Partindo de hipóteses básicas onde o processo saúde-doença no período perinatal apresenta-se, por um lado, como expressão de condições particulares ás quais famílias estão submetidas, de maneira diferencial, em função de sua adscrição de classe e, por outro, como expressão da articulação de um conjunto de condições biológicas e sociais em permanente relação, o presente trabalho procura, em uma amostra de parturientes e recém-nascidos de hospitais de São Luis do Maranhão, refletir sobre o assunto. Conclui pela pertinência do emprego do conceito sociológico de classe social ao estudo de eventos perinatais que, articulado a esquemas teóricos mais elaborados do campo da Perinatologia, permite ampliar o nível de explicação do fenômeno. / This work searches for empirical sustenance concerning reflection on basic hypotheses whereby the health dickness process in the perinatal periode expresses particular conditions which families are undergoing especially as to their insertion in social classes, on one hand, and especially on the other, articulation of biological and social conditions in permanent relation. It is based on a sample of women-in-labour and newborn children in hospitals in São Luis do Maranhão, Brazil. It is concluded that Sociological concept of social class is pertinent whilst studying perinatal events along with more elaborate theoretical schemes in the field of Perinatology.

Introdução: A varicela é uma doença exantemática benigna da infância, causada por uma infecção primária pelo vírus Varicela-zoster. No Estado de São Paulo, no ano de 2003, foram notificados 58.972 casos de varicela mediante ocorrências de surtos, configurando um ano hiperendêmico para a doença. De um total de 60 óbitos em todo o Estado, 47 ocorreram em menores de 4 anos. Mais da metade dos óbitos incidiu em moradores da Região Metropolitana da Grande São Paulo. Objetivos: Descrever e caracterizar os indivíduos residentes na Região Metropolitana da Grande São Paulo que evoluíram para gravidade ou óbito por varicela em 2003 e estudar os fatores preditores desses eventos. Métodos: Realizou-se um estudo descritivo das variáveis sociodemográficas, clínicas, antecedentes pessoais e epidemiológicos dos casos de varicela, além de uma análise exploratória dos fatores preditores de gravidade e óbito pela doença. A existência de associação entre as exposições de interesse e gravidade ou óbito por varicela foi investigada pelas estimativas não ajustadas e ajustadas do odds ratio, com os respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95%, utilizando-se a regressão logística não condicional. Resultados: As seguintes variáveis demonstraram associação independente com gravidade e óbito por varicela: complicações raras, pulmonares, hemorrágicas e neurológicas. Cirurgia realizada durante a internação por varicela também foi um fator preditor de gravidade. A taxa de mortalidade foi 36 vezes maior na faixa etária de menores de 15 anos em relação à faixa etária de adultos, e 5 vezes maior na faixa de menores de um ano em comparação à faixa de 1 a 14 anos. Conclusão: O amplo conhecimento da epidemiologia da varicela, suas complicações e fatores de risco para gravidade e óbito, é de extrema importância para fundamentar a implementação de estratégias de prevenção e controle deste agravo nos grupos de maior risco. / Introduction: Chickenpox is a benign exanthematous disease of childhood, whose primary infection is caused by the Varicella-zoster virus. In the State of São Paulo, in 2003, 58,972 chickenpox cases were notified following outbreaks, configuring a hyperendemic year for the disease. From a total of 60 deaths in the whole State, 47 happened in children up to 4 years old. More than half of the deaths occurred in residents of the Greater São Paulo Metropolitan Area. Objectives: To describe and characterize those individuals residents in the Greater São Paulo Metropolitan Area who developed chickenpox severity or death during the year 2003, and to study the predictive factors of these events. Method: A descriptive study was performed, analyzing clinical and social-demographic variables, personal and epidemiological records of the chickenpox cases. Besides, an exploratory analysis of the redictive factors of severity and death by the disease was made. Association between exposures of interest and chickenpox severity or death was investigated by unadjusted and adjusted odds ratio estimation, with 95% confidence intervals, using unconditional logistic regression. Results: The following variables keep an independent association with severity and death for chickenpox: development of rare, pulmonary, hemorrhagic and neurological complications. The need of surgery during the chickenpox hospitalization was an independent predictive factor for severity only. The mortality rate was 36 times greater in the age group from 0 to 14 years old than in the adult age group, and 5 times greater in children up to 1 year old than in the age group ranging from 0 to 14 years old. Conclusion: The comprehensive knowledge of the chickenpox epidemiology, its complications and risk factors for severity and death is extremely important to base the implementation of prevention and control strategies for groups at greater risk of infection.

A lombalgia, comum em muitas atividades profissionais acomete principalmente indivíduos que trabalham na condução de veículos motorizados. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a prevalência da lombalgia em motoristas de caminhão, bem como os fatores de risco relacionados à sua ocorrência. Para isso foi elaborado um questionário que abordou fatores como: idade, prática de atividade física e esportiva, hábitos gerais de saúde e questões relativas ao exercício profissional. Calculou-se também o índice de massa corpórea através da relação entre o peso corporal e o quadrado da estatura. Foram avaliados 489 caminhoneiros do sexo masculino e selecionados 410 para o estudo. Os resultados obtidos foram: a prevalência da lombalgia em 59% dos caminhoneiros; e dentre as variáveis estudadas apenas o número de horas de trabalho mostrou-se estatisticamente significante, sendo que o risco do caminhoneiro ter dor lombar aumenta 7% para cada hora de trabalho. / Low back pain is common in several kinds of professional activities mainly in people who drive a lot in their job. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of low back pain in truckers and the risk factors related to the occurrence of lumbar pain. For this, a questionnaire was elaborated including such as: age, physical and sports activities, general health habits and aspects related to the job. Besides, the index of corporal mass has been calculated, based on the relation between the truckers weight and his square height. 489 male truckers were evaluated and 410 have been selected for the study. The results showed that 59% of the truckers have suffered from low back pain, and among the different aspects which have been analysed, only the number of working hours has been more significant: for each working hour, the risk of truck driver in having lumbar pain increases 7%.

Adolescents today are faced with an array of risk factors including sexual activity and drug and alcohol use, as well as environmental factors that are beyond their control, such as parental divorce and poverty. The attribute of resilience is an extremely desirable quality that, if developed, has the capacity to reduce the effect of many of these risk factors that many adolescents are exposed to. Sport participation is a potential intervention that a large portion of adolescents can have access to through school and community programs that could potentially foster resilience. The current causal-comparative, non-experimental study sought to add to the limited existing research by examining resilience levels of adolescents who participate in sports compared to resilience levels of their peers who do not participate in sports. The Social Emotional Assets and Resiliency Scale - Parent form was used to calculate resilience levels of the students in the study sample. Participants (n = 276) reported that the overall mean resilience score of those youth who had participated on a sports team within the last year was significantly higher than the overall mean resilience score of those youth who had not. There was no significant difference in resilience ratings of those who played school-sponsored sports versus city/recreational sports. There was also a small, statistically significant, positive correlation between the number of sports played and resilience ratings. Implications and limitations of this study are included. Parents and educators are encouraged to offer a variety of opportunities for youth to participate in activities aligned with student interests. In budgeting and planning curricular and extracurricular activities to enrich students' social experiences, schools and communities must consider the importance of sports activities in strengthening youth resilience.

No description available.

Choanal atresia is a well-defined congenital malformation; however, little is known about its prevalence and risk factors. Data from the Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders were used to examine prevalence, infant, and maternal characteristics of choanal artesia. Data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) were used to examine selected risk factors for choanal atresia. Overall prevalence was estimated as number of choanal atresia cases per 10,000 live births with 95% confidence intervals (CI)s. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR)s and 95% CIs were estimated to investigate selected risk factors. The overall prevalence of choanal atresia among live born deliveries in Iowa from January, 1998 through December, 2005 was 0.46 (95% CI=0.27, 0.78) per 10,000 live births. Using data from the NBDPS, choanal atresia cases were compared to unaffected control infants for births from October 1997 through December 2005. Overall, case infants compared to control infants were more likely to be female, preterm, and a multiple birth. For all choanal atresia cases combined, odds of high maternal zinc (OR=2.1; 95% CI=1.2, 3.9) and vitamin B-12 (OR=2.4; 95% CI=1.4, 4.3) intake in the year prior to pregnancy, and maternal periconceptional (one month before through three months after conception) exposure to anti-infective urinary tract medications (OR=3.3; 95% CI=1.3, 8.4) were significantly elevated among case compared to control mothers. For isolated choanal atresia cases (those with no additional major malformations), odds of maternal periconceptional exposure to passive cigarette smoke (OR=2.3; 95% CI=1.0, 5.3) as well as maternal intake of 3 or more cups of coffee per day one-year prior to pregnancy were increased (OR=2.9; 95% CI=1.3, 6.4) for case compared to control mothers. The reverse was found for low maternal intake of pantothenic acid (OR=0.4; 95% CI=0.2,0.9) and vitamin A (OR=0.3; 95% CI=0.1, 0.8) one-year prior to pregnancy. The current study provided support for potential associations between maternal health behaviors before and during pregnancy and choanal atresia; however, the findings were based on a modest number of cases. The study needs to be replicated in a larger case sample, also examining the role of genetics in choanal atresia.

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for repeated child maltreatment in Iceland. Only cases that had never been reported to child protection services before were included in this study (N=77 total). Each case was followed for 18 months. In all cases the first reported incident was neglect. In the study, a group of cases that had only been reported once (single incident) was compared with another group of cases that had been reported two or more times (repeated incidents). Risk factors were identified and compared on different levels according to an ecological model: 1) Demographics, 2) Parental figure problems, 3) Children's characteristics, 4) Family problems, 5) Social support. In addition, the two groups were compared on parental non-cooperation and services received. In a logistic regression model, the groups differed significantly on the following factors; the mother figures in the repeated incidents group had lower education level and the mothers in that group had more personal problems than the mother figures in the repeated incidents group. In addition, the repeated incidents group experienced more family dynamic problems than the single incident group.

The research question of this study explores beliefs helping professionals have about caregiving services. The survey provided to participants of this study examined beliefs concerning what services are most important for caregivers to have access to, as well as what are the most significant barriers caregivers may experience when attempting to access or receive such services. Findings from this study indicate that the most important respite care services for caregivers to have access to include overnight/weekend care, access to short breaks and socialization, access to training/education, and support with providing activities of daily living for the care recipient. Findings from this study also indicate the most significant barriers to caregivers accessing or receiving services are misgivings about trusting another individual with the care of a loved one, feeling overwhelmed, and not being adequately prepared for the responsibilities of being a caregiver at discharge from a hospital setting. It is important for Social Work practitioners to be aware of the respite needs of caregivers, as well as potential barriers to accessing services that would help to address those needs.

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present study was to explore methods of effective treatment interventions for victims of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) from the viewpoint of practitioners. Although risk factors are present the secretive nature of the DMST population make victims difficult to identify. The sensitivity of the trauma victims experience also make it difficult to determine effective interventions to utilize for treatment of this population. This study seeks to gain the perspectives of practitioners who work with the DMST population in order to overcome these barriers. This study utilizes a qualitative design in which 10 practitioners were interviewed to determine effective methods of intervention. In doing so risk factors for identification, psychological impact of victimization and various interventions were highlighted to determine the most frequently used and most effective methods of intervention. Findings of the study indicate sexual abuse, homelessness, vulnerability, physical abuse and neglect as risk factors directly related to victimization. Findings of the study also indicate CBT, trauma focused and interpersonal psychotherapy as effective methods of intervention. The implementation of training programs specifically tailored to the DMST population is a necessary solution to bring awareness to DMST, assist in the identification of risk factors to prevent victimization and identify effective interventions for victims.

The purpose of this research project was to identify risk factors for becoming a victim of domestic violence. Demographic and qualitative data were collected through in-person interviews with 8 female survivors of domestic violence from San Bernardino County. These interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed to determine risk factors that could lead women to becoming a victim of domestic violence and what helped them get out of their relationships. The use of interviews allowed the researchers to connect with the survivors and gain in-depth information about their experiences. Using content analysis, the following themes arose: risk factors that involved absent parents/divorced parents, childhood history of sexual and/or physical abuse, not being educated on domestic violence, and growing up in an environment where violence is normalized. The most utilized services were group therapy, individual counseling, and community domestic violence agencies. The researchers found that that participants had similar experiences that could have led them to being in an abusive relationship. Findings imply that the most effective way to minimize the risk of becoming a victim of domestic violence is to educate individuals on healthy relationships and process adverse childhood experiences that have been identified as risk factors for becoming a victim of domestic violence.