RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Smoking epidemic in Brazilian women has later onset, smaller magnitude, and slower decreasing trend, compared to men. Among pregnant women, smoking has an additional deleterious effect. The purpose of this study was to analyze smoking prevalence during pregnancy and associated factors, and to describe the frequency of smoking reduction and cessation in public maternities of Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil, in 2011. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two maternities located at public hospitals in two cities of the Rio de Janeiro state, Niterói (maternity A) and of Rio de Janeiro (maternity B). Data were gathered by interviews 12 hours after the delivery, and analyses of prenatal cards and medical records. Smoking prevalence according to maternal characteristics, adequacy of prenatal care, and proportions of smoking reduction and cessation during pregnancy were calculated. Factors associated to smoking during pregnancy were estimated by logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Smoking prevalence at maternity A (24.8%, 95% CI: 21.1-29.0) and maternity B (17.9%, 95% CI: 15.8-20.1) were high. Prevalence rates were greater in women aged 20-34 years, mainly without partner, multiparous and brown or black skin color. Low education (OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.21, 3.79) and multiparity (OR = 3.48, 95% CI 1.78, 6.81), at maternity A; adolescence (OR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.26, 0.75), black skin color (OR = 1.71, 95% CI 1.06, 2.74), low education (OR = 1.61, 95% CI 1.08, 2.40), and multiparity (OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.03, 2.44), at maternity B, were associated with smoking in multivariable analysis. Adequacy of prenatal care and smoking prevalence showed an inverse association. More than half of the smokers kept the smoking habits during pregnancy. Reduction occurred mainly between the 1(st) and 2(nd) trimesters of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Smoking prevalence during pregnancy was higher for multiparous and less educated women. Population and individual strategies for smoking prevention and control must include actions specific for women, especially during the reproductive period.
Assuntos
Complicações na Gravidez/epidemiologia , Abandono do Hábito de Fumar/estatística & dados numéricos , Fumar/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Brasil/epidemiologia , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Gravidez , Prevalência , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The objective of this study was to describe the dependence on technology and use of rehabilitation services by children and adolescents in a maternal and child hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Using a cross-sectional design, the following variables were analyzed: gender and age of the children and adolescents, socioeconomic characteristics of the family, technology dependence, and use of rehabilitation services. The majority of the study population consisted of preschoolers (56.3%), boys (58.3%), residing in Greater Metropolitan Rio de Janeiro (89.3%), from low-income families (70.9%), and cared for mainly by their mothers (93.8%), who in turn have low schooling (54.2%) and are unemployed (89.6%). Of the entire study population, 22.9% were dependent on more than three different technologies, with medication as the most prevalent. Government and nonprofit institutions fund the rehabilitation, and physical therapists are the most widely used health professionals during treatment (60.4%). The target hospital provides all of the specialized medical treatment and most of the rehabilitation.
Assuntos
Crianças com Deficiência/reabilitação , Adolescente , Brasil , Cuidadores , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Continuidade da Assistência ao Paciente , Estudos Transversais , Escolaridade , Feminino , Humanos , Renda , Masculino , Centros de Saúde Materno-Infantil/estatística & dados numéricos , Assistência Farmacêutica/estatística & dados numéricos , Serviço Hospitalar de Fisioterapia/estatística & dados numéricos , Fatores Socioeconômicos , DesempregoRESUMO
CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE:: Children born prematurely often have worse cognitive performance than those born at term regarding skills such as memory, attention and processing speed. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia may compromise cognitive development. The aims here were: a) To describe the cognitive performance of preterm infants with very low birth weight; b) To investigate its association with bronchopul-monary dysplasia adjusted for sociodemographic, neonatal and post-neonatal factors. DESIGN AND SETTING:: Cross-sectional study developed in a public tertiary-care hospital. METHODS:: To evaluate cognition among 112 children, we applied an intelligence scale (Wechsler scale). The average scores for children with and without bronchopulmonary dysplasia were compared across the fve domains of the scale. Associations with bronchopulmonary dysplasia were investigated for domains that showed signifcant diferences between the two groups. Associations between exposure and outcome were estimated via multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS:: There were no diferences in averages for the full-scale intelligence quotient, verbal intelligence quotient, performance intelligence quotient and general language composite domains. The processing speed quotient was the only domain that presented a signifcant diference between the two groups (P = 0.02). Among the children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, low full-scale intelligence quotient was observed in 28.1%. In the multivariate analysis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (odds ratio: 3.1; 95conf-dence interval: 1.1-8.7) remained associated with the outcome of processing speed quotient. CONCLUSION:: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was an independent risk factor for alteration of the processing speed quotient.
Assuntos
Displasia Broncopulmonar/complicações , Transtornos Cognitivos/complicações , Recém-Nascido Prematuro/fisiologia , Recém-Nascido de muito Baixo Peso/fisiologia , Desempenho Psicomotor/fisiologia , Displasia Broncopulmonar/fisiopatologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Transtornos Cognitivos/fisiopatologia , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Estudos Prospectivos , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
A Atenção Básicaé a principal porta de entrada do Sistema Único de Saúde. O acesso efetivo a esse serviço pode ser avaliado pela utilização de atendimentos, e não apenas pela disponibilidade. O conhecimento do perfil populacional permite identificar grupos vulneráveis ànão utilização, assim como conhecer as morbidades mais prevalentes para promover melhor organização da oferta e utilização do serviço. Este trabalho trata-se de um estudo transversal, cujas fontes de dados foram registros das fichas do e-SUS de 8.390 indivíduos, cadastrados numa Unidade de Saúde da Família (USF). Foi analisada a prevalência de utilização de atendimentos na USF, nos quais se incluíram consultas médicas e de enfermagem. Foram comparados os perfis sociodemográfico e de morbidade referida dos utilizadores e não utilizadores da USF em 2019. O percentual de utilização de consultas foi de 50,1% dos cadastrados, sendo a média de 2,3 consultas por habitante ao ano. A maioria dos utilizadores fez até cinco consultas ao ano, porém aproximadamente um terço das consultas se referiram aos hiperutilizadores. Ser do sexo feminino, ser pardo ou negro, ter baixa escolaridade, idade mais avançada e não possuir plano de saúde privado foram condições associadas à maior utilização de consulta.
Primary care is the main entry point into the Brazilian public health system. Effective access to this service can be assessed not only by the quality of the healthcare assistance but also by its availability. Knowledge of the population's profile makes it possible to identify groups that are vulnerable to non-use of the service as well as to the most prevalent morbidities, so theservice can be better offered and organized. This is a cross-sectional study whose data source was records of 8,390 e-SUS files registered in a Family Health Unit (USF, in Portuguese). The prevalence of use of services at the USF was analyzed, which included medical and nursing consultations. The sociodemographic and reported morbidity profiles of users and non-users of the USF in 2019 were compared. The percentage of consultations was 50.1% of registered ones, with an average of 2.3 consultations per inhabitant per year. Most users have up to five consultations per year, but approximately a third of those consultations are referred to as hyper-users. Being female, being mixed-race or black, having low-level education, being older, and not having a private health plan were associated with greater use of consultations.
Assuntos
Atenção Primária à Saúde , Cobertura de Serviços de Saúde , Centros de Saúde , Saúde Pública , Atenção à Saúde , Acesso Efetivo aos Serviços de SaúdeRESUMO
The objective was to describe the prevalence and factors associated with uterine cervical cancer (CA) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) in adolescents. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 702 sexually active adolescents treated at a general hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1993 to 2002. Screening was performed by cytopathology and colposcopy and confirmation by biopsy. Exposure variables were socio-demographic characteristics and those related to reproductive health, habits, and sexual behavior. Adjusted odds ratios were estimated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Based on histopathology, the prevalence of HSIL/CA was 3% (95%CI: 1.8-4.6). There was one case of invasive cancer. With each additional pregnancy, the odds of HSIL/CA increased by 2.2 (95%CI: 1.1-4.4). Age was also associated with this outcome, doubling the odds of acquiring this degree of disease with each year of age (OR = 2.0; 95%CI: 1.2-3.4). The prevalence of lesions suggests the importance of including sexually active adolescent females in cervical cancer screening programs aimed at early detection and treatment of these lesions.
Assuntos
Lesões Pré-Cancerosas/epidemiologia , Displasia do Colo do Útero/epidemiologia , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Brasil/epidemiologia , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Paridade , Lesões Pré-Cancerosas/patologia , Gravidez , Prevalência , Fatores de Risco , Comportamento Sexual , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Neoplasias do Colo do Útero/patologia , Displasia do Colo do Útero/patologiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE To analyze if the nutritional status of children aged less than five years is related to the biological conditions of their mothers, environmental and socioeconomic factors, and access to health services and social programs.METHODS This cross-sectional population-based study analyzed 664 mothers and 790 children using canonical correlation analysis. Dependent variables were characteristics of the children (weight/age, height/age, BMI/age, hemoglobin, and retinol serum levels). Independent variables were those related to the mothers' nutritional status (BMI, hemoglobin, and retinol serum levels), age, environmental and socioeconomic factors and access to health service and social programs. A < 0.05 significance level was adopted to select the interpreted canonical functions (CF) and ± 0.40 as canonical load value of the analyzed variables.RESULTS Three canonical functions were selected, concentrating 89.9% of the variability of the relationship among the groups. In the first canonical function, weight/age (-0.73) and height/age (-0.99) of the children were directly related to the mother's height (-0.82), prenatal appointments (-0.43), geographical area of the residence (-0.41), and household incomeper capita (-0.42). Inverse relationship between the variables related to the children and people/room (0.44) showed that the larger the number of people/room, the poorer their nutritional status. Rural residents were found to have the worse nutritional conditions. In the second canonical function, the BMI of the mother (-0.48) was related to BMI/age and retinol of the children, indicating that as women gained weight so did their children. Underweight women tended to have children with vitamin A deficiency. In the third canonical function, hemoglobin (-0.72) and retinol serum levels (-0.40) of the children were directly related to the mother's hemoglobin levels (-0.43).CONCLUSIONS Mothers and children were associated concerning anemia, vitamin A deficiency and anthropometric markers. Living in rural areas is a determining factor for the families health status.
Assuntos
Estatura , Peso Corporal , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Mães , Estado Nutricional , Deficiência de Vitamina A/epidemiologia , Adulto , Índice de Massa Corporal , Brasil/epidemiologia , Pré-Escolar , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Inquéritos Nutricionais , Fatores de Risco , Fatores SocioeconômicosRESUMO
This article seeks to analyze contraceptive practices of Brazilian adolescents and to discuss associated vulnerability situations. A cross-sectional study was conducted, using the database of the National Survey on Demography and Health of Women and Children _ PNDS 2006. Factors associated with the current use of contraceptive methods were investigated. The analysis included 986 sexually-active adolescents. Bivariate analysis between the outcome and each of the socioeconomic, demographic and reproductive characteristics of women was performed. The associations between variables were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. Four factors related to outcome were identified in the multivariate analysis: having completed junior high school (aOR=2.29; CI 95% 1.07_4.85); being married or cohabiting with a partner (aOR=2.85; CI 95% 1.45_5.59); having used contraceptives during the first sexual intercourse (aOR=2.77; CI 95% 1.36_5.63); and having access to transportation to get to health center services (aOR=3.33; CI 95% 1.42_7.80). Adolescents with higher social vulnerability are at a disadvantage regarding adoption of contraceptive methods. This points to the need to establish intersectoral articulations of public policies, which could ensure their reproductive rights.
Assuntos
Comportamento Contraceptivo , Adolescente , Brasil , Comportamento Contraceptivo/estatística & dados numéricos , Estudos Transversais , Humanos , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Populações Vulneráveis , Adulto JovemRESUMO
This article aims to describe experiences of school adolescents of both sexes, living in a small city in the interior of the State of Rio de Janeiro, concerning affective-sexual life and sexual and reproductive health. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a structured questionnaire among 200 adolescents aged between 15 and 19 from public schools in Silva Jardim,. The girls' sexual initiation occurred between 15 and 19 and boys between 12 and 14. Boys started with partners from 12 to 19 years of age and girls with older partners. Girls received more information about sex than boys and talked more with partners about preventing pregnancy at the time of sexual initiation. Sources of information about sexuality and contraception are mainly from parents, with the pharmacy being the main location for the purchase of contraceptives. Information about sexually transmitted diseases is mainly received at school. The comparison of these results with those of other studies with adolescent students in large urban centers and populations that include youths outside school demonstrates similarities and dissimilarities between their experiences. Factors related to the socio-cultural and institutional context of small municipalities, gender and education help to understand them.
Assuntos
Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Saúde Reprodutiva , Sexualidade , Estudantes , Adolescente , Brasil , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Inquéritos e Questionários , População Urbana , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Faced with the challenge of tackling maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, the discussion of reproductive risk and its association with health vulnerability situations is relevant to public health. The research carried out at Instituto Fernandes Figueira/Fiocruz sought to describe the reproductive risk profile of women admitted to prenatal care between 2006 and 2008 and investigating its relation to family income and health vulnerability situations. This is a cross-sectional study which used the prenatal care database as its source. The economic profile of the group under scrutiny is a low income group. An association between low income and fetal malformations, pregnancy before 15 years of age, and HIV was detected. A higher family income was associated with the mother's age over 35 years, abnormal nuchal translucency, gynecopathies, and habitual abortion. The findings may reflect vulnerability situations of low income women, such as unfavorable health conditions and limited access to and use of health services. It is necessary to acquire in-depth knowledge of the reproductive risk profile in Brazil and its distribution according to socio-demographic characteristics, seeking to enhance health care practices provided.
Assuntos
Renda , Complicações na Gravidez/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Brasil/epidemiologia , Criança , Estudos Transversais , Família , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Gravidez , Fatores de Risco , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
This article aims to analyze factors associated with unawareness of prenatal HIV serostatus at admittance for delivery. A cross-sectional study was performed in 2006 in "Friends of Children" Hospitals from the High-risk Pregnancy System, belonging to the Unified Health System, in Rio de Janeiro City. Data were collected through interviews applied to 873 rooming-in mothers submitted to a rapid HIV test at the hospital. Prevalence ratios (PR) of the lack of HIV serologic status were estimated by Poisson regression with robust variance, controlled by maternal and familiar socio-demographic characteristics, pregnancy and prenatal care. Prevalence of unawareness of HIV status was 32.2%. Mothers with low educational level, low-income, more than one relationship in the last year, enrolling late in prenatal care, and low number of prenatal visits were more likely to have unknown HIV status. The main predictor for unawareness of HIV serostatus at hospital admittance was the low number of prenatal visits. It is recommended that coverage of HIV testing during prenatal care be broadened with timely delivery of results, improving early access of pregnant women and increasing the number of prenatal visits, focusing on clients with low socio-economic level.
Assuntos
Sorodiagnóstico da AIDS , Infecções por HIV , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Cuidado Pré-Natal , Adolescente , Adulto , Estudos Transversais , Parto Obstétrico , Feminino , Previsões , Humanos , GravidezRESUMO
ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Children born prematurely often have worse cognitive performance than those born at term regarding skills such as memory, attention and processing speed. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia may compromise cognitive development. The aims here were: a) To describe the cognitive performance of preterm infants with very low birth weight; b) To investigate its association with bronchopul-monary dysplasia adjusted for sociodemographic, neonatal and post-neonatal factors. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study developed in a public tertiary-care hospital. METHODS: To evaluate cognition among 112 children, we applied an intelligence scale (Wechsler scale). The average scores for children with and without bronchopulmonary dysplasia were compared across the fve domains of the scale. Associations with bronchopulmonary dysplasia were investigated for domains that showed signifcant diferences between the two groups. Associations between exposure and outcome were estimated via multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: There were no diferences in averages for the full-scale intelligence quotient, verbal intelligence quotient, performance intelligence quotient and general language composite domains. The processing speed quotient was the only domain that presented a signifcant diference between the two groups (P = 0.02). Among the children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, low full-scale intelligence quotient was observed in 28.1%. In the multivariate analysis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (odds ratio: 3.1; 95conf-dence interval: 1.1-8.7) remained associated with the outcome of processing speed quotient. CONCLUSION: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was an independent risk factor for alteration of the processing speed quotient.
RESUMO CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO: Crianças nascidas prematuras com frequência apresentam pior desempenho cognitivoque as nascidas a termo em habilidades como memória, atenção, velocidade de processamento. A displasia broncopulmonar pode comprometer o desenvolvimento cognitivo. Os objetivos aqui foram: a) Descrever o desempenho cognitivo de crianças nascidas prematuras com muito baixo peso; b) Investigar sua associação com a displasia broncopulmonar ajustada para fatores sócio-demográfcos, neonatais e pós-neonatais. TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL: Estudo transversal desenvolvido em hospital público de cuidados terciários. MÉTODOS: Para a avaliação cognitiva de 112 crianças, aplicamos a escala de inteligência (Wechsler scale). Foram comparadas as médias dos escores das crianças com e sem displasia broncopulmonar nos cinco domínios da escala. A associação com a displasia broncopulmonar foi investigada para os domínios que apresentaram diferença signifcativa entre os dois grupos. A associação entre a exposição e o desfecho foi estimada por regressão logística multivariada. RESULTADOS: Não houve diferença entre as médias dos domínios do quociente de inteligência total, quociente de inteligência verbal, quociente de inteligência de execução e composto de linguagem geral. O quociente de velocidade de processamento foi o único domínio que apresentou diferença signifcativa entre os dois grupos (P = 0,02). Entre as crianças com displasia broncopulmonar, quociente de inteligência total baixo ocorreu em 28,1%. Na análise multivariada, a displasia broncopulmonar (odds ratio: 3,1; intervalo de confança: 1,1-8,7) permaneceu associada ao desfecho quociente de velocidade de processamento. CONCLUSÃO: A displasia broncopulmonar foi um fator de risco independente para alteração no quociente de velocidade de processamento.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Recém-Nascido , Lactente , Pré-Escolar , Criança , Desempenho Psicomotor/fisiologia , Displasia Broncopulmonar/complicações , Recém-Nascido Prematuro/fisiologia , Transtornos Cognitivos/complicações , Recém-Nascido de muito Baixo Peso/fisiologia , Displasia Broncopulmonar/fisiopatologia , Estudos Transversais , Estudos Prospectivos , Fatores de Risco , Transtornos Cognitivos/fisiopatologia , Testes NeuropsicológicosRESUMO
The aim of this study was to investigate the stability of mental performance of very low birth weight premature infants during the first two years of life, and to identify factors associated with mental performance.The study included 109 children. The Mental Scale of Bayley Scales of Infant Development - Second Edition was administered at 6, 12 and 18-24 months of corrected age. The stability of the scores between assessments was verified by the analysis of variance for repeated measures.The association of the major social and neonatal characteristics with mental development was confirmed using multivariate analysis by linear regression, considering the following outcomes: mental development indices at 6 months, 12 months and between 18-24 months of corrected age. The mean Mental Developmental Index (MDI) was 83.4 (SD: 12.4) at 6 months, 86.4 (SD: 13.9) at 12 months, and 73.4 (SD: 14.5) at 18-24 months. A significant decrease in the mental developmental index (13 points) at 18-24 month corrected age was observed. The Mental development index did not show stability during the first two years of life in this population of preterm infants, except for children with neonatal pneumonia whose performance was unsatisfactory in all assessments. Among the risk factors investigated only male gender and neonatal pneumonia were associated with outcomes.
Assuntos
Desenvolvimento Infantil , Recém-Nascido Prematuro/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Recém-Nascido de muito Baixo Peso/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Saúde Mental , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Estudos Prospectivos , Desempenho PsicomotorRESUMO
PURPOSE: to describe lower urinary tract dysfunctions and clinical demographic characteristics of patients with urinary symptoms. This study assessed the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and urodynamic changes in these women. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective study on 578 women. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and urodynamic diagnoses was assessed in patients with lower urinary tract dysfunctions, with their respective 95% confidence intervals. The prevalence ratios of urodynamic alterations were calculated according to the diabetes mellitus diagnoses. RESULTS: Seventy-seven patients (13.3%) had diabetes and type 2 diabetes was predominant (96.1%). Stress urinary incontinence was the most frequent urodynamic diagnosis (39%) in diabetic patients, followed by detrusor overactivity (23.4%). The prevalence of urodynamic alterations was associated with diabetes (PR=1.31; 95%CI=1.17-1.48). Changes in detrusor contractility (over- or underactivity) were diagnosed in 42.8% diabetic patients and in 31.5% non-diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic women had a greater prevalence of urodynamic alterations than the non-diabetic ones. There was no association between diabetes mellitus and detrusor contractility alterations (p=0.80).
Assuntos
Complicações do Diabetes/epidemiologia , Transtornos Urinários/epidemiologia , Adulto , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prevalência , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
Repeated pregnancy (RP) among adolescents is seldom researched in Brazil, even tough the debate on the reproductive rights is important for this extract of population. A transversal study was developed with data from the Declaration of Live Births of adolescent mothers, living in Rio de Janeiro (RJ, Brazil), in 2005. The aim was to estimate the magnitude and features associated with RP. Prevalence ratios (PR) of RP, with 95% confidence interval (CI) for selected variables, were estimated through log-binomial multivariate regression. Among 12,168 adolescents, a RP prevalence of 29.1% was identified and the principal factors associated were: age 15-19 anos (PR=5.42; RI 95% 3.72-7.81); not doing prenatal consultation (RP=2.36; CI 95% 2.16-2.58); educational status<4 anos (PR=1.48; CI 95% 1.25-1.76); housewife job (PR=1.8; CI 95% 1.57-2.15) or other (PR=1.9; CI 95%; 1.73-2.10). Giving birth by cesarean section and low birth weight were negatively associated to repeated pregnancy with RP equal to 0,94 (CI 95%; 0,86-0,99) and 0.69 (CI 95%; 0.62-0.77). The adolescents with RP had worst socioeconomic and assistance indicators than those on their first pregnancy. Specific social policies for adolescent mothers, in vulnerable situation, will enable them to have better conditions to exercise their reproductive rights.
Assuntos
Gravidez na Adolescência/estatística & dados numéricos , Adolescente , Brasil/epidemiologia , Criança , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Gravidez , Fatores Socioeconômicos , Saúde da População Urbana , Populações Vulneráveis , Adulto JovemRESUMO
There is little research in Brazil on cognition and menopause, despite the high frequency of neuropsychiatric complaints in this phase of women's life. The authors present a cross-sectional study aimed at describing the scores by 156 menopausal women on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Word-List Memory Test (WLMT). The mean score on the MMSE was 25.86 points (SD = 2.67), similar to other studies, except for better performance by illiterate women; scores on the sub-items 'attention and calculation' and 'immediate recall' showed lower values. In the WLMT, the mean was also consistent with the literature (M = 18.83 words; SD = 3.82). The only significant associations with score were for schooling in both tests and arterial hypertension in the WLMT. The authors conclude that cognitive performance in these menopausal women is similar to that of other Brazilian samples, corroborating the wider range of scores among individuals with lower schooling. Complaints pertaining to memory in middle-aged women may be related to decreased attention.