Psychological distress among Brazilian workers during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive study.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic imposed drastic and abrupt changes to working environment and organization and that might have caused additional negative effects on mental health. Thus, this study aimed to quantify and assess the severity of psychological distress experienced by Brazilian essential and nonessential workers during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This descriptive study included 2,903 participants who answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. The research questionnaire was translated and culturally adapted to the Brazilian population from a questionnaire developed and validated for the Spanish population. Variables were analyzed using simple and cumulative percentage distributions and measures of central tendency and dispersion. The Wilson score interval was used to calculate confidence interval (CI) for the main outcome, psychological distress. Results: It was observed a high prevalence (72.6%) of psychological distress among the study's participants. They also presented a median risk perception score of 60 (out of a maximum of 90), and their greatest concern was transmitting the virus to family members, close contacts or patients. Furthermore, it was found a lower sense of coherence and work engagement among the participants than those observed in previous studies conducted in other countries. Conclusion: Almost three quarters of the study's participants were classified as presenting psychological distress. Thus, it is imperative to provide mental health remotely delivered interventions to workers during public health events that require prolonged social distancing measures.

Risk perception of healthcare workers in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Objectives: To validate the items of the Emotional Impact Questionnaire coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) related to risk perception, estimating its degree, among healthcare workers in the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, identifying possible associated factors.Methods: cross-sectional study in 1872 healthcare workers of Brazil. The population was characterized by sociodemographic and occupational information, knowledge about COVID-19, quality of information received, risk perception and preventive measures about the disease, and sense of coherence. Results: Being divorced, having a chronic disease, spending more than 1 h per day getting informed about COVID-19, and always or almost always wearing a mask regardless of symptoms, as well as self-perception of health were associated with high-risk perception. An inverse association was found between risk perception, sense of coherence and not knowing if one has had occasional contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases. Conclusion: Risk perception is influenced by emotions, experiences, and knowledge. Sense of coherence and resilience have a role in reducing risk perception. Understanding risk perception is crucial for developing effective strategies to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other similar scenarios.

The Impact of Low Back Pain on the Quality of Life of Children between 6 and 12 Years of Age.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of low back pain on the perceived health-related quality of life of children between 6 and 12 years of age. This is a cross-sectional study of three hundred seventy-seven students from three schools (two private and one public) located in the city of Botucatu, São Paulo. Data were collected using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL, version 4.0), a questionnaire comprising questions on personal background, sociodemographic and socioeconomic information, and a questionnaire about quality of life. Comparisons were made between groups with and without low back pain. The chi-squared test was used for analyzing categorical variables, and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test was used for continuous variables. According to the findings obtained in this study, it was observed that low back pain in the last month was reported by 27.3% of the total participants. The perceived health-related quality of life was lower among individuals who had low back pain, and the scores of physical and emotional functioning domains were also lower in the presence of low back pain. The prevalence of low back pain among children and adolescents is relatively high. Furthermore, the repercussions of low back pain may lead to a lower overall perception of the health-related quality of life in this population and affect aspects of physical and emotional functioning.

Effect of adding probiotics to an antibiotic intervention on the human gut microbial diversity and composition: a systematic review.

Introduction. Millions of antibiotic prescriptions are written annually in the USA.Gap Statement. Probiotics reduce antibiotic-induced gastrointestinal side effects; however, the effect of probiotics on preserving gut microbial composition in response to antibiotics is not well understood.Aim. To evaluate whether the addition of probiotics is capable of reverting the changes in alpha diversity and gut microbial composition commonly observed in adult participants receiving antibiotics.Methodology. A search was conducted by two researchers following the PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane and Embase from January to December 2021 with the following inclusion criteria: (i) randomized clinical trials assessing the effect of antibiotics, probiotics or antibiotics+probiotics; (ii) 16S rRNA; (iii) adult participants; and (iv) in English. Once data was extracted in tables, a third researcher compared, evaluated and merged the collected data. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) rating system was utilized to analyse risk of bias.Results. A total of 29 articles (n=11 antibiotics, n=11 probiotics and n=7 antibiotics+probiotics) met the inclusion criteria. The lack of standardization of protocols to analyse the gut microbial composition and the wide range of selected antibiotics/probiotics complicated data interpretation; however, despite these discrepancies, probiotic co-administration with antibiotics seemed to prevent some, but not all, of the gut microbial diversity and composition changes induced by antibiotics, including restoration of health-related bacteria such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.Conclusion. Addition of probiotics to antibiotic interventions seems to preserve alpha diversity and ameliorate the changes to gut microbial composition caused by antibiotic interventions.

Communication, information, and knowledge in the pandemic by COVID-19 in Brazil.

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is asserting itself as a health crisis, it is necessary to assess the knowledge and perceptions of people about the disease. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of the general population about COVID-19 and how the media influence this knowledge. This is a cross-sectional study with 5066 participants who answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. Over 75% have obtained a high degree of knowledge regarding signs, symptoms, and transmission, 95% stated to check the veracity of the information received, and also showed that the total knowledge about COVID-19 was associated with the level of instruction, with the perception of the quality of information disseminated by the media, and with the risk perception. Despite the high level of knowledge of participants, the results pointed to the need to reinforce information for individuals with less education and the importance of avoiding denialism that reduces the risk perception about COVID-19.

Knowledge of COVID-19 among Brazilian health care professionals and associated factors.

ABSTRACT: Health care professional's knowledge is essential to contain epidemics. This research aimed to evaluate the knowledge of Brazilian health care professionals regarding COVID-19 to analyze whether there is a difference in knowledge between professionals in Primary Health Care and those in other levels of care or not; and to identify factors associated with knowledge. This is a cross-sectional study, including 716 participants who answered an online questionnaire between April and May 2020. Descriptive statistics, difference tests between groups, and logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. The average knowledge score was 12.42 points (out of a possible total of 15). There was no significant difference between professionals in Primary Health Care and those in other levels of care. Knowledge was associated with age, profession, perception regarding media's information quality, and hours exposed to information on COVID-19. Participants showed adequate knowledge, despite some specific gaps. Continuing education actions should prioritize younger nonmedical professionals.

The impact of manual patient handling on work ability: A cross-sectional study in a Brazilian hospital.

AIM: To investigate the level of self-reported work ability and its association with manual patient handling in healthcare workers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study adhering to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. METHODS: A total of 320 healthcare workers answered a self-administered questionnaire regarding manual patient handling, work ability, occupational factors, occurrence of low back pain and sociodemographic and lifestyle factors from November 2016 to March 2017. The association between manual patient handling and low back pain was analysed with Poisson regression models. RESULTS: The prevalence ratio of inadequate work ability was 43.42%. Manual patient handling (PR 1.375, 95% CI 1.038-1.821), bachelor education (PR 2.150, 95% CI 1.272-3.632), less than bachelor education (PR 2.166, 95% CI 1.218-3.855), seniority (PR 1.049, 95% CI 1.024-1.086), poor sleep quality (PR 1.425, 95% CI 1.13-1.796) and presence of low back pain (PR 2.003, 95% CI 1.314-3.052) were all positively associated with an inadequate work ability.

The impact of disease changes and mental health illness on readapted return to work after repeated sick leaves among Brazilian public university employees.

Introduction: Health affects work absenteeism and productivity of workers, making it a relevant marker of an individual's professional development. Objectives: The aims of this article were to investigate whether changes in the main cause of the sick leaves and the presence of mental health illnesses are associated with return to work with readaptation. Materials and methods: A historical cohort study was carried out with non-work-related illnesses suffered by statutory workers of university campuses in a medium-sized city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Two exposures were measured: (a) changes, throughout medical examinations, in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) chapter regarding the main condition for the sick leave; and (b) having at least one episode of sick leave due to mental illness, with or without change in the ICD-10 chapter over the follow-up period. The outcome was defined as return to work with adapted conditions. The causal model was established a priori and tested using a multiple logistic regression (MLR) model considering the effects of several confounding factors, and then compared with the same estimators obtained using Targeted Machine Learning. Results: Among workers in adapted conditions, 64% were health professionals, 34% had had changes in the ICD-10 chapter throughout the series of sick leaves, and 62% had diagnoses of mental health issues. In addition, they worked for less time at the university and were absent for longer periods. Having had a change in the illness condition reduced the chance of returning to work in another function by more than 30%, whereas having had at least one absence because of a cause related to mental and behavioral disorders more than doubled the chance of not returning to work in the same activity as before. Conclusion: These results were independent of the analysis technique used, which allows concluding that there were no advantages in the use of targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE), given its difficulties in access, use, and assumptions.

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in the Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) México and comparison with KEEP US.

The National Kidney Foundation Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) is a free community screening program aimed at early detection of kidney disease among high-risk individuals. A pilot phase of KEEP México began in 2008 in México City and Jalisco State. Adults with diabetes, hypertension, or family history of diabetes, hypertension, or chronic kidney disease (CKD) were invited to participate through advertising campaigns. All participants completed a questionnaire. Blood pressure, weight, and height were measured; blood and urine tests included albuminuria and serum creatinine to estimate glomerular filtration rate using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study equation. Mean age of KEEP México City and KEEP Jalisco participants was 46 and 53 years, respectively; >70% were women. CKD prevalence was 22% in KEEP México City and 33% in KEEP Jalisco, not significantly different from reported KEEP US prevalence of 26%. CKD stages 1 and 2 were more frequent in KEEP México and stage 3 in KEEP US. In KEEP México City, CKD prevalence was higher than the overall prevalence among participants with diabetes (38%) or diabetes and hypertension (42%). Most KEEP México participants were unaware of the CKD diagnosis, despite that 71% in KEEP México City had seen a doctor in the previous year. CKD is highly prevalent, underdiagnosed, and underrecognized among high-risk individuals in México. KEEP is an effective screening program that can successfully be adapted for use in México.