Relationship between physical activity and incidence of dementia in people aged 50 and over in Europe.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between physical activity and the incidence of dementia in a cohort of people aged 50 years or older without dementia from different countries in Europe between the years 2013 and 2015. METHODS: Prospective longitudinal design study (2013-2015) with a sample of 46,141 people without dementia in 2013 who participated in the SHARE project in waves 5 and 6, where 15 European countries participated. We defined dementia as a self-report of Alzheimer's disease, organic brain syndrome, senility, or any other serious memory impairment during follow-up. The frequency of moderate, vigorous and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in 2013 was obtained from a validated questionnaire. Incidences of dementia by year (between 2013 and 2015) were calculated for each category of physical activity. Poisson regression models with robust variance were fitted for the association between physical activity and dementia. RESULTS: The incidence of dementia was 7.4 [95%CI = 6.8-7.9] cases per 1000 persons per year. Very frequent moderate physical activity is a protective factor for dementia independently of the frequency of vigorous physical activity and inversely. The risk of dementia was 2.36 [95%CI = 1.77-3.14] higher in people who hardly ever, or never did moderate-to-vigorous physical activity comparing to people engaged in it more than once a week independently of the baseline cognitive level. CONCLUSION: Physical activity is associated with the incidence of dementia in people aged 50 and over in both men and women in Europe.

Mental Well-Being during the COVID-19 Confinement among Adolescents in Catalonia: The Role of Demographic and Other COVID-Related Variables.

This study aimed to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social situation, self-perceived health status, and mental well-being of adolescents in Catalonia during home confinement, and to evaluate factors that are associated with poor overall mental well-being. An online cross-sectional study among a cohort of students (14-18 years old) of central Catalonia (DESKcohort) was performed during June-July 2020. Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to identify variables associated with "poor overall well-being," measured by the short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Out of 303 participants, 42.1% reported a decrease in family income, and 32.8% a loss of parental employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and these percentages were higher among people living in low socioeconomic neighborhoods (53.3% and 43.2%, respectively). Overall, 56.8% presented a poor overall well-being. Participants reporting a decrease in their family's income (aPR = 1.33) and those knowing a close person or family who died of COVID-19 (aPR = 1.42) were more likely to report a poor overall well-being. This study highlights the patterns of inequality and social vulnerability for COVID-19 pandemic outcomes. Considering social inequalities, interventions are needed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and the psychological wellbeing of children and their families.

[Evaluation of the program for the universal prevention of substance use and sexual risk behaviours in the university population "En plenas facultades": a quasi-experimental study.] / Evaluación del programa de prevención universal de consumo de sustancias y prácticas sexuales de riesgo en población universitaria "En plenas facultades": estudio cuasiexperimental.

OBJECTIVE: The use of alcohol and other drugs in youth has adverse health effects, and it is also associated with unsafe sexual practices. For this reason, it is important to include prevention programs in universities regarding alcohol, drugs, and safe sexual practices, and it is essential to evaluate them to prove their effectiveness in the target population. The aim of the study was to evaluate "En Plenas Facultades", a prevention program of substance use and Sexual Risk Behaviours, analysing both the results obtained and the process, in the seven universities of Spain where it is implemented. METHODS: An evaluation of the process and results of "En plenas facultades" program has been carried out through different quasi-experimental designs in four academic years, from the 2016/2017 to the 2019/2020 academic year. Participants from each course and from the 7 universities who joined the program during these four academic years were included (average of 270 participants per academic year). To evaluate the results a pre-post quasi-experimental study was designed, where participants were asked to answer a questionnaire before and after their participation in the program. For the evaluation of the program implementation process, exhaustiveness, coverage, and training's satisfaction were analyzed. For data analysis, absolute and relative frequencies, and means with their confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: In seven Spanish universities, "En plenas facultades" trainings increased students' knowledge in the subject of drug abuse and risky sexual behaviors. People went from a score of 5.29 (95%CI: 5.02-5.57), out of 9, to 7.31 (95%CI 7.13-7.48) in the 2019/2020 academic year. Around 80% of participants ended up being health agents. In the 2019/2020 academic year, the score of global training's satisfaction was 4.24 (95%CI: 4.10-4.38) points out of 5. CONCLUSIONS: The preventive program "En plenas facultades" increases participants' knowledge in subjects of drug abuse and risky sexual behaviors. Moreover, a high proportion of participants become health agents when the training finishes.

OBJETIVO: El consumo de alcohol y otras drogas en la juventud tiene efectos adversos para la salud, y también se relaciona con prácticas sexuales no seguras. Por este motivo es importante incluir programas de prevención en las universidades en materia de alcohol, drogas, y prácticas sexuales seguras, y es esencial evaluarlos para acreditar su efectividad en la población a la que van dirigidos. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar el programa "En plenas facultades", de prevención de consumo de sustancias y prácticas sexuales de riesgo en población universitaria, analizando los resultados obtenidos y el proceso, en las siete universidades de España donde se implementa. METODOS: Se utilizaron distintos diseños cuasiexperimentales desde el curso 2016/2017 hasta el curso 2019/2020. Se incluyeron las personas participantes en las formaciones de todos los cursos académicos de las siete universidades (media de 270 participantes por curso). Para la evaluación de resultados se diseñó un estudio cuasiexperimental pre-post donde los participantes contestaron un cuestionario antes y después de finalizar el programa. Para la evaluación del proceso de implementación se analizaron la exhaustividad, la cobertura y la satisfacción con la formación. Para el análisis de datos se calcularon medias con sus intervalos de confianza, así como frecuencias absolutas y relativas. RESULTADOS: En siete universidades españolas, las formaciones del programa "En plenas facultades" aumentaron el conocimiento sobre la temática de abuso de drogas y los comportamientos sexuales de riesgo en los participantes. Las personas pasaron de una puntuación de 5,29 (IC95% 5,02-5,57) sobre 9 a 7,31 (IC95% 7,13-7,48), en el curso 2019/2020. Alrededor del 80% de las personas participantes llegaron a ser agentes de salud. En el curso 2019/2020, la satisfacción global de la formación fue de 4,24 (IC95%: 4,10-4,38) puntos sobre 5. CONCLUSIONES: El programa preventivo "En plenas facultades" aumenta el conocimiento sobre el abuso de drogas y los comportamientos sexuales de riesgo de las personas participantes. Además, un alto porcentaje de ellas se convierte en agentes de salud.

Consumption of Alcohol, Cannabis, and Tobacco in a Cohort of Adolescents before and during COVID-19 Confinement.

The aim of this study was to identify changes in the hazardous consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis, due to the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 in a cohort of schooled adolescents from Central Catalonia. We also analyzed the effect of the individual and social factors on risky consumption during confinement. This longitudinal study involved a subsample of 303 adolescents aged 14-18 years, who were attending 4th year of compulsory secondary education (ESO), 2nd year of college preparation (baccalaureate), or Vocational and Educational Training (VET). We collected data before COVID-19 lockdown (October 2019-February 2020) and 2 months after the lockdown ended. We estimated the prevalence of risky substance use in the sample at baseline for each independent variable. We used Poisson regression models with robust variance to compute the Cumulative Incidence (CI) and Relative Risk (RR), with their respective 95% confidence interval. We found that VET students had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher risk of substance use: binge drinking (RR = 3.21 (95%CI: 1.00-10.34)); hazardous drinking of alcohol (RR = 3.75 (95%CI: 1.12-12.54)), hazardous consumption of cannabis (RR = 3.75 (95%CI: 0.65-21.59)) and daily smoking of tobacco (RR = 4.82 (95%CI: 1.74-13.39)). The results showed a general trend of reduction of consumption during COVID-19 confinement period. This study suggests that VET students were more likely to engage in hazardous drinking of alcohol and daily smoking of tobacco. No statistically significant differences were found for the other age groups and variables.

Contextual Determinants in Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Consumption, Mood and Bullying during Adolescence.

The present study aimed to explore the differences in the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, mood and bullying between adolescents. A cross-sectional study was carried out in five regions of Northern Spain (one in Galiza and four in central Catalonia) that share similar socioeconomic characteristics and encompass around 10,000 inhabitants each. Students living in Burela, Galiza (N = 71) were compared to those of Central Catalonia (N = 193). The independent variable was the municipality of residence. The dependent variables encompassed: weekly available pocket money, Family Affluence Scale, self-classified academic qualification, place of origin, alcohol consumption, tobacco and cannabis smoking, negative mood and bullying. The mean age and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of participants were similar between the regions (Burela: 15.90 years (15.68-16.13) and Central Catalonia: 15.36 years (15.28-15.44)). More than half of the participants were females (Burela, Galiza (53.5%) and Catalonia (54.9%)). Prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% CI were estimated using Poisson regression models. In comparison with adolescents from Burela (Galiza), those living in Central Catalonia had higher prevalence of diverse academic levels (adjusted PR = 3.92 (1.78-8.66)), tobacco consumption (adjusted PR = 2.41 (1.47-3.97)) and negative mood (adjusted PR = 5.97 (3.05-11.70)). Even when dealing with regions with similar socioeconomic characteristics and number of inhabitants, differences exist in terms of the socioeconomic level, tobacco consumption, mood and bullying, as reported by adolescents.