RESUMOObjetivo: Estabelecer, entre os pontos de corte do índice homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), citados na literatura, o melhor em identifi car a síndrome metabólica (SM) em crianças com obesidade e sobrepeso. Métodos: Foram estudadas 140 crianças pré-púberes. A defi nição de SM foi adaptada da International Diabetes Federation. Para cada ponto de corte de HOMA-IR foram estimados sensibilidade e especifi cidade, tomandose como desfecho a SM. Uma curva receiver operating characteristic (ROC) foi construída com estes valores. Resultados: O grupo estudado constituiu-se de 106 crianças com obesidade (37 meninas e 69 meninos) e 34 com sobrepeso (19 meninas e 15 meninos), média de idade 6,5 ± 2,3 anos. A acurácia da curva ROC foi 72%, e o melhor ponto de corte foi 2,5, com sensibilidade 61% e especifi cidade 74%. Conclusões: O índice HOMA-IR pode ser útil para detectar a SM, e o ponto de corte 2,5 mostrou-se o melhor para crianças pré-pú-beres com obesidade e sobrepeso. Objective: To establish, among the cut-off values for the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) cited in the literature, the best in identifying metabolic syndrome (MS) in obese and overweight children. Methods: A total of 106 pre-pubertal children were studied. The defi nition of MS was adapted from that of the International Diabetes Federation. For each cut-off values for HOMA-IR, it was estimated sensibility and specifi city for MS. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated using these values. Results: The study included 106 obese (37 girls and 69 boys) and 34 overweight (19 girls and 15 boys) children aged 6,5 ± 2,3 years. The accuracy of the ROC curve was 72%, and the best cut-off value for HOMA-IR was 2,5, with sensitivity of 61% and specifi city of 74%. Conclusions: HO-MA-IR may be useful to detect MS and the cut-off 2,5 seems to be the best in obese and overweight pre-pubertal children.

Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa que objetivou conhecer os desconfortos vividos no cotidiano de familiares de pessoas internadas na unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI). Foi realizada na UTI geral de um hospital público, em Salvador-BA, no segundo semestre de 2009. Nove familiares de pessoas internadas foram entrevistados. Empregou-se a técnica de análise da Teoria Fundamentada em Dados. Os resultados mostraram que a interação das famílias com a ameaça à vida de um de seus membros na UTI produziu, como desconforto central, a descontinuidade da vida cotidiana, a qual foi caracterizada por quatro categorias: vivendo a angústia da possibilidade de perda, vivendo uma cisão na vida familiar, sofrendo mudanças na vida social e profissional, tendo dificuldade para cuidar de si. Tais desconfortos podem ser minimizados com abordagem multiprofissional sensível às demandas das famílias e apoio de sua rede social.

Objective: this methodological study aims to present the construct validity of the Comfort scale for family members of people in a critical state of health (ECONF). Method: this is a methodological study. The sample was made up of 274 family members of adults receiving inpatient treatment in six Intensive Care Units (ICU) in the State of Bahía responded to 62 items distributed in 7 dimensions. The validation procedures adopted were based on the techniques of the Classical Test Theory. Results: the analysis of dimensionality was undertaken through principal components analysis, a scale being obtained with 55 items distributed in four factors: Safety, Support, Family member-relative interaction and Integration with oneself and the everyday. The analysis of the items' , discriminative power, undertaken by the item-total correlation-coefficient showed a good relationship of the items with their respective factors. From the ECONF's reliability test, from the analysis of internal consistency, a raised Alpha Cronbach coefficient was obtained for the 4 factors and the general measurement. Conclusion: the comfort scale presented satisfactory psychometric parameters, thus constituting the first valid instrument for evaluating the comfort of family members of people in a critical state of health. The advance made by the study lies in its theoretical framework on comfort, and provides the health team with a scale based on empirical evidence.

No abstract

Objective: identify the stress level among nursing undergraduates and the associated sociodemographic and academic factors; to compare stress level among college students according to the training phase in the course. Method: cross-sectional study with 286 university students. The instrument of sociodemographic and academic characterization and the stress scale were applied. The overall stress level was assessed by standardized score. In the bivariate analysis, Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used, and multiple logistic regression analysis was performed using the Poisson model. Statistical significance of 5% was adopted. Results: higher proportion of college students presented medium/high level of global stress. Students from 6th to 10th semesters presented higher levels of stress compared to those from 1st to 5th, in the Realization of practical activities, Professional Communication (p = 0.014), Environment (p = 0.053) and Vocational Training (p = 0.000) domains). In the multivariate analysis, they contributed to the highest level of stress the variables attending the 6th to 10th semesters, female gender, monthly income ≤ one minimum wage and income considered insufficient. Conclusion: women in a more advanced stage of education and with low economic condition present a higher level of stress in their academic education.

No abstract

Objective: To estimate the time of decision (TD) to look for medical care and the time of arrival (TA) at the health service for men (M) and women (W) suffering from acute myocardial infarction and to analyze the influence of the interpretation of pain and pain resistance behaviors during these times. Methods: This is an exploratory research, performed at the university hospital in Salvador/Bahia. 43 W and 54 M were interviewed. To study the dependence among sociodemographic and gender variables, the Fisher Exact Test was used. To analyze times, a geometric mean (GM) was used. In order to verify the association between the GM of TD and TA and the judgment of pain, and between the GM of TD and TA and the behavior of resistance to pain, as well as to test the time of interaction between the gender variable and other variables of interest, the robust regression model was used. The statistical significance adopted was 5%. Results: The GM of the TD for M was 1.13 h; for W, 0.74 h. The GM of the TA was 1.74 h for M and 1.47 h for W. Those who did not recognize the symptoms of AMI and presented behavior of resistance to pain had higher TD and TA, being the associations significant. Gender did not change the associations of interest. Conclusion:The findings demonstrate the importance of health education aiming at the benefits of early treatment.

Considering that comfort and discomfort must be understood in the light of patients' interactions during illness and treatment -thus linked to institutions' objective factors, grounding rationale, and practices-, this study inquired on comfort and discomfort such as experienced by men who had suffered acute myocardial infarction (AMI). By resorting to the Symbolic Interactionism and to Grounded Theory methodology, data were collected by means of interviews with 13 men who had suffered AMI, at two health units in the city of São Paulo. The analysis led to building a theoretical model of such experience, made up by three phenomena and essentially prevaded by the discomfort of "undergoing loss of spontaneous action." This articles sums up the basic psychosocial process that emerges from that experience, and discusses its implications to question the clinical model of treatment, pointing to prevention as a further scope of action for nurses, besides raising issues to enhance nurse education.