Treatment of pityriasis versicolor in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Pityriasis versicolor is a common chronic superficial fungal infection of the skin. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of visits for pityriasis versicolor and to assess how it is currently being treated. METHODS: Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care survey were used from the years 1990-1999. RESULTS: There were 2.9 million visits per year in which pityriasis (tinea) versicolor was listed as a diagnosis; this corresponds to a visit rate of 110 visits per 100,000 persons per year. Visit rates varied among racial and ethnic groups, with the highest visit rates for black people and American Indians/Eskimos. A total of 76% of the medications listed at visits for pityriasis versicolor are FDA approved for the condition; however, many treatments that were prescribed were not. CONCLUSIONS: Given that as many as one-quarter of treatments prescribed for this easily treatable condition are inappropriate, continued education of medical practitioners concerning appropriate treatment options is needed.

[Advertising, advertising legislation and health]. / Publicidad, legislación publicitaria y salud.

The media and specifically magazines and sunday supplements contain advertisements, some of which can be dangerous to one's health. We have investigated these types of advertisements, which were included in the 15 top sales magazines in Spain. The period of analysis corresponded to the period april-may, 1991. We have compared the results obtained with the results of a previous investigation carried our in 1987, using an identical method. We have tried to test if the so-called Law of Publicity of 1988 has had any effect on publicity. We have found, 1383 advertisements that could have a damaging effect on one's health. Although the total number of advertisements have decreased over this four year period, the law has hardly produced any influence on publicity, and we have found breaking of the law in the investigated material.

[Adolescence at risk: a health survey among pre-university students]. / Adolescencia en riesgo: una encuesta de salud entre estudiantes de C.O.U.

The present study investigates the level of health education in a representative sample of 804 pre-university Asturian students, randomly selected from the official list of the Ministry of Education and Science. We used a questionnaire (designed by us) in order to measure the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour related to some of the most important health determining factors. The survey was carried out by interviewing small groups of students in the classroom situation. Although it was found that the majority perceived themselves as healthy or very healthy, these young people are widely exposed to risk factors: 12% have suffered from more than 25 episodes of drunkenness during the previous year; 43.53% smoked to some extent and only 3.86% identified the days of maximum risk of pregnancy in a supposed menstrual cycle, although 31% maintained sexual relationships. Theoretically, 92% selected health as the most important factor among the three most fundamental values for life. They also think that illegal drugs are the most important health problem at present for young people. There is a contradiction between the high theoretical importance given to health, the good self-qualification of it, and the observed presence of important risk factors. A certain failure of the educational system with respect to primary prevention can be claimed.

[Advertising and health education]. / Publicidad y educación sanitaria.

Health education and advertising have a common aim: to modify human behaviour. Health education tries to induce healthy behaviours. In some occasions Publicity proposes risky behaviours. Ads appearing during a two-month period in magazines of the largest circulation in Spain are analyzed here. A total of 1,726 ads which could have a negative influence on health either because of the product or service offered or for the use of health as a persuasive argument in their text, are considered. The magazines Hola and Lecturas had the highest ratio ads/magazine. Spirits, food and drugs were the most frequently advertised products. And more than 50% of the ads used health and welfare as argument for better selling. Health educators should know and teach the critical analysis of publicity, and use advertisements as a teaching tool to enable people to see through misleading advertising.