Fernando Luiz Cardoso

Validation of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIFE) for use in Brazil.

Background The International Index of Erectile Function has been proposed as a method for assessing sexual function assisting the diagnosis and classification of erectile dysfunction. However, IIEF was not validated for the Portuguese language. Objective Validate the International Index of Erectile Function in patients with cardiopulmonary and metabolic diseases. Methods The sample consisted of 108 participants of to Cardiopulmonary and Metabolic program Rehabilitation (CPMR) in southern Brazil. The clarity assessment of the instrument was performed using a scale ranging from zero to 10. The construct validity was carried out by confirmatory factor analysis (KMO = 0.85; Barllet p < 0.001), internal consistency by Cronbachs alpha and reproducibility and interrater reliability via the test retest method. Results The items were considered very clear with averages superior to 9. The internal consistency resulted in 0.89. The majority of items related correctly with their domains, with exception of three questions from sexual satisfaction domain, and one from erectile function. All items showed excellent stability of measure and substantial to almost perfect agreement. Conclusion The present study showed that the IIEF is valid and reliable for use in participants of a cardiopulmonary and metabolic rehabilitation program.

Predictors of Improvement in Sexual Function of Women with Urinary Incontinence After Treatment with Pelvic Floor Exercises: A Secondary Analysis

INTRODUCTION Women with urinary incontinence (UI) frequently present with complaints of sexual problems. AIM To evaluate the predictors of sexual function improvement after participating in three physical therapy sessions and performing home-based pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME) for the treatment of female UI. METHODS This is a secondary analysis of a randomized trial with a 3-month follow-up in which the sexual function of 54 women with UI was evaluated. These women joined three supervised physiotherapy sessions that included PFME and health education during 1 month, with a 15-day interval between each session, and kept practicing home-based PFME for a further 2 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Sexual function was assessed using the Female Sexual Quotient, the pelvic floor muscle strength was measured using the modified Oxford scale, and UI was assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire. RESULTS The mean of sexual quotient score improved after treatment (P = 0.001). With respect to specific domains of sexual function, improvement was observed only in the questions about sexual desire, arousal/excitement, and orgasm. Before treatment, 18 women (33.3%) were classified as having sexual dysfunction, and after treatment, eight remained with sexual dysfunction and two other joined this category (total of 18.5%). Those women who had sexual dysfunction at baseline experienced a higher level of improvement of the sexual quotient compared with those without sexual dysfunction (P = 0.001, 95% CI = 9.1-31.9). A multivariate linear regression with backward elimination revealed the following predictors of improvement of the sexual quotient: higher parity, higher adherence to PFME, improvement in the strength of PFM, and a decrease in the frequency of urine leakage (R(2)  = 0.497). CONCLUSION PFME was more beneficial with regard to sexual function in those women who presented with sexual dysfunction at baseline.

Pelvic floor muscle strength and body self-perception among Brazilian pregnant women

OBJECTIVES To examine the relationship between pelvic floor muscle strength and body self-perception variables in pregnant women; and, more specifically, to determine the influence of the number of pregnancies (primigravidas vs multigravidas) on the strength of contraction of the pelvic floor muscles and on the body self-perception of pregnant women. DESIGN Comparative cross-sectional research. SETTING Public health centres from Florianópolis, Brazil. PARTICIPANTS Thirty-five pregnant women (18 primigravidas, 17 multigravidas) with a mean age of 25.5 (standard deviation 5.7) years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Pelvic floor strength measured through manual palpation, and body self-perception using the Questionnaire of Corporeality and Human Sexuality. RESULTS Pelvic floor muscle strength was positively correlated with schooling [rho (ρ)=0.496] and body self-perception variables: finding the body beautiful (ρ=0.476), finding the body sexy (ρ=0.520), feeling that others find them sexy (ρ=0.364), finding the body proportional (ρ=0.412), touching the body generally (ρ=0.554) and recognising the smell of the body (ρ=0.454). Primigravidas found their bodies more beautiful and were more satisfied with their bodies. On a scale of 0 to 6, multigravid participants expressed a greater wish than primigravid participants to be thinner (median difference 2, 95% confidence interval 0-3, P=0.03). Pelvic floor strength did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest a relationship between pelvic floor muscle strength and body self-perception. Professionals involved in womens health may have a role in helping their patients to understand their bodies.

Similar faces of same-sex sexual behavior: a comparative ethnographical study in Brazil, Turkey, and Thailand.

This is a cross-cultural ethnographical description of same-sex sexual behavior of male sexuality among slums dwellers (working class) and university students (middle class) in three cities: Florianópolis (Brazil), Istanbul (Turkey), and Bangkok (Thailand). The main goal of this study is to describe the similar aspects and issues of homosexual ghettos in urban environments of developing countries where two basic same-sex systems stand side by side: the “bugger system” and the “gay system.” This survey compares the same-sex sexual behavior and self-declared sexual-identity of those who practice same-sex, opposite-sex, and both-sex behaviors. The quantitative data from this study simply confirms other studies showing commonalities in terms of gender orientation among people who consider themselves homosexuals and those who consider themselves heterosexuals using the Kinsey Scale.

Força dos músculos do assoalho pélvico e função sexual em gestantes

BACKGROUND: Sexual well-being depends on pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) that are strong enough to maintain their function. During pregnancy, both the sexual function and the strength of the PFMs may be altered. OBJECTIVES: to compare the degree of PFM strength and the sexual function of pregnant women in the second and the third trimesters. METHODS: a descriptive, causal-comparative study was carried out with 37 pregnant women in Florianopolis (18 in the second trimester and 19 in the third trimester) with a mean age of 25.22 years (±5.7 years). The instruments used were the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) Questionnaire and the Manual Test of Pelvic Floor Muscle Strength, using the modified Oxford scale to grade strength. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t test, the Mann-Whitney U test, Spearmans correlation) with a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the mean rank values of PFM strength of pregnant women in the second and third trimester (U=150.5; p=0.512). However, the sexual function of the pregnant women in the second trimester of pregnancy was better than that of the women in the third trimester (U=104; p=0.042). In addition, PFM strength had statistically significant correlations with age (ρ=0.320, p=0.041) and with FSFI score (ρ=0.540, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sexual function decreased significantly from the second to the third trimester while PFM strength did not differ between trimesters.

Inversões do papel de gênero: "drag queens", travestismo e transexualismo

Este artigo discute algumas categorias comumente usadas no campo da sexologia, mas pouco claras em termos de definicao. A sexologia, enquanto uma ciencia ainda muito recente, vem-se construindo com a contribuicao de pesquisadores oriundos de muitas areas do conhecimento que trabalham com diferentes percepcoes e categorias epistemologicas. Tal multidisciplinaridade, por um lado, traz uma rica contribuicao para este campo do conhecimento, mas, por outro lado, traz tambem muita confusao e pouco dialogo entre os seus pares. Ao discutir-se tais categorais, tentou-se situa-las e compara-las, empregando as evidencias oriundas de pesquisas empiricas e explicativas na literatura vigente que as sustentem enquanto categorias transdisciplinares uteis de analise. Pesquisas de carater apenas interpretativo foram deixadas de lado por nao contribuirem nessa tentativa teorica interdisciplinar. Esta revisao critica da literatura, produzida a partir do ingles, traz algumas contribuicoes sobre uma delas, o transexualismo, bem como sobre algumas das mais recentes formas de aborda-lo em termos academicos e clinicos.

Urinary incontinence in women undergoing Pap smear test: socio-demographic and behavioral factors

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between socio-demographic and behavioral factors and the presence of self-reported urinary incontinence in 784 women undergoing cervical cancer screening in Greater Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Socio-demographic data, health status, physical activity, constipation, and body mass index were obtained, and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-SF was used. Prevalence of urinary incontinence was 30.7% (16.5% reported leakage once a week or less and 23.8% losses in small volumes). Poisson univariate regression showed the following factors associated with urinary incontinence: lower education, lower income, non-white skin color, overweight, worse health status, constipation, and older age. After adjustment, according to a hierarchical model, schooling, ethnicity, health status, and age remained significantly associated. The high prevalence of urinary incontinence in women seeking Pap smear tests justifies preventive approaches in these areas of intervention.

Incontinência urinária em mulheres que buscam exame preventivo de câncer de colo uterino: fatores sociodemográficos e comportamentais

Este estudo transversal objetivou investigar a associacao entre, de um lado, fatores sociodemograficos e comportamentais e, de outro, a presenca de incontinencia urinaria referida em 784 mulheres que buscam exame preventivo de câncer de colo uterino na Grande Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Foram obtidos dados sociodemograficos, estado de saude, atividade fisica, constipacao e indice de massa corporal, sendo utilizado o International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-SF. A prevalencia de incontinencia urinaria foi de 30,7% (16,5% perdiam urina uma vez por semana ou menos e 23,8% em pequena quantidade). Na regressao de Poisson bruta, estiveram associados a incontinencia urinaria os seguintes fatores: baixa escolaridade, renda por pessoa da familia ate um salario minimo, etnia nao caucasiana, excesso de peso corporal, pior autoavaliacao do estado de saude, constipacao e idade. Apos ajuste, seguindo modelo hierarquizado, permaneceram associados: escolaridade, etnia, estado de saude e idade. A alta prevalencia de incontinencia urinaria em mulheres que buscam exame de rastreamento do câncer de colo uterino justifica abordagens preventivas nesses espacos de atuacao.

Violência contra professores de educação física no ensino público do estado do Paraná

The objective of this work was to investigate aggression in the teacher-student relationship, experienced by teachers of physical education employed in primary and secondary schools in the public sector. The study involved 102 teachers working in 14 towns in the state of Parana. A questionnaire developed by the authors was used, with an internal consistency of α= 0.902 (Crombachs Alpha). Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS program version 14.0 with a level of significance of p<0.05. It was found that 87.3% of the teachers had witnessed or experienced an episode involving acts of aggression in the school environment and 73.5% frequently received verbal insults. Teachers in the northwest region of the state are more exposed to situations of aggression from students compared to teachers from the central region. This relationship was the same among teachers who were single and those who were married. It was notable that teachers who gave classes in only one educational establishment felt safer in their workplace and that female teachers were more likely to seek help to resolve conflicts in the workplace. Aggression towards teaching staff in the teacher-student relationship is concluded to be at a worrying level.

Autopercepção corporal e preferências motoras de praticantes de dança

This study identifies the differences between sexes related to the corporality and motor orientation, analyzing the corporal perception and the motor preferences between dancers. The Questionnaire of Identity Body was used with practitioners of hip-hop, classic, jazz, contemporary, dance of hall, axe and dance of the womb. Data show that the males’ participants touch and know more their bodies then women, making them to have a more functional and the women a more aesthetic corporal perception. The men prefer competitive and aggressive activities, while women individual ones. The traditional sexual roles still have impact in the gender identity of dancers.