, which are not yet fully understood. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to identify and assess the peer-reviewed scientific literature on the behavioral, contextual and biological factors associated with obesity in adolescents. Methods PubMed and Scopus were systematically searched to identify prospective cohort studies concerning the relation between behavioral, contextual and biological factors and obesity in adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. Results 40 studies published between the year 2000 and 2018 were included. A positive consistent association between genetic factors and obesity during adolescence was found. Also, there is evidence to support the association between socioeconomic status and obesity. There was conflicting evidence for the contribution of dietary intake, physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, food store environment, school food environment. For the remaining factors no associations were found, or no conclusions could be drawn due to the limited number of studies identified. Conclusions Further prospective studies that assess multiple obesity determinants simultaneously and use state-of-art measures are warranted to aid in the development of effective strategies and interventions to prevent obesity during adolescence.

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A neurology teleconsulting network was implemented between a university hospital in Lisbon and five nearby health centres. PCs equipped for videoconferencing were installed, connected by ISDN lines at 128 kbit/s. Fifty-three general practitioners (GPs) were surveyed. The survey showed that the GPs had difficulties in using computers, but they had definite intentions to use teleconsultation for neurology cases and 83% of the respondents stated that they would probably use the technique. During the study, 90 neurology teleconsultations took place over 55 weeks. The average consultation rate was 1.6 teleconsultations per week (SD 1.3, range 0-6). The conferences lasted 10-45 min. Longer teleconsultations were mainly due to technical difficulties in using computers on the part of users with a low level of computer literacy. The patients were 42 males and 46 females, with a mean age of 38 years (SD 20, range 1-84); two patients were discussed twice. The benefits consisted mainly of advice on patient medication, diagnosis and the prevention of unnecessary specialist consultations or laboratory examinations. Doctor-doctor teleconsultation allows the rapid resolution of queries which otherwise cause stress to patients and increase the cost and complexity of care.

Diabetes is one of the greatest todays public health problems with enormous social and economic implications for society. Diabetic foot disorders represent a substantial economic burden with detrimental effects on quality of life with special impairment in physical domain. Early detection strategies of these complications should be implemented in order to avoid possible wounds, ulcerations and amputations. This work can be characterized as a cross-sectional study with an analytical approach. It involved 44 volunteers of both genders (22 women and 22 men; 66.70 ± 6.26 years of age) with type 2 diabetes (diagnosed at 11.84 ± 8.22 years), selected among the candidates to Diabetes em Movimento® (a community-based exercise program for patients with type 2 diabetes developed in the city of Vila Real, Portugal). Foot plantar thermal images were acquired through a high-resolution infrared camera (FLIR Systems Inc. Model SC2000; 320 × 240 pixels). Three regions of interest (ROI) were defined for evaluation: first finger, fifth finger and the heel. From the three pairs of ROIs evaluated, the higher temperature asymmetry was selected for diabetic foot risk analysis. The results showed the existence of a positive and significant association between BMI and fat mass with asymmetries in feet temperature. Three subjects with diabetes-related foot complications (ROIs higher temperature asymmetry ≥ 2.20 °C) were identified in the sample. All participants with detected diabetes-related foot complications were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m) with high levels of body fat (≥ 45%). It can be concluded that exist a positive association either of BMI (r=0.399, p=0.007) either of body fat percentage (r=0.432, p=0.003), with diabetic foot risk in patients with type 2 diabetes.