Publications (7) View all
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Article: Dyslipidaemia and undernutrition in children from impoverished areas of Maceió, state of Alagoas, Brazil.
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ABSTRACT: Chronic undernutrition causes reduced growth and endocrine adaptations in order to maintain basic life processes. In the present study, the biochemical profiles of chronically undernourished children were determined in order to test the hypothesis that chronic undernutrition also causes changes in lipid profile in pre-school children. The study population comprised 80 children aged between 12 and 71 months, including 60 with moderate undernutrition [height-for-age Z (HAZ) scores ≤ -2 and > -3] and 20 with severe undernutrition (HAZ scores ≤ -3). Socioeconomic, demographic and environmental data were obtained by application of a questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements and information relating to sex, age and feeding habits were collected by a trained nutritionist. Blood samples were analysed for haemoglobin, vitamin A, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and serum lipids, while cortisol was assayed in the saliva. Faecal samples were submitted to parasitological investigation. Analysis of variance and χ² methods were employed in order to select the variables that participated in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. The study population was socioeconomically homogeneous, while the lack of a treated water supply was clearly associated with the degree of malnutrition. Most children were parasitised and anaemia was significantly more prevalent among the severely undernourished. Levels of IGF-1 decreased significantly with increasing severity of undernutrition. Lipid analysis revealed that almost all of the children had dyslipidemia, while low levels of high-density lipoprotein were associated with the degree of undernutrition. It is concluded that chronic malnutrition causes endocrine changes that give rise to alterations in the metabolic profile of pre-school children.International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 12/2010; 7(12):4139-51. · 1.61 Impact Factor -
Article: [Female teenager students: what they know about induced abortion complications].
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ABSTRACT: This study aimed to identify the knowledge about induced abortion complications and its relation to age. This is a cross-sectional study performed in schools of Maceió, state of Alagoas, Brazil, with students 12 to 19 years old. The sample was calculated considering post-abortion curettage data. The Epi Info computer program was used for data analysis. From 2,592 female adolescents studied 65.64% didn't know about any complications of induced abortion. The most mentioned complications were death and sterility. Clinical manifestations of abortion were wrongly mentioned by them as complications. Signification was found between the knowledge of the complications sterility, hemorrhage, and age. Death was significant fo rgirls under 15 and sterility for the older ones. The conclusion is that female adolescents don't have a correct knowledge of induced abortion complications, which shows the risk suffered by the ones that induce it. Thus, there is a need to further clarify the issue and for sexual education.Revista gaúcha de enfermagem / EENFUFRGS 09/2011; 32(3):465-71. -
Article: [Nutrition and health in children from former slave communities (quilombos) in the state of Alagoas, Brazil].
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ABSTRACT: To describe the nutrition and health status of children aged 6 to 59 months from 39 former slave communities in the state of Alagoas. Data on anthropometric, demographic, socioeconomic, and health variables were collected for this cross-sectional study. Deficits in weight-for-age (WFA), weight-for-height (WFH), and height-for-age (HFA) were defined as a Z score < -2. Overweight was defined as a Z score > 2 for WFH. The 2006 World Health Organization growth standards were used as reference. Anemia was diagnosed based on hemoglobin levels (HemoCue) < 11 g/dL. We assessed 973 children (50.4% boys). Most families (60.8%) belonged to social class E (lowest), and most (76.0%) were assisted by the federal welfare program Bolsa Família. Heads of family had < 4 years of schooling (75.9%), and more than 5 people lived in the house in 57.1% of the households. The prevalence of WFA, WFH, and HFA (stunting) deficits and overweight was, respectively, 3.4, 2.0, 11.5, and 7.1%. Anemia was diagnosed in 52.7% of the children, without differences between the stunting and overweight groups (P = 0.43). Stunting, an indicator of chronic malnutrition, was the most prevalent anthropometric deviation, followed by overweight, despite the disadvantaged socioeconomic profile. Anemia was a severe problem, affecting children with both stunting and overweight. Taken together, these findings suggest that the human right to adequate food is not guaranteed for the children from former slave communities from Alagoas. Therefore, the government should take the necessary measures to revert this situation.Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública 07/2011; 30(1):51-8. · 0.85 Impact Factor -
Article: [Practice of abortion among teenagers: a study in ten schools of Maceió (AL, Brazil)].
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ABSTRACT: This is a cross-cut study that was carried out with the objective of investigating the causes through which adolescents have provoked abortion, relating it to age and the type of school attended. The sample was calculated by taking into account the number of hospital admissions for post-abortion curettage. A semi-structured and anonymous questionnaire was used as a research instrument which was applied in ten schools randomly chosen among all schools, of Maceió (Alagoas, Brazil), to reach 12-19 years old female teenagers. The data were assessed by the Epi Info Program making use of odds ratio and a relative risk to verify any association among variables and a confidence interval at 95%. At a sample of 2,592 adolescents, 559 (21.6%) had an active sexual life, 182 (7.0%) informed to have been pregnant and 149 (26.7%) to have aborted. The fear of the parents' reaction, age, lack of support of the partner and pregnancy rejection were the explanation to stimulate abortion. Fear was the most mentioned cause in both types of school. Abortion was more mentioned in public schools, being significant and protective the risk of aborting before the age of 15. The fear of the parents' reaction as a frequent cause suggests the necessity for additional studies on sexuality and communication between parents and children.Ciencia & saude coletiva 05/2011; 16(5):2469-76. -
Article: [Nutritional status in children younger than 24 months in Alagoas, Brazil].
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ABSTRACT: The aim of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to compare the 1977 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards to determine the nutritional status of children attending the pediatric outpatient clinic at a university hospital in Alagoas, Brazil. We reviewed 252 hospital charts of children younger than 24 months and determined the height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height using the two standards. The sample was of low socioeconomic level and exclusively or predominantly breastfed children. TheZ-scores for both standards indicated that the children in this sample were healthy, but the WHO standard was more sensitive for the detection of growth limitations in the first 6 months of life.Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública 04/2011; 29(4):277-80. · 0.85 Impact Factor
