ABSTRACT
Introduction: In November 2019, in China, an outbreak of a disease caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has begun. The spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) to hundreds of countries, causing respiratory illness and death, especially in risk groups, led the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March 2020. For patient's management, an extensive network of multidisciplinary care is necessary, exposing them to a greater contamination risk. Objective: This study aims to describe the prevalence of sleep disorders on health professionals who care for patients with suspicion/ confirmation of COVID-19. Methods: This is a crosssectional study, carried out using an online form sent to health professionals, with higher education, of both genders, aged 18 years or more, from any city in Brazil. Data collection took place from August to December 2020 (epidemiological weeks 32 to 53). The participants were asked about the frequency of several sleep disorders, sociodemographic, health and lifestyle characteristics. Subsequently, descriptive statistics were performed. The study protocol was approved by the National Research Ethics Committee (CONEP) under opinion 4.073.427. Results: The sample consisted of 184 health professionals with an average age of 37 (±9,3) years, predominantly female (69,9%), physicians (48,4%), living in Rio Grande do Sul (77,7%), graduated in the last 10 years (53,3%), working in the morning (83,1%), afternoon (82,6%) and night (32,1%), who have non-transferable chronic diseases (25,5%), consume alcoholic beverages (54,9%) and practice physical activities (57,6%). Regarding sleep disorders, participants presented tiredness on waking up (88,6%), waking up at night (82,1%), excessive daytime sleepiness (73,4%), nightmares (69,6%), difficulty in starting sleep (69%), waking up too early and not being able to go back to sleep (63,6%), grinding or clenching teeth during sleep (59,2%), snoring (58,7%), sleep apnea (13%) and sleepwalking (8,7%). 74,5% of participants had 5 or more symptoms simultaneously. Conclusion: The results demonstrate a high number of symptoms of sleep disorders in the sample, especially tiredness on waking up and night awaking, as well as a high number of health professionals with 5 or more associated symptoms. The data are of concern, as they affect the performance of these professionals, which may expose them and the patients to greater risks.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Sleep is the result of reversible changes in the behavioral and physiological spheres, associated with the modification of brain activities, being an important mechanism for physical restoration, memory consolidation and learning, mood regulation and modulation of the immune system. Sleep habits are affected by stimuli and interferences of daily life, especially in a COVID-19 pandemic situation, so it is essential to apply sleep hygiene measures to improve sleep patterns, including having a regular time to sleep and wake up, dim lighting in the periods before bedtime, manage stress and use relaxation techniques. Objective: To assess the relationship between the application of sleep hygiene measures and the perception of sleep quality by parents of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, carried out using an online form sent to parents/guardians (over 18 years old) of children and adolescents of both sexes, aged between 4 and 17 years old, by convenience, in the period from October 28, 2020 to December 7, 2020. The analysis of the application of sleep hygiene measures took into account the application of 8 or more sleep hygiene measures by parents/guardians, among the 14 described in the online questionnaire. For the questioning about the perception of parents/guardians regarding the quality of sleep of children, a scale of 0 to 10 was adopted, considering from 0 to 5 for perception of poor sleep quality, and from 6 to 10 for perception of regular or good sleep. The distribution of the dependent variable according to the independent ones was verified using the Chi-square test, considering 95% CI. Results: The sample was composed of 532 children and adolescents of both sexes, mean age 9.7 (± 3.8 years), with a predominance of female sex (51.9%), residing in Rio Grande do Sul (63.7%), aged between 6 and 13 years (60.2%). It was observed that 83.3% of the parents/ guardians evaluated perceived the sleep of children and adolescents as regular or good. Of these, 87.1% applied 8 or more sleep hygiene measures, proving the positive relationship between the application of sleep hygiene measures and the perception of sleep quality (p 0.001). Conclusion: The study data allowed us to analyze how the application of sleep hygiene measures in children and adolescents caused positive outcomes in the sleep pattern, thus demonstrating the benefits that these actions have on the physiological development of children.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To assess the prevalence and factors associated with the perception of fear of being infected by the new coronavirus. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, with individuals of both sexes and 18 years of age or older. Online data collection of sociodemographic, health and behavior characteristics as well as knowledge about the virus. Descriptive statistical analysis and calculation of prevalence and crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR). Results: Nine hundred and twenty participants were sampled, with a 64% prevalence of fear of contamination, being higher in working individuals (PR = 1.10;CI95 1.02-1.20), with elderly people at home (PR = 1.18;CI95 1.17-1.19), negative perception of health (PR = 1.15;CI95 1.02-1.31), assessment of high risk of contamination (PR = 1.30;CI95 1.23-1,38), with at least one of the main signs/symptoms in the previous week (PR = 1.12;CI95 1.11-1.13), who perform a greater number of preventive measures (PR = 1.27;CI95 1,15-1.40), vaccinated against influenza (PR = 1.08;CI95 1.07-1.10) and who know that they belong to the risk group (PR = 1.17;CI95 1.14-1,19). Lower probability of outcome observed in the elderly (PR = 0.74;CI95 0.60-0.91), health professionals or students (PR = 0.82;CI95 0.81-0.83) and in non-smokers (PR = 0.86;CI95 0.79-0.94). Conclusions: There was a high proportion of fear among the participants, especially among those who perceive themselves to be at greater risk. Considering the important role of fear in people’s mental health, the findings indicate the importance of intensifying educational and informational actions, aiming to expand the clarification of the population and reduce the impacts of the pandemic in this regard. © 2021, Editora Cientifica Nacional Ltda. All rights reserved.