Relationship between psychoactive substance, alcohol and cigarette use in nursing students. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The increase in the use of psychoactive substances, alcohol and cigarettes in young people has become a public health problem. The identification of factors that increase or reduce the risk of exposure to these substances and the possible relationship between them is essential for planning strategies with a risk approach; hence the reason for this study. The objective was to establish the profile of use of psychoactive substances, alcohol and cigarettes and the factors associated with such use in nursing students of a higher education institution. METHODS: Quantitative, observational, analytical cross-sectional study. RESULTS: We included 310 students from 1 st to 9th semester of a Nursing programme from a private higher education institution in Bogotá. The prevalence of psychoactive substance use in the last year was 2.96% (95%CI, 1.36-5.54), with marijuana being the substance most used (55.55%). The prevalence of alcohol and cigarette use during the last 12 months was estimated at 86.64% (95%CI, 83.24-91.0) and 12.16% (95%CI, 8.43-15.88) respectively. A statistically significant association was found between the use of these substances: alcohol use was associated with cigarette use (OR = 3.22; P = 0.006) and smoking was associated with psychoactive substance use (OR = 15.4; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use increases the likelihood of smoking cigarettes, and this in turn increases the likelihood of psychoactive substance use, in this university population.

Fatores que dificultam o diagnóstico da hanseníase nas perspectivas dos profissionais da saúde da estratégia da saúde da família em unidades básicas de saúde em Imperatriz - MA / Factors that hinder the diagnosis of leprosy in the perspectives of health professionals of the family health strategy in basic health units in Imperatriz - MA

A hanseníase é uma doença crônica ocasionada pelo Mycobacterium leprae, gerando sintomas dermatoneurológicos. O diagnóstico é clínico, porém sua identificação é dificultada pela similaridade clínica com outras patologias cutâneas, impedindo o diagnóstico precoce e promovendo a ocorrência de incapacidades físicas. Diante disso, faz-se imprescindível conhecer os motivos dessa demora, a partir da perspectiva dos profissionais de saúde na atenção primária. Para tanto, este estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a percepção dos profissionais da estratégia da saúde da família (ESF) acerca das dificuldades no diagnóstico da hanseníase no município de Imperatriz, Maranhão. Esta pesquisa se trata de um estudo de natureza aplicada, abordagem qualitativa e com caráter exploratório, realizada com a equipe da ESF em Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS) de Imperatriz-MA. Para a coleta de dados, foi aplicada uma entrevista semiestruturada elaborada pelos autores, dividida em três blocos. No bloco "conhecimento sobre a doença", o nível mediano foi o mais prevalente nas falas dos participantes. No bloco "dificuldades de diagnóstico", o que ficou mais em evidência nas respostas foram "baixa adesão",. "estigmas/preconceito" e "resistência". Sendo assim, medidas foram sugeridas pelos entrevistados, as quais devem ser colocadas em prática diariamente tanto em ambiente social como profissional, visando um diagnóstico mais rápido, melhorando a qualidade de vida dos pacientes e favorecendo o controle da doença.

Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, resulting in dermatoneurological symptoms. The diagnosis is clinical, but its identification is hindered by the clinical similarity to other skin pathologies, preventing early diagnosis and promoting the occurrence of physical disabilities. Therefore, it is essential to know the reasons for this delay from the perspective of primary healthcare professionals. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the perception of family health strategy (FHS) professionals about the difficulties in diagnosing leprosy in the municipality of Imperatriz-MA. This research is a study of applied nature, qualitative approach and with an exploratory character, carried out with the FHS team in Basic Health Units (UBS, in portuguese) from Imperatriz-MA. For data collection, a semi-structured interview prepared by the authors was applied, divided into three sections. In the "knowledge about the disease" section, the median level was the most prevalent in the participants' statements. In the section "diagnosis difficulties", what was more evident in the answers were "low adherence", "stigma/prejudice", and "resistance". Consequently, the interviewees suggested measures that should be implemented in daily practice, both in a social and professional environment, aiming at a faster diagnosis, improving the quality of life of patients and favoring disease control.

Lower academic performance and dropout rates among University students with children: a prospective cohort study of nursing students in Bogotá, Colombia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between parenthood and academic performance and dropout among professional Nursing degree program students. METHODS: A prospective cohort was conducted. 310 students were included, 26 parents (exposed) and 284 nonparents (unexposed), who were followed up during 16 weeks. At the end of this follow-up, student records were reviewed. RESULTS: Academic performance in the exposed and unexposed groups was 3.51/5.0 and 3.64/5.0 respectively. Although it was higher in the latter group, i.e., with a difference of 0.13, the values were not statistically significant (p=0.058). After adjusting for confounding variables, a difference of -0.165 point was seen (p=0.037). The risk of students dropping out of college is 34 % less for exposed compared to those who are unexposed (RR: 0.66; CI: 0.075-5.78; p=0.708). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that parenthood has a modest impact on the academic performance, and has no impact on the risk of dropping out.

Coberturas de vacunación en el Valle del Cauca, 2002 / Vaccination coverage in the Valle del Cauca, 2002

Para determinar las coberturas del Programa Ampliado de Inmunizaciones (PAI) en niños con edades entre los 12 y 23 meses, residentes en los municipios más grandes del Departamento del Valle, se realizó un muestreo por conglomerados en Buenaventura, Palmira, Buga, Tuluá y Cartago. Se realizaron 754 encuestas con una cobertura de 72/100 para los cinco municipios. En 97.2/100 de los hogares se encontró el carné de vacunación actualizado; 51.5/100 de los niños encuestados no tenían afiliación al Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud (SGSSS) al momento de la encuesta, 40.5/100 estaban afiliados al régimen contributivo y sólo 61 (8.1/100) niños estaban afiliados al régimen subsidiado. Para cada uno de los biológicos las coberturas en los municipios estudiados fueron superiores a 95/100 en BCG, con excepción de Buenaventura (87.6/100) y 90/100 para polio, con Buenaventura nuevamente con 78/100. Para DPT las coberturas también fueron superiores a 90/100 menos en Buenaventura con 77.5/100. En hepatitis B y triple viral las coberturas llegaron a 80/100 con la excepción de Buenaventura (triple viral 68.5/100). Para Hemophilus influenzae tipo B (HIB) las coberturas llegan a 70/100 en Palmira, Buga y Tuluá, pero Cartago (58.4/100) y Buenaventura (52.4/100) quedan muy por debajo. Tenían esquema completo 67.5/100 de los niños de Buga, 63/100 los de Palmira, 61.2/100 los de Tuluá, 51.2/100 los de Cartago y sólo 44.3/100 de los de Buenaventura. Las variables asociadas con tener el esquema de vacunación completo, fueron la afiliación a la seguridad social y la escolaridad de la madre. Mientras que el sector público obtiene coberturas completas de 60/100 (119/196) entre los 196 afiliados al SGSSS que vacuna, su cobertura con esquema completo entre los 531 niños no afiliados al sistema que vacuna es de 27/100 (143/531)