[Analysis of health and life status of a urban population of Botucatu, São Paulo (Brazil). IV. Morbidity reported in domiciliary interviews, 1983-1984]. / Análise das condições de saúde e de vida da população urbana de Botucatu, São Paulo (Brasil). IV--Morbidade referida em entrevistas domiciliárias, 1983-1984.

The objective of the study was to analyse the referred morbidity of the urban population resident in the city of Botucatu, S. Paulo State, Brazil for the period 1983-1984 was analysed. Data was obtained from a sample population of 7,075 persons (12 per cent of the population) by means of household interviews using two pre-codified questionnaires applied by trained lay interviews under supervision. The recall period of the events was fixed at three weeks. The variables studied were: sex, age, schooling, "per capita" income, and referred morbidity (complaints, symptoms, common accidents, and diagnoses). The results showed that 56 percent reported episodes of illness to a total of 6,649. Women of 50 or more years old presented the highest frequency of complaints. There was no variation of occurrence of episodes in terms of "per capita" income. The prevalence of illness episodes was 939 per thousand persons. There was a predominance of complaints relating to the respiratory system (20 per cent of complaints), mainly acute respiratory infections; on a second level was signs, symptoms and ill-defined conditions (19 per cent), followed by diseases of the musculoskeletal system, of the nervous system and of the circulatory system (about 9%) and, finally, diseases of the digestive system and lesions and poisoning (8%). Specific rates of prevalence according to groups of diseases (ICD) and to the variables of study were estimated. The difficulties of comparing these results with those given by other works, because of the lack of homogeneity in the criteria adopted for obtaining information, are commented on.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Analysis of health and life conditions of the urban population of Botucatu, SP (Brazil). III. Knowledge and opinions of health professionals about symptoms of diseases, 1984]. / Análise das condições de saúde e de vida da população urbana de Botucatu, SP (Brasil). III--Conhecimentros e opioniões dos profissionais de saúde a respeito de sintomas de doenças, 1984.

The knowledge and opinions of health professionals of Botucatu about the frequency and severity of thirteen symptoms and signs of diseases were studied with a view to comparing then with the opinions of Botucatu's urban population. Four hundred and thirty-five active health professionals (physicians, nurses, nurse aides, health workers (orderlies) and others were interviewed. Most of them were women, with ages ranging from 25 to 44. The health workers (orderlies) were the most numerous category. In general, the last five symptoms included in the form: bloody sputum, vaginal bleeding, breast lump, seizures and bloody urine, were considered less frequent and more serious as compared with the first eight symptoms: shortness of breath, fever, weakness, back pain (backache), chest pain, headache, cough and diarrhoea. Among the categories, the physicians differed from the other categories in less frequently attributing high scores to frequency and severity. The clinicians gave more value to these two factors than the surgeons for almost all symptoms. The comparison with the opinions of the laymen interviewed showed similar tendencies although the laymen regarded frequency and severity as more significant.

[Analysis of the health and living conditions of the urban population of Botucatu, SP (Brazil). II. Knowledge and opinion of the population on symptoms of diseases]. / Análise das condições de saúde e de vida da população urbana de Botucatu, SP (Brasil). II--Conhecimentos e opiniões da populaçao sobre sintomas de doenças, 1983.

It was verified the extent of the information of the urban population of Botucatu, SP (Brazil) on health questions. Knowledge and opinions about frequency and severity of thirteen symptoms and signs of disease were researched in 1005 families sampled. The answers were analyzed according to age, sex, level of education and socio-economic level. They showed a tendency compatible with scientific medical knowledge. In the comparison of the sexes, by age, (young adult) women gave more value to the frequency and severity of most of the symptoms than men. The high scores observed for severity showed a tendency to decrease with the increasing level of education for all the symptoms. There were variations among the symptoms in the appreciation of frequency according to the socio-economic level, with a tendency to a decrease in the high scores related to severity, according to the increase in socio-economic level. The degree of information observed in the population contradicts the prejudice, still existing in the medical area, about laymen's lack of knowledge. The hypothesis that the sample studied had access to several sources of information, among them the extensive local network of medical services, is put forward.

Parasitoses em lactentes de 0-12 meses de idade, atendidos no Centro de Saude Escola de Botucatu, Sao Paulo. / Parasitic diseases in 0-12 months old infants, treated at the Centro de Saude Escola de Botucatu, Sao Paulo

Pesquisou-se parasitose intestinal em 80 lactentes de 0 a 12 meses de idade, que procuraram o Centro de Saude Escola de Botucatu para consulta de rotina no periodo de julho a dezembro de 1978, sendo a maioria assintomatica. Investigou-se 1-3 amostras seriadas de fezes de cada lactente, empregando alem das tecnicas parasitologicas rotineiras, outras especies para pesquisa de protozoarios, como MIF e coloracao pela hematoxilina ferrica.Detectou-se parasitose em 18,75% dos lactentes, sendo o parasita mais frequentemente encontrado Giardia lamblia. A primeira amostra de fezes detectou 73,3% dos casos diagnosticados em duas ou tres amostras. A proporcao de positividade foi significativamente maior em lactentes nao primogenitos e no segundo semestre de vida. Dentre os 15 lactentes com parasitose, 14 eram assintomaticos, 12 apresentavam estado nutricional bom, e pela visita domiciliar e entrevista observou-se que as criancas com parasitose viviam em condicoes semelhantes aquelas nao infectadas