ABSTRACT
Background: Mental health awareness surveys that assess the broad knowledge of various stakeholders including public nationwide help in the development of relevant strategies to enhance their poor mental health literacy. Objective:The aim of this telephone polling survey was to measure mental health awareness of general public in Saudi Arabia.Method:The participants (n=1068) randomly selected from 13 regions of Saudi Arabia were contacted by 15 trained Saudi girl interviewers for conducting 30-minutes individual interview in Arabic language using a self-designed 15-item questionnaire.Results:About one fourthof responders (23%) reported either personal or family member having mental disorder, and depression and anxiety disorders were the commonest problems. Stigmaagainst mental disorders and consulting health professionals, misperceptions towards psychotropics and social exclusion and shame were variably reported by the participants. Though the participants perceived barriers to have access to MH services, 55% ofresponders reported MH services were of good to excellent grade, and the two most common help-seeking modes were psychiatric and religious and spiritual service providers.Conclusion:Although this community participatory mental health polling survey is found to have encouraging mental health literacy of public participants, evidence based training programs and campaigns for further improving people mental health literacy are needed in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf countries
ABSTRACT
O objetivo deste artigo é descrever a distribuição dos principais fatores de risco (FR) e proteção para doenças crônicas não transmissíveis (DCNT) entre os beneficiários de planos de saúde. Foi utilizada amostra aleatória de adultos com 18 ou mais anos de idade nas capitais brasileiras, analisando-se frequências de FR em 28.640 indivíduos em 2008. Homens mostraram alta prevalência dos seguintes fatores de risco: tabaco, sobrepeso, baixo consumo de frutas e legumes, maior consumo de carnes gordurosas e álcool, enquanto mulheres mostraram maior prevalência de pressão arterial, diabetes, dislipidemia e osteoporose. Homens praticam mais atividade física e mulheres consomem mais frutas e vegetais. Homens com maior escolaridade apresentam maior frequência de sobrepeso, consumo de carnes com gorduras e dislipidemia. Entre mulheres, tabaco, sobrepeso, obesidade e doenças autorreferidas decrescem com aumento da escolaridade, enquanto o consumo de frutas e legumes, atividade física, mamografia e exame de papanicolau aumentam com a escolaridade. CONCLUSÃO: a população usuária de planos de saúde constitui cerca de 26 por cento da população brasileira, e o estudo atual visa acumular evidências para atuação em ações de promoção da saúde para esse público.
This article aims at estimating the prevalence of adults engaging in protective and risk health behaviors among members of private health insurance plans. It was used a random sample of individuals over the age of 18 living in the Brazilian state capitals collected on 28,640 telephone interviews in 2008. The results showed that among males there was a high prevalence of the following risk factors: tobacco, overweight, low fruit and vegetable consumption, high meat with fat consumption and alcohol drinking. Among females we found a high prevalence of high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia and osteoporosis. Men were generally more physically active and women consumed more fruit and vegetables. As more educated males were lower was the prevalence of tobacco, high blood pressure, but also a higher prevalence of overweight, consumption of meat with fat, dyslipidemia and lower number of yearly check-ups done. For females, tobacco smoking, overweight, obesity, decreasing with schooling, and consumption of fruit and vegetables, physical activity, mammography and PAP test, increased with schooling. The health insurance user population constitutes about 26 percent of Brazilian people and the current study aims to accumulate evidence for health promotion actions by this public.