Elder abuse in Portugal: findings from the first national prevalence study.

In this study, we present findings of the Portuguese national prevalence study, "Aging and Violence," the purpose of which was to estimate the prevalence of abuse and neglect of older people in family settings over a 12-month period and examine the relationship between abuse and sociodemographic and health characteristics. Through a telephone survey of a representative probability sample (N = 1,123), we evaluated 12 abusive behaviors and demographic data. Overall, 12.3% of older adults experienced elder abuse in family settings. The prevalence rates of specific types were as follows: psychological, 6.3%; financial, 6.3%; physical, 2.3%; neglect, 0.4%; and sexual, 0.2%. Logistic regression was employed to determine the relationship between abuse and covariates. The study suggests that education level, age, and functional status are significantly associated with abuse. Accurate estimates of the prevalence of elder abuse and understanding of victim and perpetrator characteristics are fundamental to designing effective strategies for prevention and intervention.

Tobacco consumption by the portuguese population. Data from the 2005-2006 National Health Survey.

This study aims to contribute to the epidemiological portrayal of tobacco consumption in Portugal 2005- 2006, using data from the National Health Survey. In this analysis the Portuguese population is characterised according to smoking patterns, exposure to smoke and attitudes to smoking in general. Data is presented by gender, age groups, regions of residence and other social characteristics. Frequencies results are estimated values for the Portuguese population in 2005. Logistic binary regression models are used to study regular smoking-related characteristics. Results show that 20.9% of the Portuguese population (including Madeira and the Azores) aged 15 or more were smokers (male: 30.9%; female: 11.8%), and that 18.7% smoked regularly. More than one half of men were smokers or ex-smokers (56.9%) whereas the great majority of women had never smoked (81.3%). After removing the effect of the different age structures among regions, the highest rate of males who smoked regularly was observed in the Azores region (31.0%), followed by the Alentejo region (29.9%). The highest rate of women who smoked regularly occurred in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region (15.4%), followed by the Algarve region (12.8%). Daily average cigarette consumption was higher among male (20 cigarettes) than female smokers (13 cigarettes). The Azores population presented the highest daily average consumption (male: 23 cigarettes; female: 16 cigarettes).