How adolescents learn about risk perception and behavior in regards to alcohol use in light of social learning theory: a qualitative study in Bogotá, Colombia.

BACKGROUND: In Colombia, the use of alcohol is one of the main risky behaviors carried out by adolescents, given that alcohol is the principal drug of abuse in this age group. Understanding how adolescents learn about risk and behavior is important in developing effective prevention programs. The Theory of Social learning underlines the importance of social interaction in the learning process. It suggests that learning can occur in three ways: a live model in which a person is enacting the desired behavior, verbal instruction when the desired behavior is described, and symbolic learning in which modeling occurs by influence of the media. This study explores these three forms of learning in the perception of risk and behavior related to the use of alcohol in a group of students between 12 and 14 years of age in Bogotá, Colombia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a qualitative research study, which is part of a larger study exploring the social representations of risk and alcohol use in adolescents and their communities. The sample group included 160 students from two middle schools (7th and 8th graders) in Bogotá, Colombia. Six sessions of participant observation, 12 semi-structured interviews, and 12 focus group discussions were conducted for data collection. Data were analyzed using the Atlas ti software (V7.0) (ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, London, UK), and categories of analysis were developed using a framework analysis approach. RESULTS: Adolescents can identify several risks related to the use of alcohol, which for the most part, appear to have been learned through verbal instruction. However, this risk recognition does not appear to correlate with their behavior. Parental modeling and messages conveyed by the media represent two other significant sources of learning that are constantly contradicting the messages relayed through verbal instruction and correlate to a greater extent with adolescent behavior. CONCLUSION: The three different forms of learning described by Social Learning Theory play a significant role in the construction of risk perception and behavior in adolescents. This underlines the necessity of consciously evaluating how examples set by adults as well as the ideas expressed by the media influence adolescents' attitudes and behavior, ensuring that these do not directly contradict and ultimately obliterate the messages we are constantly trying to convey to this age group.

The association between armed conflict, violence and mental health: a cross sectional study comparing two populations in Cundinamarca department, Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to violence in general and to armed conflict in particular has been consistently associated with an increased prevalence of mental illness. Colombia has sustained an internal armed conflict for decades and is considered one of the most violent countries in the world. However, certain areas have been more exposed to the conflict than others. METHODS: This is a cross sectional study comparing two communities from different villages in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. One, Guasca, was directly impacted by armed conflict. The other one; Guatavita has never been affected by armed conflict. We applied two different instruments: the PHQ scale and a short standardized interview in order to estimate the prevalence of major psychiatric disorders and their link to violent events. Forty-two volunteers from each village were evaluated through a personal interview using these two instruments. FINDINGS: Of the population surveyed in Guatavita, 2.4% reported direct exposure to violence compared to 23.8% from Guasca. In the population exposed directly to violent events, the prevalence of all disorders was greater than in the non-exposed population with an OR of 1.46 (95% CI 0.3809 - 5.5989) for anxiety; 4.54 (95% CI 1.1098 - 18.5984) for depression; 6.0 (95% CI 1.2298 - 30.2263) for somatization disorder; and 4.4 (95% CI 1.2037 - 16.0842) for alcohol abuse. INTERPRETATION: There is a statistically significant association between the history of armed conflict, violence and the presence of mental illnesses, particularly depression, somatization disorder and alcohol abuse. Special attention should be paid to the detection, prevention and treatment of these disorders when dealing with populations exposed to violence and to armed conflict in particular.

Aspecto escanografico de algunas masas orbitarias / Considerations on scanography of orbital masses

En este articulo se presenta una casuistica de 75 masas orbitarias estudiadas en el Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paul, de Medellin, mediante la tomografia axial computarizada y se incluyen imagenes ilustrativas de ocho de ellas; las entidades mas frecuentes fueron: retinoblastoma, lesiones vasculares, lesiones infecciosas y neoplasias de la glandula lacrimal; se mencionan aspectos clinicos seleccionados y se discuten las ventajas de la tomografia para el estudio de este problema; finalmente, se consignan recomendaciones para el uso racional del procedimiento

We report on our experience with 75 patients with orbital masses, studied with Computerized Tomography (CT), at the Ophtalmology and Radiology Services, Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, and University of Antioquia, School of Medicine, Medellín, Colombia. The most frequent lesions were: retinoblastoma, vascular lesions, infectious lesions, tumors of the lacrymal gland, mucocele, meningloma, melanoma, and metastatic masses. On the basis of our experience we highly recommend CT as the most valuable diagnostic procedure for the study of patients with proptosis and clinical signs of an orbital mass