Denize Cristina de Oliveira

Growth and work among elementary and high school students in São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVE To assess risk factors for low height and students and working adolescents in cities of State of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS A stratified sample, consisting of 50.0% of students from 5th grade to last year of high school, of State of São Paulo, Brazil, in 1999, was drawn from two largest schools of two different cities (urban and rural). A total of 756 individuals were studied. The height/age indicator, according to the 1977-NCHS (National Center for Health Statistics) standards, defined malnutrition. Height/age distribution and multivariate analyses were carried out using the stepwise method and low-height as the dependent variable. RESULTS Of the adolescents, 12.7% (96) fell below percentile 5; 24.4% (184) between percentiles 5 - 15; and 47.1% (356) between percentiles 15 - 50. Low height was associated with age: taking age-group 10-13 as reference, low-height was twice as likely in students aged 14-17 years (OR adj.=2.49). For those aged 17-19 years, low height was three times as likely (OR adj.=3.37). Being unemployed increases the risk for low-height (OR adj.=2.86) when compared to working adolescents. Also, low height is higher (OR adj.=1.81) among part-time workers. CONCLUSION Economical determinants contribute to the risks for chronic malnutrition among students, since these adolescents rely on work to live on. It is worth emphasizing that underage labor legislation should be enforced in conjunction with compensation public programs.

Obesidade em adultos de segmentos pauperizados da sociedade

In impoverished segments of the society, the increase in the incidence of obesity raises a question concerned with its etiology. The objective of this paper is to characterize the prevalences of overweight and obesity in these populations. Three hundred and ninety families joined the program, including 782 individuals with ages above 19 years, 360 (46,0%) of them were men and 422 (54,0%) were women. The prevalences of obesity among men from urban and rural areas were 5.6% and 5.8%, respectively. Concerning overweight, this incidence was about 25% for both regions, and the percentages increased with age. The prevalences of obesity among men and women were, respectively, 5.6% and 21.6% (p<0,05). Among women the ocurrence of obesity increased slightly with age, and the prevalences were 19.8% in urban areas and 23.4% in rural areas. Therefore, as the evaluated population lives in extreme poverty, the excess of weight, which hits mainly the women, has a complex etiology and needs to be better studied.

Práticas de biossegurança de profissionais de saúde nos cuidados ao indivíduo com HIV

Aim: to identify professional practices about biosafety in the care of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Method: descriptive, exploratory study with a qualitative approach, which was carried out with 46 health professionals. A semi-structured interview was used and the analysis was performed using the Bardin content analysis technique. Results: the professionals demonstrate to have knowledge about the use of Personal Protective Equipment, evidencing a frequency of use according to the professional category, type of contact and procedure. In front of the outpatient need, the most cited equipment and utilities were glove, cap and capote. Conclusion: it was evident that professionals consciously perform biosafety and this can be positively reflected in the care taken, both in the protection of patients and of professionals, that is, in the care of the other and of themselves.