Factores de riesgo cardiovascular en estudiantes universitarios / Cardiovascular risk factors of college students

College students are in a key life stage for the adoption of lifestyles that will be practiced in the family, society and work. During this period, students gain greater autonomy and take responsibility for their own care. University time becomes a critical step in the development of lifestyles. There is a high prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases in university students such as pre-hypertension especially in men and hypercholesterolemia in women. Other risk factors include smoking, physical inactivity, overweight, obesity, low fruit and vegetable consumption, and high consumption of saturated fats. Some differences of cardiovascular risk factors have been found according to gender, year of career and faculty where students attend. It is recommended to consider these differences when we design and perform educational interventions to achieve greater assertiveness and effectiveness. This article reviews the evidence about cardiovascular risk factors in university students according to gender, year of career and faculty where students attend, following the model proposed by Cecchini et al and according to the Framingham study.

Los estudiantes universitarios se encuentran en una etapa del ciclo vital clave para la adopción de estilos de vida, que practicarán en el ámbito familiar, social y laboral. En este periodo los estudiantes adquieren mayor autonomía y asumen la responsabilidad de su autocuidado, por lo cual se convierte en una etapa crítica para el desarrollo de sus estilos de vida. Existe una alta prevalencia de factores de riesgo de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles en los universitarios, entre los que destacan pre-hipertensión especialmente en hombres y la hipercolesterolemia en mujeres. También el tabaquismo, sedentarismo, sobrepeso, obesidad, bajo consumo de frutas y verduras, y alto consumo de grasas saturadas. Se encontraron diferencias en los factores de riesgo cardiovascular de acuerdo al género, curso y facultad de los estudiantes. Se recomienda consideran estas diferencias al diseñar y realizar intervenciones educativas para lograr una mayor asertividad y efectividad. El presente artículo revisa la evidencia sobre los factores de riesgo cardiovascular en estudiantes universitarios de acuerdo al género, curso y facultad, según el modelo propuesto por Cecchini y cols. y al estudio de Framingham.

Prevalencia de consumo de drogas en estudiantes universitarios que cursan primer y cuarto año / Prevalence of tabacco, alcohol and marijuana consumption among university students

Background: University students are especially vulnerable towards substance abuse Aim: To describe and compare drug consumption in students of a Chilean university who attended first and fourth year of studies, according to gender and faculty. Material and Methods: A representative, stratified and proportional sample of305 students was randomly chosen by faculty, career, grade and gender during2009. The consumption of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs was evaluated using an anonymous survey. Results: Students from health care faculties had the lower prevalence of consumption of tobacco, alcohol, tobacco-alcohol and marijuana, during the first and fourth year. Education area and social sciences faculties had the highest prevalence of consumption. Fourth year students had higher rates of consumption than their first year counterparts. Females had significantly lower rates of alcohol and marijuana consumption. Conclusions: Alcohol, tobacco and marijuana consumption was higher among students from education and social sciences faculties and those attending the fourth year of studies.

Factores que inciden en el habito de fumar de escolares de educación basica y media del Chile / Factors affecting Chilean elementary and high school children's smoking

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.

Conocimientos alimentarios y nutricionales de escolares de educación básica y media de la Región Metropolitana de Chile / Food and nutritional knowledge of school children of elementary and high education at Región Metropolitana, Chile

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

Circunferencia craneana de escolares chilenos de 5 a 18 años y nivel socioeconómico / Head circumference of chilean school children ages 5 to 18 years old and socioeconomic status

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

Estado nutricional de escolares en condiciones de pobreza urbana y rural: región metropolitana, Chile, 1986-1987 / Nutritional status in school children of urban and rural poor conditions at metropolitan region, Chile, 1986-1987

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

Estado nutricional en escolares chilenos urbanos y rurales de la Región Metropolitana, 1986-1987 / Nutritional status of urban and rural Chilean school Children of the metropolitan region, 1986-1987

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el estado nutricional de escolares chilenos de áreas urbanas y rurales. Para tal efecto se seleccionó una muestra representativa de 4.509 escolares de educación básica y media de la Región Metropolitana de Chile (representativa del 38,0% de la población escolar chilena). El estado nutricional se evaluó a través de mediciones antropométricas. Los porcentajes de adecuación peso/edad (% P/E), talla/edad (% T/E) y peso/talla (% P/T) fueron comparados con las tablas de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS); circunferencia craneana/edad (% CC/E), con las tablas de Tanner; perímetro braquial/edad (% PB/E), pliegue cutáneo tricipital/edad (% PCT/E), área magra braquial/edad (% AMB/E) y área grasa braquial/edad (% AGB/E), de acuerdo a las normas de Frisancho. El nivel socioeconómico (NSE) se determinó mediante la escala Graffar modificada. El % P/T sería mejor indicador del estado nutricional debido al retraso estatural (frecuencia 27,6% en el total de la muestra; 24,2% y 46,8% en las áreas urbana y rural, respectivamente, p < 0,001). La frecuencia de obesidad (% P/T) fue de 13,4% y 10,5% en las áreas urbana y rural, respectivamente; y las correspondientes de desnutrición (% P/T), 5,7% y 8,2% (p < 0,05). Los escolares rurales presentaron cifras significativamente más bajas en los % CC/E, % PB/E, % PCT/E y % AGB/E (p <0,001), no existiendo direncias para los % AMB/E. En escolares rurales 90,5% pertenecía a NSE bajo, hecho que debe ser considerado para explicar las diferencias encontradas en el estado nutricional de los escolares de acuerdo al área geográfica

Estado nutricional de escolares según sexo y edad: Región Metropolitana, Chile, 1986-1987 / Nutritional status of students second sex and aged. Metropolitan area of Santiago, Chile, 1986-1987

A representative sample of 4509 schoolers form elementary and high schools int the Metropolitan area of Santiago was randomly chosen and their nutritional status analyzed by anthropometric measurements. Percentages of weight for age (W/A), height for ge (H/A) and weight for height (W/H) were evaluated according to WHO tables. Undernutrition (low W/A) diagnosed in 31% of male and 28% of females and overweight in 18% and 22%,respectively. Undernutrition increased while obesity decreased with ag. To a large extent, differences found in nutritional statusm could be explained by mild growth failure which existed in 27% of males and 28% of females. Therefore, W/H better expresses the nutritional status of these schoolers. The high prevalence of obesity and overweight is a serious health problem demanding preventive measures in order to avoid complications in later life