Sociodemographic, biological, and developmental characteristics of preschool children born full-term and preterm. / Desarrollo, antecedentes biológicos y características sociodemográficas en preescolares con y sin antecedentes de prematuridad.

In Chile, preterm birth is the main cause of infant mortality and morbidity. However, there is little information on the particular characteristics of preterm-born preschool children. OBJECTIVE: To describe the sociodemographic, biological, and developmental characteristics of Chilean preschool children born full-term and preterm. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A secondary analysis of the databases of the 2010 Longitudinal Survey of Early Childhood (ELPI) was conducted. Children between 2 and 4 years of age with information on gestational age at birth were selected. Late-term infants were excluded. The sample included 8,571 children, of whom 9.78% were preterm newborns. Variables related to sociodemographic characteristics, biological risk factors, and psychomotor development were considered. A descriptive and association analysis (Chi-square) was performed to establish whether the differences between the compared groups were significant. RESULTS: No differences were observed regarding the proportion of sex, geographic area of residence, and health prognosis. Most premature infants reside in urban areas and they have higher biological risk factors. In addition, they have lower average scores than those born at term in all development areas. CONCLUSIONS: The information presented raises the need to analyze the interaction of prematurity with social risk in the development of preterm infants of different gestational ages.

[Developmental care of premature newborns: Fundamentals and main characteristics]. / Cuidados del desarrollo en recién nacidos prematuros: Fundamentos y características principales.

Premature newborns, especially the extreme ones, need to be cared for in the different units in the neonatal services. In addition to ensuring the survival of these newborns, these services have gra dually incorporated interventions to promote their development. This review provides an updated synthesis of developmental-focused neonatal care. First, it describes the neurobiological theoretical foundations that explain how the so-called "neonatal stress" can affect the development of a prema ture child. Later, it reviews the Synactive Theory, which is one of the theoretical models that contri bute to understanding the characteristics of the care focused on development. Regarding this care, the evidence and challenges for implementing are described and addressed from a critical perspective, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses. This article highlights the importance of improving the quality of care that preterm newborns received in NICUs, promoting resilience and/or the best pos sible developmental potential in these children, in addition to strengthening the role of parents in neonatal care.

[Smoking among undergraduate university students]. / Diagnóstico del consumo de tabaco en estudiantes de pregrado de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is one of the major Public Health problems worldwide. AIM: To study the frequency of tobacco smoking among undergraduate students of a Chilean university. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An opinion survey was sent by e-mail to all undergraduate students of a university, registering gender, age, study years, study area, smoking behavior, motivation (reason for smoking), intention to quit and tobacco law perception. RESULTS: 1,008 (57% females) out of 11,679 surveys were answered back. Prevalence of active smoking among respondents was 36%, without association with gender, age or years of study. However, students from scientific areas had a lower prevalence. Seventy seven percent of smokers manifested the intention to quit the habit or have started quitting already. Ninety six percent were acquainted with the tobacco law and by 73% agreed with it. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking is highly prevalent among university students. It is necessary to develop strategies for smoking cessation within universities that may prevent or reduce tobacco smoking among students.

Diagnóstico del consumo de tabaco en estudiantes de pregrado de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso / Smoking among undergraduate university students

Background: Smoking is one of the major Public Health problems worldwide. Aim: To study the frequency of tobacco smoking among undergraduate students of a Chilean university. Material and Methods: An opinion survey was sent by e-mail to all undergraduate students of a university, registering gender, age, study years, study area, smoking behavior, motivation (reason for smoking), intention to quit and tobacco law perception. Results: 1,008 (57% females) out of 11,679 surveys were answered back. Prevalence of active smoking among respondents was 36%, without association with gender, age or years of study. However, students from scientific areas had a lower prevalence. Seventy seven percent of smokers manifested the intention to quit the habit or have started quitting already. Ninety six percent were acquainted with the tobacco law and by 73% agreed with it. Conclusions: Smoking is highly prevalent among university students. It is necessary to develop strategies for smoking cessation within universities that may prevent or reduce tobacco smoking among students.

Frecuencia de riesgo neurobiológico en recién nacidos / Neurobiological risk frequency on newborns

Introducción: Los niños de alto riesgo o vulnerabilidad neurobiológica son aquellos que por sus antecedentes pre, peri o postnatales tienen una mayor probabilidad de presentar alteraciones en su desarrollo psicomotor. La evidencia sugiere que estos niños deben ingresar a Programas de Atención Temprana. objetivo: Describir la frecuencia de niños de alto riesgo neurobiológico que nacieron en hospitales públicos del Servicio de Salud Vina del Mar Quillota, durante al ano 2008. Paciente y Método: Se utilizó un diseno descriptivo a partir del análisis de información existente en los libros de registros de los servicios de maternidad y neonatología, del universo de niños nacidos vivos en hospitales públicos de la red de este servicio. Resultados: Los niños de alto riesgo representaron un 21,01 por ciento del total de recién nacidos vivos. Los factores de riesgo biológico más frecuentes fueron la prematurez (11,4 por ciento), el retardo de crecimiento intrauterino (9,0 por ciento) y el bajo peso de nacimiento (7,8 por ciento). Conclusión: Este estudio epidemiológico, representa el punto de partida para explorar la necesidad existente de disponer de registros estadísticos de los distintos factores de riesgo biológico y contar con espacios formales para realizar atención temprana en el servicio de salud Vina del Mar Quillota con el propósito de prevenir y tratar alteraciones del desarrollo psicomotor en todos los niños con riesgo neurobiológico.

Introduction: High-risk or neurobiological vulnerable children are those who are more likely to have alterations in their psychomotor development during their pre-, peri-, or post-natal periods. Evidence suggests that these children must have early medical care. objective: To describe the frequency of high-risk neuro-biological infants born during 2008 in Vina del Mar Quillota public health hospitals. Methods: A descriptive design was used based on the analysis of existing information in the maternity and neonatology record books regarding live births in public hospitals of this service network. Results: The high-risk children accounted for 21.01 percent of all live births. The most frequent biological risk factors were prematurity (11.4 percent), intrauterine growth retardation (9.0 percent) and low birth weight (7.8 percent). Conclusion: This epidemiological study represents the starting point for exploring the existing need to have statistical records of the various risk factors as well as have formal spaces for early treatment in the Quillota Vina del Mar health service to prevent and treat abnormal psychomotor development in all children with neurobiological risk.