No abstract

OBJECTIVE:To analyze the levels, tendencies and sociodemographic differentials of condom use among the Brazilian urban population. METHODS:The data analyzed was collected in 1998 and 2005, in the study, "Sexual Behavior and Perceptions of the Brazilian Population concerning HIV/ Aids". The probabilistic samples, in multiple stages, included men and women aged 16 to 65 years old, living in urban areas. Interviews with individuals that had been sexually active during the 12 months preceding the interview were included in the analysis. The univariate models were based on chi-square tests, corrected by sample planning, and odds ratio calculations; multivariate analysis involved adjustment of logistic regression models, controlling all other interest variables. RESULTS:There was a signifi cant increase in the use of condoms in the 12 months preceding the interview and at the last sexual intercourse. Young people from 16 to 24 years of age protected themselves more in sexual intercourse, particularly with eventual partners. Men used condoms more frequently only when they had an eventual partner. The use of condoms was more frequent among single people. There were no regional differences with respect to the consistent use of the condom. In stable relationships Pentecostals reveal the least amount of protection in sexual intercourse. People who have no religious affi liation or adepts of other religions have higher rates of protection. Level of education, an important differential with respect to the use of condoms in 1998, maintained its prominence in 2005. CONCLUSIONS:The results indicate the need for greater in depth discussion concerning actions that are geared towards increasing the consistent use of condoms, particularly among populations with lower educational levels and those that are more vulnerable, such as young women or women in stable relationships.

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of the Hepatitis G Virus on a population of blood donors from S o Paulo, Brazil and to evaluate its association to sociodemographic variables. Two RT-PCR systems targeting the putative 5'NCR and NS3 regions were employed and the former has shown a higher sensitivity. The observed prevalence of HGV-RNA on 545 blood donors was 9.7% (CI 95% 7.4;12.5). Statistical analysis depicted an association with race/ethnicity, black and mulatto donors being more frequently infected; and also with years of education, less educated donors presenting higher prevalences. No association was observed with other sociodemographic parameters as age, gender, place of birth and of residence. DNA sequencing of nine randomly chosen isolates demonstrated the presence of genotypes 1, 2 and 3 among our population but clustering of these Brazilian isolates was not detected upon phylogenetic analysis.

OBJECTIVE:Analyze the sociodemographic characteristics and the sexual and reproductive behavior of young women. METHODS:A cross-sectional nationally representative study was performed about sexual, contraceptive and reproductive behavior with 2,991 women age 15 to 20 years in the National Survey on Demography and Health of Women and Children, 2006. The women were classifi ed into three groups: sexual initiation and pregnancy before the age of 20 (group A); sexual initiation but no pregnancy before the age of 20 (group B) and no sexual initiation (group C). Women until age 25 years were included in the study about reasons for becoming pregnant and the implications for their lives. Statistical analysis considered survey weights and the complex sample design. The association between two categorical variables was assessed by chi-square test. The behavior variables were assessed using a global linear model. RESULTS:Women in group A were mainly black, poorer and with lower education level. These women had an early sexual initiation, less safe contraceptive behavior and less knowledge of reproduction physiology in comparison with group B; young women in group C were characterized by greater attendance at school and 1/3 of this group claimed to maintain their virginity until marriage. For women up to the age of 25, pregnancy before 20 years was perceived as having more positive than negative impacts upon their love life, spousal relationships, social lives and self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS:There is a signifi cant association between pregnancy before the age of 20 and higher poverty and lower educational level. In the absence of better living conditions and opportunities, pregnancy, although unplanned, becomes "a plan for life", and is not seen as a lack of life planning.

OBJECTIVE:To estimate the spatial intensity of urban violence events using wavelet-based methods and emergency room data. METHODS:Information on victims attended at the emergency room of a public hospital in the city of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, from January 1, 2002 to January 11, 2003 were obtained from hospital records. The spatial distribution of 3,540 events was recorded and a uniform random procedure was used to allocate records with incomplete addresses. Point processes and wavelet analysis technique were used to estimate the spatial intensity, defi ned as the expected number of events by unit area. RESULTS:Of all georeferenced points, 59% were accidents and 40% were assaults. There is a non-homogeneous spatial distribution of the events with high concentration in two districts and three large avenues in the southern area of the city of São Paulo. CONCLUSIONS:Hospital records combined with methodological tools to estimate intensity of events are useful to study urban violence. The wavelet analysis is useful in the computation of the expected number of events and their respective confi dence bands for any sub-region and, consequently, in the specifi cation of risk estimates that could be used in decision-making processes for public policies. Urban violence is a public health problem associated to factors such as sex, age, socioeconomic conditions and cultural characteristics. 4 Identifying and quantifying seasonal and spatial patterns of violence events is essential for better understanding its causes, and could provide input for the development of interventions and prevention policies to reduce health costs.Most studies of external causes a that consider spatial analysis use lattice data, i.e., summary statistics aggregated by geographical areas. This data can be obtained from the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografi a e Estatística

Motivação para o procedimento de ajuste dos MAG's Solução direta: procedimento alternativo ao retroajuste Convergência do procedimento.de ajuste dos MAG's Ajuste dos modelos gemi-paramétricos 3.3. Testes de hipótese 3.4. Medidas de precisão e bandas de confiança pontuais. 3.5. Seleção do parâmetro de suavização 3.6. Exemplo: modelo de Poisson gemi-paramétrico

Consideramos uma base de dados hospitalares constituída por informações sobre vítimas de causas externas atendidas no Pronto Socorro do Hospital Municipal Dr. Arthur Ribeiro de Saboya, no período de 01/01/02 a 11/01/03, e registradas pelo Núcleo de Atençãoà Vítima de Violência deste hospital. O conjunto de dados foi avaliado sob duas abordagens: a temporal, onde estudamos o número de eventos ao longo do tempo, e a espacial, onde consideramos a localização geográfica dos eventos. Utilizamos uma modelagem estatística baseada em processos pontuais e técnicas de ondaletas para estimar a intensidade temporal ou espacial, istoé, o número esperado de eventos por unidade deárea (na abordagem espacial) ou tempo (na abordagem temporal). Fatores como sexo, faixa etária e tipo de evento (acidentes ou agressões) também foram considerados na análise. Na análise temporal, os resultados indicam que o número esperado de ocorrências em homensé significantemente maior do que em mulheres ao longo do período de observação. O mesmo ocorre com o número esperado de acidentes quando comparado com o de agressões. As faixas etárias que compreendem as idades de 0 a 14 anos, 15 a 29 anos, 30 a 59 anos e 60 anos ou mais também apresentam números esperados de casos significantemente diferentes entre si. Na análise espacial, escolhemos uma região do Município de São Paulo, nas proximidades do Hospital Saboya, e elaboramos mapas ondeé possível identificar geograficamente os locais onde as ocorrências são mais freqüentes. A intensidade estimada para o total de eventos indica uma distribuição espacial não homogênea, com grande concentração de eventos principalmente nos distritos do Jabaquara e Cidade Ademar, além de valores altos ao longo das avenidas Bandeirantes, Jabaquara e Cupecê. As intensidades espaciais relativasàs agressões a homens e a mulheres, separadamente, apresentam distribuições não homogêneas. Os locais com maiores riscos de agressões a mulheres parecem estar localizados em regiões mais afastadas das grandes avenidas da região. Quando consideramos