Obesity and undernutrition in a very-low-income population in the city of Maceió, northeastern Brazil.

Obesity is the nutritional disorder which has shown the greatest increase in prevalence, even in those countries in which deficiency diseases represent a severe public health problem. The goal of the present study was to analyse the anthropometric profile of a community living in the outskirts of Maceió, capital of Alagoas (northeastern Brazil), and to investigate the hypothesis of a coexistence of undernutrition and obesity in a very low-income population. The survey was conducted on 315 families (1247 individuals). Among the children (aged < or =10 years), the prevalence of wasting, stunting and wasting plus stunting was 3.8, 8.3 and 8.7 % respectively. Wasting (10.2 %) was the most prevalent form of undernutrition among adolescents; nonetheless, a higher frequency of stunting (11 %) and overweight-obesity (5.5 %) was seen specifically in girls, in agreement with trends found in other studies. Adults exhibited a high prevalence of overweight-obesity (25 %), but stunting was also present (22 %). Of the stunted individuals, 30 % were overweight-obese and 16.3 % were underweight. There were eighty-six families with at least one parent who was underweight (27 %) and 104 families with at least one parent who was overweight (33 %). Underweight and overweight-obesity were both present in ninety-six households (30 %). These results may indicate that better living conditions in urban areas in a population 'adapted' to chronic famine might increase the susceptibility to obesity. Considering the harm caused by the cumulative effect of these two conditions (undernutrition in childhood and obesity in adult life) there is a clear need for new studies to uncover the determinant factors so that preventive measures can be implemented.

[Women and contraception: knowledge and use of contraceptive methods]. / Mulher e anticoncepção: conhecimento e uso de métodos anticoncepcionais.

This article analyzes knowledge and use of contraceptive methods in women ages 10 to 49 years residing in the southern region of the city of São Paulo in 1992. A total of 1,157 childbearing-age women were studied, focusing on variables that might define them as to: knowledge in the use of contraceptive methods and reasons for choosing a given method. We observed that 86% of the women referred knowledge of some contraceptive method, while the most common was the pill (95.3%), followed by condoms (92.6%). Meanwhile, 14% of the interviewees denied knowledge of any contraceptive method. Of the sexually active women (66.4%), 34.9% reported never having used contraceptive methods. Of those who had, 35.3% used the pill, while 42.9% had resorted to sterilization. Only 5.2% used condoms. Despite the high level of knowledge concerning contraceptive methods, especially oral contraceptives and condoms, we observed limited use of same as compared to the high sterilization rate around the age of 27, thus leaving contraception limited to the pill and female sterilization.

[Quality of life of persons with chronic illness]. / Qualidade de vida de pessoas com doença crônica.

The present study has the following objectives: to identify the significance of the quality of life of people with chronic illness and verify its interference in their quality of life. We have studied 71 people of both sexes, attended in the clinical settings of 2 public hospitals. The most common diagnoses were high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus. The significance of quality of life to interviewed people was related mainly to material comfort (40.9%); physical comfort (23.9%) and emotional comfort (11.2%). Chronic illness interfered in their quality of life because it has changed, especially, their physical capacity (67.6%), their work/study/home activities (64.8%) and their self-esteem (53.5%). Based on the results, we emphasize the importance of nursing in the adaptation process of people and their relatives considering the limitations of chronic illness.