ABSTRACT
Considerando a indiscutível evidência dos efeitos adversos do fumo para a saúde, milhöes de pessoas continuam fumando. A situaçäo é de maior gravidade, já que muitos dos fumantes e a maioria dos novos fumantes, tanto no Chile, como em outros países, säo adolescentes. Decidiu-se realizar estudo com o objetivo de determinar a prevalência do tabagismo em escolares chilenos e quantificar o impacto de fatores socioeconômicos, socioculturais, familiares, de exposiçäo aos meios de comunicaçäo de massa, demográficos, educacionais e psicossociais. Foi selecionada uma amostra aleatória representativa e proporcional de 2.967 escolares de educaçäo básica e média, na Regiäo Metropolitana do Chile, de acordo com o grau do curso (IV, VI e VIII básico de I e IV médio), sexo, tipo de escola e área geográfica. A prevalência de tabagismo foi determinada por meio de questionário auto administrativo. O nível socioeconômico (NSE) foi avaliado pelo métdo Graffar modificado determinando-se além das condiçöes familiares, a exposiçäo aos meios de comunicaçäo de massa e aos fatores psicossociais. O rendimento escolar foi determinado por um teste de idiomas e de matemáticas, além de outras variáveis educacionais. A análise estatística inclui análise de variância, teste "t" de Student e teste de Scheffe para comparar as médias, correlaçäo, regressäo múltipla, teste do qui-quadrado e o método de OPS/OMS para o cálculo de risco relativo (RR). A prevalência de tabagismo (10,6 por cento) aumentou significativamente com a idade de 1,3 por cento nos escolares menores de 13 anos, a 15,4 a 36,9 por cento nos adolescentes entre 13-15 anos e > ou = 16 anos, respectivamente (p<0,001), e foi maior nos escolares do sexo feminino. Os níveis de prazer(r=0,499 p<0,001), rebeldía (r=0,124 p<0,001), foram as variáveis independentes com o maior poder de explicaçäo na variância de tabagismo (r2=0,2860). Porém o grau de prazer foi a variável com o maior poder de explicaçäo na variância (89,2 por cento) e com maior RR (34,3). O impacto relativo às variáveis independentes sobre o tabagismo foi diferente de acordo com a idade, sexo e nível socioeconômico. Os resultados podem ser úteis para a implementaçäo das políticas de educaçäo e saúde e para a prevençäo deste fator de risco para a saúde da populaçäo escolar.
Subject(s)
Child , Adolescent , Humans , Male , Female , Nicotiana/epidemiology , Risk Factors , Adolescent Behavior , Socioeconomic Factors , Students , Family , Precipitating Factors , Sex Factors , Educational Status , Age Factors , Mass MediaABSTRACT
In Chile, there is scarce food and nutrition knowledge among school age children. To determine the degree and its relationship to socioeconomic status, sex, type of school and geographic area, between 1986 and 1987, a representative and proportional sample of 4509 children, was chosen from the Metropolitan Region. This sample was stratified according to school grade, sex, type of school and geographical area. Graffar's modified method was used to measure socioeconomic status. Food and nutrition knowledge was assessed by a specific test for each grade, based on the objectives pursued by the curricular programs of the Ministry of Education. The test was applied to 4197 children. Food and nutrition knowledge was significantly lower in the second subcycle of elementary school, in males, in older children from each grade, in rural areas, in children of low socioeconomic status and in public schools. School age children were unaware of fundamental aspects related to food and nutrition and curriculum programs of the Ministry of Education should be reformulated to overcome these deficiencies
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Diet , Nutritional Sciences , Nutrition SurveysABSTRACT
The objective of this study were to determine the head circumference (HC) values of a representatiive sample of 4.346 school children ages 5 to 18 years from Chile's Metropolitan Region, to carry out a comparative study with international referencew data of Tanner, Nellhaus and Roche et al, and to compare the HC values by socioeconomic status (SES). The sample included school children of both sex, from public, private subsidized and private non-subsidized schools and from urban and rural areas. HC was measured according to Jellife norms and SES through Graffar's Modified Method. Results showed a high correlation between HC values of school-age children fron Chile's Metropolitan Region and Tanner, Nellhaus and Roche et al Tables, with similar growth curves; from this manner, HC values of school-age children from Chile's Metropolitan Region not differ significantly from international reference data. HC values were, in general, significantly higher in males than females in all age groups, in students fron high SES to compare with other socioeconomic strata and in older school children. This fact was tested too in 1992, in a representative sample of 605 poor school children beneficiaries from the School Feeding Program in Peñalolén and Pirque Counties from Chile's Metropolitan Region with similar results. It can be concluded that HC values of school-age children from Chile's Metropolitan Region were higher in males than females, in high SES compared with medium and low SES and in older students and does not differ significantly from international reference data
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Child, Preschool , Adolescent , Cephalometry/statistics & numerical data , Reference Values , Underachievement , Infant Nutrition Disorders/complications , Child Development/physiology , Developmental Disabilities/diagnosis , Age Distribution , Sex Distribution , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional status of poor children from urban and rural areas and to quantify the impact of socioeconomic, sociocultural and family variables on nutritional status. Weight/age, height/age, weight/height and head circumference percentages were measured in a representative sample of 4509 school children, 39 percent belonging to a low socioeconomic status and living in the metropolitan region, chosen according to grade, type of school, sex and geographic area. Children coming from rural areas had significantly higher percentages of undernutrition than children from urban areas according to weight/age, (47 vs 34 percent) and weight/height (7,7 vs 4.6 percent); likewise they had a higher proportion of height/age ratios below 90 percent (10,3 vs 5.2 percent). Head circumference was below 100 percent in 77 and 65 percent of rural and urban children. Brachial anthropometric variables were also lower in rural children. The number of siblings and family size were the independent variables with the greatest explanatory power for weight/age and height/age variations. Mother's instruction in urban areas and crowding, family alcoholism and mother's instruction in rural areas, were the independent variables with the greatest explanatory power for head circumference variation. It is concluded that the significant relationship found between socioeconomic, sociocultural and family variables and nutritional status is relevant, considering that the sample was homogenous in each geographic area