This paper evaluates the construct validity of the Medical Outcomes Study's social support scale adapted to Portuguese, when utilized in a cohort study among non-faculty civil servants at a university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Pró-Saúde Study). Baseline data were obtained in 1999, when 4,030 participants (92.0% of those eligible) completed a multidimensional self-administered questionnaire at the workplace. From the original scale's five social support dimensions, factor analysis of the data extracted only three dimensions: positive social interaction/affective support; emotional/information support; and material support. We estimated associations between social support dimensions and socio-demographic, health, and well being-related characteristics. We confirmed the hypotheses that less isolated individuals, those with better self-rated health, those who reported more participation in group activities, and those with no evidence of common mental disorders reported better perception of social support. In conclusion, we found good evidence for a high construct validity of this scale, supporting its use in future analyses in the Pró-Saúde Study and in similar population groups.

We describe methodological steps in the selection of questions on social networks and support for a cohort study of 4,030 employees from a public university in Rio de Janeiro. First, group discussions with volunteers were conducted to explore the adequacy of related concepts. Next, questions in the Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire were submitted to standard "forward-" and "back-translation" procedures. The questions were subsequently evaluated through five stages of pre-tests and a pilot study. No question had a proportion of non-response greater than 5%. Pearson correlation coefficients between questions were distant from both zero and unity; correlation between all items and their dimension score was higher than 0.80 in most cases. Finally, Cronbach Alpha coefficients were above 0.70 within each dimension. Results suggest that social networks and support will be adequately measured and will allow for the investigation of their associations with health outcomes in a Brazilian population.

. *O termo da língua inglesa binge eating não tem tradução exata em português. Adotou-se a tradução "compulsão periódica", da versão para o português do DSM-IV, acrescentando a palavra "alimentar" para que ficasse explícito tratar-se de comportamento alimentar. Resumo Descritores Abstract KeywordsIntrodução/Objetivos: Descreve-se o processo de tradução e adaptação, para a língua portuguesa, da Binge Eating Scale (BES) -Escala de Compulsão Alimentar Periódica (ECAP) -, que avalia a gravidade da compulsão alimentar periódica em indivíduos obesos. O objetivo foi traduzir, adaptar e avaliar a aplicabilidade da versão para o português da ECAP. Métodos: Após cuidadoso processo de tradução e adaptação para a língua portuguesa, foi obtida uma versão final da ECAP. Para avaliar sua aplicabilidade, foi realizado um pré-teste em um grupo de 32 pacientes obesos com transtorno da compulsão alimentar periódica (TCAP) e que procuravam tratamento para emagrecer. Resultados: Os pacientes compreenderam adequadamente os itens da ECAP. A média de pontuação da ECAP nos pacientes obesos com TCAP foi de 31,2 (±5,8). Conclusão: A versão final para o português da ECAP foi considerada adequada para uso clínico.Compulsão alimentar. Transtorno da compulsão alimentar periódica. Transtornos alimentares. Obesidade. Escalas. Introducion/Objective:We describe the translation into Portuguese and the adaptation of the Binge Eating Scale (BES) -a scale to assess binge eating severity in obese individuals. The objective was to translate, adapt and evaluate the applicability of the Portuguese BES version. Methods: A final Portuguese BES version was obtained after a careful translation and adaptation process. To verify the applicability of the instrument, a pre-test was conducted in a group of 32 obese patients with binge eating disorder (BED) seeking treatment for obesity. Results: All BES items were well understood and the mean BES scores of the obese binge eaters sample was 31,2 (±5,8). Conclusion:The Portuguese final version of BES was considered suitable for clinical purposes.Binge eating. Binge eating disorder. Eating disorders. Obesity. Scales. comportamentos compensatórios dirigidos para a perda de peso, compõem uma síndrome denominada atualmente de transtorno da compulsão alimentar periódica (TCAP) -binge eating disorder (DSM-IV). 2A CAP ocorre em indivíduos com peso normal e em indivíduos obesos. 3,4 Em obesos que procuram programas para controle de peso, foram observadas freqüências em torno de 30% para TCAP e 46% para CAP, estando o TCAP associado a sintomas psicopatológicos em geral, especialmente à depressão, a uma Entretanto, esses instrumentos não foram construídos para avaliar a CAP especificamente em obesos, nem utilizam uma abordagem dimensional do fenômeno.A utilização de uma medida contínua fornecendo níveis de gravidade da CAP em pacientes obesos acrescenta uma ferramenta importante na avaliação destes, uma vez que estudos evidenciam que a comorbidade psiquiátrica em pacientes obesos parece estar relacionada à gravidade da CAP, ...

The prevalence of fear of falling was high in this population, and was associated with history of falls, use of seven or more medications, hearing impairment, functional dependency in activities of daily living, diminished walking speed, fair and poor/very poor self-rated health and depressive symptoms.

BackgroundDespite depression being one of the most prevalent mental disorders in the world, access to treatment is still insufficient, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in access to treatment for depression according to socio-demographic characteristics, geographical area and multi-morbidity in a nationally representative sample of individuals with depression.MethodsThis study analyses data from the National Health Survey (Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde – PNS), a Brazilian household-based nationwide survey, which comprises 60,202 adults (aged 18 years or older). Depression was evaluated through the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Prevalence Ratios and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated using Poisson regression.ResultsThe general prevalence of depression was 7.9 % (95 % CI 7.5 to 8.3). Among those with depression, 78.8 % did not receive any treatment, and 14.1 % received only pharmacotherapy. Multivariable analyses showed that being female, white, aged between 30 and 69 years, living in regions other than the North, having higher education and having multi-morbidities were independently associated with higher likelihood of access to any treatment.ConclusionsMost Brazilians with clinically relevant depressive symptoms are not receiving any treatment. Access to care is unequal, with the poor and those living in low resource areas having higher difficulties to access mental health care. Understanding these disparities is important for the provision of effective interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of depression and inequities in access to mental health care.

Self-reported and measured weight and height information had good agreement and validity. In similar populations, when few resources are available, it is possible to use self-reported data instead of actual measurements.

Not visiting the dentist for a routine dental check increased the chance of reporting one's own oral health as bad. In any case, the habit of visiting for dental 'checkup, once per year or once every 2 years was associated with nearly all the individuals perceiving his/her oral health positively. However, in order to gather more solid scientific data to guide public policies it is necessary to perform longitudinal studies, especially experiments in different populations focused mainly on the socioeconomic characteristics and dental clinical conditions.

OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence of common mental disorders in Brazilian adolescent students, according to geographical macro-regions, school type, sex, and age.METHODS We evaluated 74,589 adolescents who participated in the Cardiovascular Risk Study in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional, national, school-based study conducted in 2013-2014 in cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. A self-administered questionnaire and an electronic data collector were employed. The presence of common mental disorders was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). We estimated prevalence and 95% confidence intervals of common mental disorders by sex, age, and school type, in Brazil and in the macro-regions, considering the sample design.RESULTS The prevalence of common mental disorders was of 30.0% (95%CI 29.2-30.8), being higher among girls (38.4%; 95%CI 37.1-39.7) when compared to boys (21.6%; 95%CI 20.5-22.8), and among adolescents who were from 15 to 17 years old (33.6%; 95%CI 32.2-35.0) compared to those aged between 12 and 14 years (26.7%; 95%CI 25.8-27.6). The prevalence of common mental disorders increased with age for both sexes, always higher in girls (ranging from 28.1% at 12 years to 44.1% at 17 years) than in boys (ranging from 18.5% at 12 years to 27.7% at 17 years). We did not observe any significant difference by macro-region or school type. Stratified analyses showed higher prevalence of common mental disorders among girls aged from 15 to 17 years of private schools in the North region (53.1; 95%CI 46.8-59.4).CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of common mental disorders among adolescents and the fact that the symptoms are often vague mean these disorders are not so easily identified by school administrators or even by health services. The results of this study can help the proposition of more specific prevention and control measures, focused on highest risk subgroups.