BackgroundThe Study of Cardiovascular Risk in Adolescents (Portuguese acronym, “ERICA”) is a multicenter, school-based country-wide cross-sectional study funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, which aims at estimating the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, including those included in the definition of the metabolic syndrome, in a random sample of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years in Brazilian cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Approximately 85,000 students were assessed in public and private schools. Brazil is a continental country with a heterogeneous population of 190 million living in its five main geographic regions (North, Northeast, Midwest, South and Southeast). ERICA is a pioneering study that will assess the prevalence rates of cardiovascular risk factors in Brazilian adolescents using a sample with national and regional representativeness. This paper describes the rationale, design and procedures of ERICA.Methods/DesignParticipants answered a self-administered questionnaire using an electronic device, in order to obtain information on demographic and lifestyle characteristics, including physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, sleeping hours, common mental disorders and reproductive and oral health. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall. Anthropometric measures (weight, height and waist circumference) and blood pressure were also be measured. Blood was collected from a subsample of approximately 44,000 adolescents for measurements of fasting glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, glycated hemoglobin and fasting insulin.DiscussionThe study findings will be instrumental to the development of public policies aiming at the prevention of obesity, atherosclerotic diseases and diabetes in an adolescent population.

The data showed that the cultural adaptation process was successful and that the adapted instrument demonstrated having excellent psychometric properties, reliable in the Brazilian culture.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate musculoskeletal symptoms among female members of the nursing personnel. The sample consisted of 105 female nursing aides and technicians who were working at a university hospital with highly dependent patients. The questionnaire was composed of items on demographic and job-factor information and the symptom section was a modification of the "Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire". In this study, 93% of the health workers reported at least one musculoskeletal symptom in the previous 12 months. The highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was in the following anatomical areas: low back (59%), shoulders (40%), knees (33.3%) and neck (28.6%). As a result of musculoskeletal pain, 29.5% of the respondents reported missing work and 47.6% reported having had an appointment to see a physician in the previous 12 months. Limited experience on the job and in the present unit were also observed among those who had more frequent complaints of pain in the knees (p=0.0272) and low back pain (p=0.0332), respectively. However, hand/wrist pain occurred more often among the participants with the higher numbers of weekly worked hours (OR=3.72:1.26

Objective

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of a program designed to reduce back pain in nursing aides. Methods Female nursing aides from a university hospital who had suffered episodes of back pain for at least six months were included in the study. Participants were randomly divided into a control group and an intervention group. The intervention program involved a set of exercises and an educational component stressing the ergonomic aspect, administered twice a week during working hours for four months. All subjects answered a structured questionnaire and the intensity of pain was assessed before and after the program using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Student's t-test or the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test for independent samples, and Chi-square test or the Exact Fisher test for categorical analysis, were used. The McNemar test and the Wilcoxon matched pairs test were used to compare the periods before and after the program. ResultsThere was a statistically significant decrease in the frequency of cervical pain in the last two months and in the last seven days in the intervention group. There was also a reduction in cervical pain intensity in the two periods (2 months, 7 days) and lumbar pain intensity in the last 7 days. ConclusionsThe results suggest that a program of regular exercise with an emphasis on ergonomics can reduce musculoskeletal symptoms in nursing personnel. Resumo Objetivo

this study is consistent with previous investigations demonstrating a strong influence of religious variables over the use of drugs among adolescents. Interesting, it was found that no or weaker religious education during childhood was markedly associated with significant more use of drugs during adolescence.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the associations between demographicsaging workers work ability index cross-sectional study

Individualized treatment based on traditional Chinese medicine plays a role in preventing migraine attacks. Nevertheless, sham acupuncture had similar effects. Major conclusions were limited by the small sample sizes however the observed trends may contribute to design future trials.