Adolescent relational behaviour and the obesity pandemic: A descriptive study applying social network analysis and machine learning techniques.

AIM: To study the existence of subgroups by exploring the similarities between the attributes of the nodes of the groups, in relation to diet and gender and, to analyse the connectivity between groups based on aspects of similarities between them through SNA and artificial intelligence techniques. METHODS: 235 students from 5 different educational centres participate in this study between March and December 2015. Data analysis carried out is divided into two blocks: social network analysis and unsupervised machine learning techniques. As for the social network analysis, the Girvan-Newman technique was applied to find the best number of cohesive groups within each of the friendship networks of the different classes analysed. RESULTS: After applying Girvan-Newman in the three classes, the best division into clusters was respectively 2 for classroom A, 7 for classroom B and 6 for classroom C. There are significant differences between the groups and the gender and diet variables. After applying K-means using population diet as an input variable, a K-means clustering of 2 clusters for class A, 3 clusters for class B and 3 clusters for class C is obtained. CONCLUSION: Adolescents form subgroups within their classrooms. Subgroup cohesion is defined by the fact that nodes share similarities in aspects that influence obesity, they share attributes related to food quality and gender. The concept of homophily, related to SNA, justifies our results. Artificial intelligence techniques together with the application of the Girvan-Newman provide robustness to the structural analysis of similarities and cohesion between subgroups.

Life Habits of Healthcare Professionals during the Third Wave of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Spanish Hospital.

(1) Background: To describe sleep quality, eating behaviour and alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among healthcare staff in a Spanish public hospital. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study examining sleep quality (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index), eating behaviour (Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (R18)), tobacco and drug use (ESTUDES questionnaire) and alcohol use (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener). (3) Results: 178 people, of whom 87.1% (155) were women, with an average age of 41.59 ± 10.9 years. A total of 59.6% of the healthcare workers had sleep problems, to a greater or lesser degree. The average daily consumption was 10.56 ± 6.74 cigarettes. The most commonly used drugs included cannabis, occasionally used by 88.37%, cocaine (4.75%), ecstasy (4.65%) and amphetamines (2.33%). A total of 22.73% of participants had increased their drug use, and 22.73% had increased their consumption during the pandemic, with beer and wine accounting for 87.2% of drinks consumed during this period. (4) Conclusions: In addition to the psychological and emotional impact already demonstrated, the COVID-19 crisis has repercussions on sleep quality, eating behaviour and alcohol, tobacco and drug consumption. Psychological disturbances have repercussions on physical and functional aspects of healthcare workers. It is feasible that these alterations are due to stress, and it is necessary to act through treatment and prevention as well as promote healthy habits.

Descriptive Study of Friendship Networks in Adolescents and Their Relationship with Self-Efficacy and Alcohol Consumption Using Social Network Analysis.

Alcohol is a widely used legal drug. Self-efficacy takes on great importance in an adolescent's development. Levels of self-efficacy can contribute to the decision-making process of the adolescent. In this phase, a group of friends becomes increasingly important. Alcohol is present in different social aspects. Adolescents use alcohol as a social facilitator or as part of the development of their autonomy. The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the structure of the friendship network, self-efficacy, and alcohol consumption in adolescents. METHODS: We used an online platform with validated self-reported questionnaires to collect the data. The sample consisted of 195 adolescents aged between 16 and 18, from different educational centers in Bierzo (Spain). RESULTS: It was found that 43.6% of the adolescents in our research were high-risk consumers. Significant differences were obtained in terms of self-efficacy and different network metrics. These networks were represented by considering the levels of alcohol consumption. In the friendship network, we observed how the central adolescents presented higher levels of self-efficacy and lower alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Self-efficacy is established as a predictor of coping and not consuming alcohol and adolescence as a crucial moment to implement prevention strategies. Social Network Analysis is a useful tool that provides an image of the context in which adolescents find themselves.

Baby-led weaning: Health professionals 'knowledge and attitudes and parents' experiences from Spain. A mixed methods approach.

Baby-led weaning or self-regulated small chunk feeding by the baby has emerged as an alternative to the traditional method of complementary feeding. Parents and healthcare professionals often differ in the benefits and drawbacks about it. The research aims were to describe the knowledge of health professionals about complementary feeding and baby-led weaning (BLW) method and the attitudes towards its recommendation, and to explore the knowledge, experiences and attitudes of parents who have used this method to feed their children. A mixed methods research was carried out. A questionnaire was completed by 38 health professionals and 10 interviews were conducted with participating mothers. A total of 52.6% of health professionals recommended initiating complementary feeding at 6 months of age, a guideline followed by the mothers who used BLW. Some 86.8% of the professionals knew the BLW method and 76.3% knew its benefits, but the mothers consulted mainly informal sources of information sources to learn about and implement it. The health professionals stated that it facilitated family transition, enabled the infant to adapt better to flavours and textures, promoted chewing and the development of fine motor skills, improved growth and might also be a protective factor against obesity. The mothers noted that the method was natural, encouraged infant autonomy and promoted healthy eating habits. The health professionals expressed varied opinions concerning the risks entailed in the method. The main conclusions are that the majority of health professionals participating in the study know the BLW method, its benefits; however, they do not recommend it in all cases. Mothers listen to the advice of professionals but continue to rely on other informal sources of information.

[Health system sustainability from a network perspective: a proposal to optimize healthy habits and social support]. / La sostenibilidad del sistema sanitario desde una perspectiva de redes sociales: una propuesta para la promoción de hábitos saludables y apoyo social.

The search of new health management formulas focused to give wide services is one of the priorities of our present health policies. Those formulas examine the optimization of the links between the main actors involved in public health, ie, users, professionals, local socio-political and corporate agents. This paper is aimed to introduce the Social Network Analysis as a method for analyzing, measuring and interpreting those connections. The knowledge of people's relationships (what is called social networks) in the field of public health is becoming increasingly important at an international level. In fact, countries such as UK, Netherlands, Italy, Australia and U.S. are looking formulas to apply this knowledge to their health departments. With this work we show the utility of the ARS on topics related to sustainability of the health system, particularly those related with health habits and social support, topics included in the 2020 health strategies that underline the importance of the collaborative aspects in networks.

Análisis de la percepción de valores en los alumnos universitarios de enfermería / Analysis of the perception of values in college nursing students

Resumen:

Marco teórico y objetivo: el objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar el sistema de valores que los alumnos perciben, después de una serie de estrategias implantadas en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en la Escuela Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad de León, España. Metodología: se aplicó el cuestionario de valores DpV-43 a 145 alumnos. Fue aplicado un análisis descriptivo con medidas de tendencia central, medias y moda. Resultado: los alumnos consideraron que el principal valor que debía liderar la vida universitaria era el compañerismo-cooperación. Discusión: los autores proponen estrategias en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje para promover la cooperación y la cohesión entre los estudiantes, promoviendo redes de transferencia de conocimiento y amistad entre las Escuelas de Enfermería.