Portuguese Journal of Public Health最新文献

{"title":"Experience and Learning from the COVID-19 Pandemic in Portugal: Perceptions of Community Pharmacy Professionals.","authors":"Ana Margarida Advinha, Margarida C Santos, Filipa Duarte-Ramos, Margarida Perdigão, Patrícia Santos, Sofia Oliveira-Martins","doi":"10.1159/000531446","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000531446","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>During the COVID-19 pandemic, community pharmacy (CP) professionals were among those who experienced the greatest risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2, which forced major adaptations.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The objectives of the study were to describe the changes implemented in CP professionals during the pandemic, understand the perception of professionals about their experience, and explore changes to remain.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An observational and cross-sectional study was conducted via an online questionnaire (June-September 2020). The target population was CP professionals working in Portugal for >2 years and serving the public during the pandemic.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of a total of 353 participants, 84% were female (mean age of 37.6 years), and 81% were pharmacists (mean professional experience of 12.9 years). In the management and organizational dimensions, the most mentioned changes were adaptation to legislative changes (90%), fluctuations in the treasury (82%), and reduction of working hours (46%). Only 2% resorted to simplified layoff. In the back office, there was a need to adapt stock management (93%) and purchase personal protective equipment (99%). In the front office, there was a change in service policies - wicket or conditional opening (92%), routes of the arrival of user requests (91%), and home delivery (82%). Physical changes occurred in 100% of pharmacies. The most frequently implemented procedures were the use of protection systems and PPE, articulation with hospital pharmacies for dispensing in proximity (75%), and training in this area (55%). Regarding interpersonal climate, improvements in the connection between team members are evident: increase in mutual help (57%), solidarity (54%), and group cohesion (50%); in the relationship with clients, the majority indicated the replacement of the usual user by third parties (71%), and changes in communication channels (increase in use of technological means 68%).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results illustrate the profound impact of the pandemic on CP professionals, both professionally and personally. It also highlights the importance of their roles in proximity and community support.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"41 1","pages":"122-131"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10664277/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45678240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Influence of Pregestational Body Mass Index and Physical Activity Patterns on Maternal, Delivery, and Newborn Outcomes in a Sample of Portuguese Pregnant Women: A Retrospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Diana Bernardo, Carlos Carvalho, Jorge Mota, Margarida Ferreira, Paula Clara Santos","doi":"10.1159/000531587","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000531587","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>There is a linear association between pregestational body mass index (BMI) and almost all adverse pregnancy outcomes. Pregnancy is \"a window of opportunities\" in terms of changing behavior and improving awareness of healthy living. The proper assessment of physical activity levels, during pregnancy, determines trends, health benefits, and their effects over time. This study aims to describe maternal physical activity levels, stratified by pregestational BMI, verify the accomplishment of physical activity recommendations in pregnant women, and correlate pregestational BMI and physical activity accomplishment with maternal, delivery, and neonatal parameters.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective cohort study was carried out with 103 pregnant women. Physical activity levels were evaluated using a questionnaire and accelerometry. Pregestational BMI was obtained through the Quetelet formula and used the American College of Sports Medicine's guidelines were used to determine physical activity accomplishment levels. Continuous data were presented as mean and standard deviation and categorical data as numbers and percentages. The <i>F</i> test was used to examine the differences between groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Pregnant women in the sample spent 42.9% of their time on household activities, and for pregnant women with obesity, 91.5% of the time was spent on sedentary activities. Women with normative BMI had higher levels of moderate-intensity activities. Only 15.8% of participants with obesity reached the international recommendations for physical activity practice and women who accomplished physical activity recommendations gained less weight during pregnancy. A high percentage of pre-obesity and obese pregnant women exceeded the recommendations for gestational weight gain and the gestational diabetes prevalence was higher in the obesity group (<i>p</i> = 0.03 between groups). Regarding delivery and neonatal parameters (Apgar score 1st, Apgar score 5th, birth weight, length and head circumference), no statistical differences were found when adjusted to a gestational week at birth, between BMI (<i>p</i> = 0.58; <i>p</i> = 0.18; <i>p</i> = 0.60; <i>p</i> = 0.34; <i>p</i> = 0.34, respectively) or physical activity (<i>p</i> = 0.12; <i>p</i> = 0.15; <i>p</i> = 0.83; <i>p</i> = 0.70; <i>p</i> = 0.70, respectively) groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Pregnant women with obesity, exhibit high levels of sedentary behavior, a high prevalence of gestational diabetes, and exceed recommended gestational weight gain. Healthcare professionals have a crucial role in promoting regular physical activity and lifestyle changes before and during pregnancy.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"41 1","pages":"140-150"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11320631/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44052333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Systematic Literature Review to Identify Patient Registries in Portugal.","authors":"Hugo Pedrosa, Fábio Pereira, Magda Carrilho, Catarina Martins, Ricardo Martins, Pedro Cruz","doi":"10.1159/000531447","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000531447","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Patient registries are one of the main sources of real-world data (RWD), which enables different healthcare stakeholders to analyse and benchmark clinical practice and foster better care. Despite the growing need for RWD, the current use of patient registries in Portugal is not fully understood. This study aimed to identify and provide an overview of patient registries in Portugal.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Registries identification included a systematic literature review (SLR) using PRISMA© methodology. An electronic search was conducted in Embase^®, MEDLINE©, and Cochrane Ovid^® software, considering a set of rules and relevant search terms. Patient registries and databases, hospital, primary healthcare, and population-based studies between January 1955 and March 2021 were considered while randomized controlled trials and transversal observational studies were excluded. A manual review for validation was performed to identify unique registries. To complement SLR, an additional hand search was conducted using the Google^® search engine. A literature and website search was conducted to provide an overview of the registries identified.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From the 108 unique registries, 76 (70%) were classified as national and 32 (30%) as international (with data collected from the Portuguese population). Most national registries were found to be owned by medical societies and health authorities (88%) and are predominantly implemented in hospitals (82%). National registries cover 18 different medical specialities, mostly Cardiology and Oncology.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study identified and provided an overview of the registries collecting data from the Portuguese population. The study results aim to improve the information available to promote the increased utility of RWD at both national and international levels. In the future, an easy-access and centralized repository, aggregating all patient registries, should be created in Portugal to disseminate information. Additionally, an in-depth characterization of the 76 national registries must be performed to better understand and clarify their potential and usefulness.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"41 1","pages":"132-139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11327498/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48236972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alcohol Use Disorder Incidence, Mortality, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years in Estonia, 1990 to 2019: A Joinpoint Regression Analysis Using Global Burden of Disease Study.","authors":"Farzaneh Zareei, Mehdi Azizmohammad Looha","doi":"10.1159/000531591","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000531591","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Alcohol consumption is widely recognized as a leading cause of premature mortality and a significant global health concern. This study aimed to investigate the trends in alcohol use disorders, including incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), in Estonia from 1990 to 2019 using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) dataset.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The GBD study is a comprehensive epidemiological research effort that analyzes various causes of death, diseases, injuries, and risk factors across multiple countries and territories. In this study, we utilized the GBD dataset to estimate annual incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost, years living with disabilities, and DALY rates by gender and age from 1990 to 2019. To assess the trends in these indices, including DALY, incidence, mortality, and 1-mortality-to-incidence ratio (1-MIR), joinpoint regression analysis was employed. This allowed for the identification of significant changes in trends at specific time points and the calculation of annual percent change between these points.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Our findings revealed an overall decreasing trend in the incidence rate of alcohol use disorder over the study period. However, the average DALY, mortality, and 1-MIR trends did not exhibit significant variation during this time. Moreover, we observed a more substantial decline in alcohol use disorders among men compared to women from 1990 to 2019. Specifically, the incidence of alcohol use disorders demonstrated a significant increase from 1990 to 2000, followed by a decline from 2010 to 2018, and continued to decrease from 2017 to 2019.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study provides important insights into the changing trends of alcohol use disorders, including incidence and mortality, in Estonia from 1990 to 2019. Our findings indicate a decreasing pattern over time, suggesting a positive shift in alcohol consumption behavior. Additionally, we observed that men had higher rates of MIR, DALY, mortality, and incidence of alcohol use disorders compared to women. These results emphasize the need for targeted health prevention programs to sustain and further promote the downward trend in alcohol-related disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"41 1","pages":"151-161"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11320634/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45312210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of Food and Cooking Skills: Validation of a Portuguese Version of a Tool and Characterisation of Food and Cooking Skills in Young Adults.","authors":"Vânia Costa, Rute Borrego, Cátia Mateus, Elisabete Carolino, Cláudia Viegas","doi":"10.1159/000530672","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000530672","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Food and cooking skills (FCSks) are defined as a complex, interrelated, and person-centred set of skills, necessary to provide and prepare safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable meals for all members of the household. Recent studies have associated higher FCSk with healthier eating habits and better health. This study aimed to validate a Portuguese version of a tool to assess and describe FCSk in young adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study used an online anonymous questionnaire that was disseminated to students from three Portuguese Higher Education Institutes. The questionnaire validation included Cronbach alpha and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Mann-Whitney test was used for evaluating sample differences and Pearson correlation for association among variables.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Internal consistency reliability was 0.89 for cooking skills (CSks) and 0.87 for food skills (FSks). A moderate positive correlation was found between CSks and FSks confidence (<i>r</i> = 0.658, <i>p</i> < 0.01). CFA presented a good adjustment model for most of the fit indices, indicating the adequacy of the questionnaire. The CSks score was 74.1 ± 21.2 (moderate) and the food Skills was 94.2 ± 20.8 (high). Cook pulses, steaming food, and planning meals ahead scored the lowest value, while boiling or simmering food, chopping, peeling vegetables, and reading the best-before date scored the highest value. No difference was found among sex (<i>p</i> _CSk = 0.576; <i>p</i> _FSk = 0.158), age (<i>p</i> _CSk = 0.566; <i>p</i> _FSk = 0.130), body mass index classes (<i>p</i> _CSk = 0.903; <i>p</i> _FSk = 0.320), or course (<i>p</i> _CSk = 0.169; <i>p</i> _FSk = 0.126). The greatest interest in gastronomy and frequency of meal preparation is associated with higher FCSk (<i>p</i> < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This research validated a Portuguese version of a tool to assess FCSk among young adults. Internal consistency reliability was adequate. Confirmatory factor analysis returned good psychometric properties for the questionnaire. Authors identified lower FCSk competencies in cooking pulses and vegetables, which are healthy and sustainable foods. This may compromise the adoption of healthy eating behaviours, so promoting FCSk in young adults may pose a strategy for nutrition and public health in reducing diet-related diseases. This tool may be used to identify opportunities for intervention in public health nutrition.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"41 1","pages":"83-93"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11320627/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46420396","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between Physical Activity and Sitting Time Related to Excess Body Weight in Brazilian University Students.","authors":"Gerleison Ribeiro Barros, Sueyla Ferreira da Silva Dos Santos, Alynne Christian Ribeiro Andaki, Thiago Ferreira de Sousa","doi":"10.1159/000530858","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000530858","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High exposure to sedentary behavior and lower levels of physical activity can lead to excess body weight (EBW). The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of EBW and the direct association under the condition of sociodemographic, university, and behavioral moderating characteristics, between physical activity and sitting time related to EBW in Brazilian university students. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1,110 university students from a federal public institution in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The outcome was the EBW (body mass index: ≥25.0 kg/m²) and the independent variables were physical activity (insufficiently active and active) and sitting time (<6 h/day; ≥6 h/day). Association analyses were estimated via odds ratio (OR) using binary logistic regression. The significance level was 5%. The prevalence of EBW was 27.8%. No direct association was observed between physical activity and time sitting related to EBW. However, insufficiently active university students were more likely to have EBW (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.06-3.47) when they did not consume alcoholic beverages, and university students with a sitting time of ≥6 h/day had lower chances of having EBW (OR = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.40-0.95) when they had spent more time at university (3 years or more). It is concluded that the prevalence of EBW in university students was high and there was no direct association between physical activity and sitting time; however, alcohol consumption and university time moderated the association with higher and lower chances of occurrence of EBW in university students, respectively.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":" ","pages":"102-110"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11320633/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46070866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Impacts of Heat Waves on Hospital Admissions and Mortality in the Fethiye Province of Turkey.","authors":"Yunus Ozturk, Hakki Baltaci, Bülent Oktay Akkoyunlu","doi":"10.1159/000530747","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000530747","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>tHeat waves (HWs) are one of the most important atmospheric events that negatively affect human health. In this study, HWs which occurred between May 1 and September 30, 2019 in Fethiye Province (SW Turkey) were investigated for their effects on human health. For this purpose, as a first step, percentile-based threshold criteria and at least three consecutive days' methodology were applied to the daily maximum temperatures to identify HWs. Using these criteria, a total of 3 HWs (HW 1, HW 2, and HW 3) with lengths of 6, 7, and 5 days, respectively, were found in 2019. In statistical analyses, hospital data recorded on HW days (including the 3 lag days) on reference days were compared using the logarithmic Z test method. Hospital data between May 1 and September 30 in the 5 years between 2014 and 2018 were used as reference data. As a result, in the 3 HWs that occurred in 2019, the risk ratios (RRs) and their confidence intervals in HW 1, HW 2, and HW 3 at hospital admissions were 1.09 (95% CI: 1.06-1.12), 1.11 (95% CI: 1.08-1.14), and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.09-1.16), (<i>p</i> < 0.05), respectively. When the effect of HW on death was examined, the RR values and confidence intervals in HW 1, HW 2, and HW 3 were 1.90 (95% CI: 1.04-3.46), 1.96 (95% CI: 1.03-3.75), and 2.18 (95% CI: 1.13-4.20), (<i>p</i> < 0.005), respectively. As a result, it was found that a total of 22 extra deaths occurred when three HWs were recorded in 2019. When the deaths were analysed by age, it was seen that the most affected group was the elderly (≥65 years), accounting for 82% of deaths. It was determined that 64% of the deaths were male, and 36% were female. These results show that HWs in Fethiye are an important natural disaster that negatively affects human health.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"41 1","pages":"94-101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11320629/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47567620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Book Review","authors":"C. Sakellarides","doi":"10.1159/000530457","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1159/000530457","url":null,"abstract":"As the name suggests, this work by João Martins e Silva, a retired Full Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, and its former director, has as its main objective the detailed study – determinants, context, evolutionary process, responses, and consequences – of the bubonic plague epidemic that took place in the city of Porto in the last half of 1899. But, in fact, this work is much more than that. It is a detailed, well-documented, and informative account of the history of the great “pestilences” – the great threats to Public Health – from antiquity to the end of the 19th century, in search of manifestations of what is recognized as plague epidemics: a wave of people who become seriously ill in a community, with swellings in the lymph nodes, particularly in the groin, but also in the armpits – the “buboes” – preceded by the appearance of a substantial quantity of dead rats, in that same community (greatly simplifying). Hence, the characterization of the three historically identifiable plague pandemics was as follows: the “Plague of Justinian,” in the middle of the first millennium after Christ, the “Black Death,” in the 14th century, and the third that hit Europe in the 19th century. The Porto epidemic of 1899 was the last clear manifestation of this third pandemic in Europe. This is also the story of the genesis of the “microbiological theory of disease,” from the first microscopic observations of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) to the microbiological work of Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) and his collaborators in France and the team of Robert Koch (1843–1910) in Germany. It is always fascinating to observe how difficult it was to overcome entrenched explanatory conceptions such as the miasmatic origin of a disease or the “spontaneous generation” (non-transmission) of pathogens. In this context, follows the identification of the plague bacillus by a collaborator of Pasteur, Alexandre Yersin (1863–1943), a Swiss doctor and researcher of French origin, when already living in Indochina, goes to Hong Kong, in the grip of the plague epidemic, and identifies Yersinia pestis (1894). And then came the vaccine and the anti-plague serum. Four years later, Paul-Louis Simond (1858–1947) discovered the transmission mechanism, from infected rats to humans, via fleas. Finally, there is Europe, Portugal, and Porto. A bipolar world: great progress in the sciences, arts, technology, new forms of communication and transport on the one hand, and, on the other, poverty, insalubrity, unemployment, often miserable living conditions, crass ignorance of much of the population, with the singular backwardness of the institutions of public administration, education, health, and government (“cemeterial city” as Ricardo Jorge called his city, due to its insalubrity and health indices lower than those of other cities of his time). The work articulately describes the main ingredients of the events concerning the plague epidemic in the city of Oporto in","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"41 1","pages":"162 - 164"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43643564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychological, Social, and Economic Burden of COVID-19: A Comparison of Polish and Portuguese Young Adults.","authors":"Sylwia Frączek, Lara Noronha Ferreira","doi":"10.1159/000530673","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000530673","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all societies, and its effects relate not only to physical health but also to mental health, social relations, and the economic situation of the population all over the world. This research aims at studying the perceptions of changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in mental health, economic situation, and social relations among Polish and Portuguese young. The present study also sought to assess the perception of change during the pandemic in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Polish and Portuguese young adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A sample of young adults (aged 18-29) from Poland (<i>n</i> = 330) and Portugal (<i>n</i> = 189) filled in an online questionnaire composed of the EQ-5D-5L, some questions from the SHARE COVID-19 questionnaire regarding mental health, social relations, and economic situation, and sociodemographic details. Descriptive analyses, χ² tests, Student's <i>t</i> test, and Fisher's exact test were used to study the existence of differences between Poles and Portuguese.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Almost 2 years after the beginning of the pandemic, Polish and Portuguese respondents reported a perceived lower level of HRQoL in comparison to the times before the outbreak of COVID-19. Both Polish and Portuguese respondents perceived an increase in sleeping problems since the outbreak and in loneliness. Respondents from both countries reported a perception of a decrease in the frequency of meeting other people and a perceived economic deterioration.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The results indicate what factors are contributing to the worsening of the general living situation of the respondents and show that governments and health authorities should, in addition to the medical consequences of the virus, take the necessary measures to mitigate the long-term consequences of the virus. Authorities should, as well, pay special attention to the group of young adults who, in this uncertain time, are trying to make the most important decisions for their development.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"1 1","pages":"34-44"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11320649/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65303735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Children and Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Analysis of Some Protection Aspects of 10 Latin American and Caribbean Countries.","authors":"Jesus D C Gil, Pedro Manuel Vargues Aguiar","doi":"10.1159/000530093","DOIUrl":"10.1159/000530093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Latin America has registered cases in children under 14 years of age, which seem few compared to older age groups but are relevant since the child and youth population have been indirectly receiving the most decisive impact of the pandemic. Ensuring the most significant protection for this age group is essential.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is an ecological study of 10 Latin American and the Caribbean countries to study protecting children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the information from UNICEF, a coverage analysis was done, and a new variable score was proposed. Also, a multiple linear regression model was tailored to evaluate the relationship between confirmed cases by 100k of COVID-19 (0-14 year population) and the performance of the countries and some key indicators.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A strong and statistically significant correlation (<i>r</i> = 0.79; <i>p</i> value 0.005) between the increased coverage of child helplines and a greater number of school closures. Relationship of confirmed cases by COVID-19 and stringency index with a coef B = -2163.6, [CI -3122.1; -1205.1]; <i>p</i> value = 0.010. Cases and healthcare access with a coef B = -17459.7, [CI -25630.1; -9289.5].</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Experts say other pandemics will come, and this emergency must be turned into an opportunity. It is vital to strengthen protection programs for the population, especially vulnerable people, such as children and young people.Resumo.</p>","PeriodicalId":37244,"journal":{"name":"Portuguese Journal of Public Health","volume":"1 1","pages":"26-33"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11320632/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"65303429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}