Use of Marijuana to Promote Well-Being: Effects of Use and Prohibition in the Daily Lives of Brazilian Adults.

Background: Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug worldwide. From an occupational perspective, its use is paradoxical in that although it can be harmful to health and has criminal consequences, it can also promote well-being. This study examined predictors of well-being to determine the effects of marijuana use and its prohibition on the daily lives of Brazilian adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study used an anonymous online questionnaire with a final sample of 2637 respondents. Utilizing logistic regression, variables were selected pertaining to use and prohibition risks, benefits of use, and harm reduction associated with the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents. Results: Using marijuana for fun was most likely among those self-identified as male, trans/non-binary people, college graduates, and those with higher incomes. Living with family members and using less frequently proved to be protective against the adverse effect of "getting high." Indigenous peoples and youth were more likely to report trouble with the police due to marijuana use; individuals with higher education and longer use of marijuana reported more frequent use of harm reduction strategies; people who identified their color as yellow were more likely to report daily use compared to people who identified their color as white; women and people with higher income were less likely to report daily use. Conclusions: Social class, race, gender, and generation were predictors of well-being associated with marijuana use and its prohibition, indicating an interaction between different dimensions involving the use of illicit substances. Identifying the effects of the use and prohibition of marijuana in promoting well-being, from the conception of drug use as a non-sanctioned occupation, can broaden the understanding of this complex human phenomenon, with health and criminal repercussions, subsidizing the development of approaches more equitable and adequate into occupational therapy to reduce personal and social harm.

Panorama of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Brazil and its Association With Self-Perception of Health: Findings From a National Representative Survey.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a challenge in Brazil. The country holds one of the highest rates of femicide in the world, most of which are preceded by IPV. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 34,334 women, aged 18 to 59 years, from the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey to analyze the prevalence of IPV and its subtypes among the Brazilian adult women in the last 12 months, encompassing their health consequences and the use of health services resulting from IPV. We also used logistic regression models to estimate the association of sociodemographic characteristics and self-perceived health status with IPV. The prevalence of IPV among Brazilian adult women in the last 12 months was 7.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] [7.0, 8.2]). Women aged 18 to 39 years, not married, and with income of up to 1 minimum wage (MW), had higher odds of suffering IPV. Among those who reported health consequences due to IPV, 69% reported psychological consequences, and 13.9% sought health care, mostly in primary or secondary health care services in the Brazilian Unified Health System (41.9%). Regarding the self-perceived health variables, women who reported eating problems (odds ratio [OR] = 1.29; [1.01, 1.65]), lack of interest/absence of pleasure (OR = 1.41; [1.11, 1.79]), depressive feelings (OR = 1.39; [1.03, 1.88]), feeling of failure (OR = 1.75; [1.36, 2.24]), and suicidal thoughts (OR = 1.73; [1.25, 2.41]) had greater odds of reporting IPV compared to those who did not report these same perceptions. The results show that younger, divorced or single, low-income women with eating problems and mental health disorders were more likely to suffer IPV. IPV often led to health problems, and many abused women sought support from public health services. Health professionals must be trained to identify and care for these women, thereby acting as allies in preventing and reducing IPV.

Associations between Anthropometrics, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Metabolic Syndrome Components in Brazilian Adolescents with Obesity.

Purpose: To describe the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in Brazilian adolescents with obesity, and to compare anthropometric and cardiorespiratory fitness measurements in relation to the presence of MS. Methods: Sixty-seven adolescents (13-18 years, 36 girls) with obesity (body mass index z-score ≥2.0) were enrolled. The following were assessed for each participant: anthropometrics, body composition, lipid profile, glucose, serum insulin, insulin resistance, blood pressure (BP), and cardiorespiratory fitness. Results: The presence of MS was found in 47.76% of the sample. The following abnormal measurements were most frequently reported: waist circumference (WC) (100.0%), BP (85.07%), and triglycerides (TG) (50.75%). Boys with obesity were more likely to meet MS criteria when compared to girls (P = 0.040; odds ratio = 2.80 [1.04-7.56]). Conclusion: The presence of MS in Brazilian adolescents with obesity in this study was 47.76%. Among this sample, the most frequently reported MS variables above the established cutoffs were WC (100%), followed by altered BP (85%) and TG (50%). These data further support previously published studies that low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness may increase the risk of MS among adolescents with obesity.

Translation of the UK-Birth-Satisfaction-Scale-Revised (BSS-R) into Brazilian (Portuguese) and description of initial measurement properties.

RATIONALE: The concept of birth satisfaction embraces many factors, which include for example perceived quality of care provision, stress experienced, and personal coping strategies. A woman's birth experience has the power to affect her mental health, decisions surrounding future birth planning, and quality of relationships with her partner and family. The UK-Birth-Satisfaction-Scale-Revised (UK-BSS-R) is currently recommended as the tool of choice by the International Consortium for Health Outcome Measures (ICHOM) for measuring women's experiences of childbirth. It was therefore considered important to translate and validate this scale for use in a Brazilian context. OBJECTIVE: To translate and culturally adapt the UK-BSS-R into Brazilian (Portuguese) and validate its key measurement properties. METHODS: A repeated-measures survey was conducted for the purpose of examining factor structure, validity and reliability of the Brazilian (Portuguese)-BSS-R. PARTICIPANTS: Data was gathered from (n = 101) Brazilian Portuguese-speaking postnatal women. RESULTS: The initial measurement characteristics of the Brazilian (Portuguese)-BSS-R in terms of Intraclass Correlational Coefficient, Standard Error of Measurement and minimal detectable change were found to be excellent. CONCLUSION: The Brazilian (Portuguese)-BSS-R is now considered to be a valid and reliable multidimensional psychometric instrument for measuring birth satisfaction in a Brazilian Portuguese population of postnatal women. This translation was found to be conceptually consistent with the original English-language version (UK-BSS-R) and to have an excellent initial measurement characteristics profile. The direction of future research is indicated, specifically to undertake a thorough psychometric evaluation of the Brazilian (Portuguese)-BSS-R in a larger sample.