High-risk behaviors and experiences with traffic law among night drivers in Curitiba, Brazil

Objective: To explore high-risk behaviors and experiences with traffic law among night drivers in Curitiba, Brazil. Method: Data from 398 drivers on sociodemographic parameters, high-risk behaviors, experiences with traffic law, and traffic law violations were collected through interviews conducted at sobriety checkpoints. Exploratory-descriptive and analytical statistics were used. Results: The mean age of the participants was 32.6±11.2 years (range, 18 to 75 years). Half of the drivers reported having driven after drinking in the last year, predominantly single men aged 18 to 29 years who drive cars and drink alcohol frequently. Only 55% of the drivers who had driven after drinking in the last year self-reported some concern about being detected in a police operation. Conclusions: A significant association was found between sociodemographic variables and behavior, which can help tailor public interventions to a specific group of drivers: young men who exhibit high-risk behaviors in traffic, such as driving after drinking alcohol, some of whom report heavy alcohol consumption. This group represents a challenge for educational and enforcement interventions, particularly because they admit to violating current laws and have a low perception of punishment due to the low risk of being detected by the police.

Oral cancer, smoking and public health policies in Brazil: a brief review

This study, conducted through a literature review, aimed to elaborate on oral cancer, smoking and coping with these two diseases by public health policies in force in Brazil. According to the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA), oral cancer is among the most frequent diseases in the country, and if detected at early stages, has a high rate of survival when compared to other types of disease. INCA estimates show that there is a tendency for disease progression, nearly doubling the number of cases from 2005 to 2020, which constitutes a challenge not only to advances in science and technology but to the continuity of higher incidence in countries of lower socioeconomic level, reinforcing the need to work on social determinants. According to the literature reviewed, smoking, among the risk factors for oral cancer, is one of the most potent carcinogens known, with the aggravating factor that the patient voluntarily introduces the carcinogen into their body. The correlation between these two chronic diseases justifies the concern of public health and the dental profession both to deter the progression of these previously established diseases and to reduce the incidence of cases.