Accuracy of the Verbal Autopsy questionnaire in the diagnosis of COVID-19 deaths in a Brazilian capital.

The Verbal Autopsy (VA) is a questionnaire about the circumstances surrounding a death. It was widely used in Brazil to assist in postmortem diagnoses and investigate excess mortality during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of investigating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) using VA. This is a cross-sectional study with prospective data collected from January 2020 to August 2021 at the Death Verification Service of Sao Luis city, Brazil. VA was performed for suspected COVID-19 deaths, and one day of the week was randomly chosen to collect samples from patients without suspected COVID-19. Two swabs were collected after death and subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Of the 250 cases included, the VA questionnaire identified COVID-19-related ARDS in 67.2% (52.98% were positive for COVID-19). The sensitivity of the VA questionnaire was 0.53 (0.45-0.61), the specificity was 0.75 (0.64-0.84), the positive predictive value was 0.81 (0.72-0.88), and the negative predictive value was 0.44 (0.36-0.53). The VA had a lower-than-expected accuracy for detecting COVID-19 deaths; however, because it is an easily accessible and cost-effective tool, it can be combined with more accurate methods to improve its performance.

Analysis of the AUDIT factor structure in adolescents between 18 and 19 years.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factor structure of the instrument Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a representative sample of adolescents aged 18 to 19 years. METHODS: Cross-sectional study performed with adolescents born in São Luís (MA). The internal consistency of the instrument was determined by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and the validity of the construct was assessed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was estimated to analyze the adequacy of the sample. The fit quality of the factor model was analyzed according to the indexes of the Chi-square adjustment test, comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). RESULTS: The sample of the study was composed of 1,002 adolescents aged from 18 to 19 years, being 56.8% girls, 68.5% with 18 years, 63.3% brown, 48.6% belonging to class C, 15.4% did not work or did not study, and 52.1% had divorced parents. The sample was suitable for confirmatory factor analysis (KMO = 0.79); Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.70, demonstrating satisfactory internal consistency with factor loads above 0.5, except for item 9, "was injured or someone else was injured due to drinking." Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the validity of the three-factor model for the studied sample based on the indices of psychometric adjustments. CONCLUSION: The three-factor AUDIT factor structure was confirmed for the population of adolescents between 18 and 19 years old living in São Luís, ratifying the original conceptual domains proposed by the World Health Organization. AUDIT proved to be a reliable instrument to identify the consumption of alcohol.

Analysis of the Audit factor structure in adolescents between 18 and 19 years / Análise da estrutura fatorial do Audit em adolescentes entre 18 e 19 anos

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE: To determine the factor structure of the instrument Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a representative sample of adolescents aged 18 to 19 years. METHODS: Cross-sectional study performed with adolescents born in São Luís (MA). The internal consistency of the instrument was determined by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and the validity of the construct was assessed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was estimated to analyze the adequacy of the sample. The fit quality of the factor model was analyzed according to the indexes of the Chi-square adjustment test, comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). RESULTS: The sample of the study was composed of 1,002 adolescents aged from 18 to 19 years, being 56.8% girls, 68.5% with 18 years, 63.3% brown, 48.6% belonging to class C, 15.4% did not work or did not study, and 52.1% had divorced parents. The sample was suitable for confirmatory factor analysis (KMO = 0.79); Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.70, demonstrating satisfactory internal consistency with factor loads above 0.5, except for item 9, "was injured or someone else was injured due to drinking." Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the validity of the three-factor model for the studied sample based on the indices of psychometric adjustments. CONCLUSION: The three-factor AUDIT factor structure was confirmed for the population of adolescents between 18 and 19 years old living in São Luís, ratifying the original conceptual domains proposed by the World Health Organization. AUDIT proved to be a reliable instrument to identify the consumption of alcohol.

RESUMO OBJETIVO: Determinar a estrutura fatorial do instrumento Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Audit) em uma amostra representativa de adolescentes de 18 a 19 anos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado com adolescentes nascidos em São Luís (MA). A consistência interna do instrumento foi determinada pelo coeficiente alfa de Cronbach e a validade do construto foi avaliada por meio da Análise Fatorial Confirmatória (AFC). O índice de Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) foi calculado para analisar a adequação da amostra. A qualidade de ajuste do modelo fatorial foi analisada de acordo com os índices dos testes qui-quadrado de ajustamento, comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) e root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). RESULTADOS: A amostra do estudo foi composta por 1.002 adolescentes entre 18 e 19 anos, sendo 56,8% meninas, 68,5% com 18 anos, 63,3% pardos ou mulatos, 48,6% pertencentes à classe C, 15,4% não trabalhavam e não estudavam e 52,1% tinham pais separados. A amostra foi adequada para a análise fatorial confirmatória (KMO = 0,79) e o coeficiente do alfa de Cronbach foi de 0,70, demostrando consistência interna satisfatória com cargas fatoriais acima de 0,5, com exceção do item 9 "Ficou ferido ou ficou alguém ferido por ter bebido". A análise fatorial confirmatória revelou a validade do modelo de três fatores para a amostra em estudo com base nos índices de ajustes psicométricos. CONCLUSÃO: A estrutura fatorial do Audit com três fatores foi confirmada para a população de adolescentes entre 18 e 19 anos residentes em São Luís, ratificando os domínios conceituais originais propostos pela Organização Mundial da Saúde. O Audit apresentou-se como um instrumento confiável para a identificação do consumo de álcool.