Objective: To determine hypertension prevalence and its associated risk factors. Methods:A cross-sectional, population-based study of people ages 20 to 69 living in the urban area of Pelotas, Rio Grande Hg (average of two readings) or current use of antihypertensive drugs.Results: Among the 1,968 subjects enrolled in the study, hypertension prevalence was 23.6% (95% CI 21.6 to 25.3). A Poisson regression model was used to control confounding factors effects. The following variables remained statistically significant in the final model: family income, age, skin color, gender, family history of hypertension, extra salt intake, and body mass index. Conclusion:Compared with a similar study undertaken in 1992, hypertension prevalence increased, particularly in the younger groups.

Objective To determine the prevalence of heavy alcohol consumption and factors associated with it in a Brazilian

Multidrug-resistant parasites from the Amazon region caused the outbreak in the northern coastal region.

ResumoFoi realizado um estudo transversal, de base populacional, com o objetivo de determinar a prevalência de distúrbios psiquiátricos menores (DPM) e verificar sua associação com fatores de risco. A amostragem por conglomerados foi definida em estágios múltiplos, incluindo 1967 pessoas com idade entre 20 e 69 anos, identificadas em 40 setores censitários da zona urbana da cidade de Pelotas. As entrevistas foram realizadas nos domicílios, utilizando-se um questionário pré-codificado, contendo SRQ-20, informações socioeconômicas e demográ-ficas, presença de doenças crônicas, utilização de serviços de saúde, consumo de álco-ol, hábito de tabagismo e coleta de medidas antropométricas. A presença de DPM foi definida a partir de 6 e 7 respostas positivas no SRQ-20, para homens e mulheres, respectivamente. A prevalência de DPM foi de 28,5%, com intervalo de confiança de 95% entre 26,5% e 30,5%. A prevalência foi maior nas pessoas inseridas nas classes sociais mais baixas, de menor renda, acima de 40 anos e do sexo feminino. Na análise ajustada, os distúrbios psiquiátricos menores mantiveramse associados com hábito de tabagismo, presença de doença crônica não transmissível e freqüência de consultas médicas. Os resultados indicam que as prevalências de DPM foram semelhantes a outros estudos realizados no município e atingem principalmente as camadas sociais mais baixas. Embora não tenham sido diferentes em relação ao tipo de serviço de saúde utilizado, mostraram associação com a freqüência de utilização de assistência médica, sugerindo que esses resultados possam orientar a formação de profissionais de saúde e o planejamento das ações de saúde.

Objective: To evaluate the role of central adiposity, as evaluated by the measurement of waist circumference (WC), as an independent risk factor for hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the setting of a developing country. Design: Population-based, cross-sectional study. Setting: A medium-sized town in southern Brazil. Participants: One thousand and ninety-five non-pregnant women, 20 to 69 years old, recruited by cluster random sampling between 1999 and 2000. Their mean WC was 85.3 cm (standard deviation 13.9 cm) and 23.3% (n ¼ 255) were obese (body mass index .30 kg m 22). The prevalence of hypertension and diabetes was 25.6% (n ¼ 280) and 6.2% (n ¼ 68), respectively. Results: The risks of hypertension and diabetes were directly related to WC measurement. Women with WC . 80 cm had increased risk of hypertension (odds ratio (OR) ¼ 6.2, P , 0.001). The association remained significant (OR ¼ 1.04 per cm increase in WC, P ¼ 0.02) after adjusting for confounders. The effect of WC on diabetes was modified by age. The effect was stronger in women younger than 40 years old (OR ¼ 12.7, P ¼ 0.016) than in those over 40 years old (OR ¼ 2.8, P ¼ 0.013). In the multivariate analysis, the odds ratio was 5.7 (P ¼ 0.12) in those under 40 years old and 2.8 (P ¼ 0.008) in older women. Conclusions: Waist circumference is an independent determinant for hypertension and diabetes in women in this population. The stronger association between WC and diabetes in younger women suggests that the validity of this indicator to assess abdominal adiposity is age-specific. Further studies should validate the usefulness of WC measurement in different age groups.