ABSTRACT
Gambling forms part of social and leisure activities for adolescents but is not free of potential harms. Moreover, with the emergence of new technologies, gambling has become increasingly accessible and appealing to this population. The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude of gambling behaviour and its associated factors in adolescents aged 13-19 years in the city of Barcelona in 2021. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2021 Survey of Risk Factors in Secondary Schools. A bivariate analysis was carried out and multiple logistic regression models were constructed to estimate adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals for online, non-online, and at-risk gambling. The prevalence of gambling among adolescents in Barcelona was 18.6% in boys and 6.1% in girls. Gambling was associated with various sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle factors, with differences observed by sex and gambling modality (online vs. non-online). The prevalence of at-risk gambling was 6.2% in boys and 1% in girls. At-risk gambling was associated with male sex, engaging in online gambling, poor mental health, and participating in more than two different types of gambling. The results of this study show that gambling is a widespread activity among adolescents in Barcelona, with significant associated risks. Preventive programmes and regulations are needed to reduce gambling involvement and gambling-related harms.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Emotional education programmes are universal preventive strategies for health promotion, especially mental health. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of '1,2,3, emoció!': a preschool-based programme designed to improve emotional competence and targeted to 3-5-year-old children in Barcelona during three academic years. STUDY DESIGN: Cluster randomised trial, using schools as clusters. METHODS: The study's population included preschoolers 3-5 years old from Barcelona. Teachers offered the programme during one or three academic years in the intervention groups. We evaluated the emotional competence of each child at the beginning and the end of the academic year with the Emotional Competence Assessment Questionnaire (30-180 scale). We studied the implementation process and analysed the outcomes with nested linear regression models. Considering sociodemographic variables and implementation outcomes, we obtained the individual differences in emotional competence at the end of the school year-segregated by sex-for intervention and comparison groups. RESULTS: 1586 children participated in the study. The emotional competence level increased significantly after one year (4.1 in boys; 5.6 in girls; P < 0.05) and after three years of intervention (5.5 in boys; 8.0 in girls; P < 0.01), compared to comparison group. The level of emotional competence was the highest for the 3-year intervention group: we obtained an average ECAQ score of 131.1 (95% CI 126.9-135.2) for boys and 141 (95% CI 137.2-144.9) for girls. We observed that an accurate implementation improved its results. CONCLUSIONS: The programme '1,2,3, emoció!' effectively increases preschool children's emotional competence, especially when the programme is rigorously implemented for three years.
Subject(s)
Health Promotion , Schools , Male , Female , Humans , Child, Preschool , Educational Status , Cognition , Mental HealthABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The acquisition of emotional competencies through emotional education programs improves both short- and long-term health outcomes. The 1,2,3,emoció! program directed at children aged 3-5 years aims to promote health through the development of emotional competencies. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the program during its first year of implementation. STUDY DESIGN: Cluster randomized trial. METHODS: The information sources were an ad-hoc questionnaire to evaluate emotional competencies and focus group discussions with the teachers implementing the program. For the quantitative data analysis, we compared mean emotional competencies scores pre- and postintervention for the intervention group and the comparison group. We also conducted a multilevel regression with repeated measures, adjusted by sociodemographic variables and stratified by gender and school year. For the qualitative data, we performed a thematic content analysis. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 2625 children (48.4% girls and 49.2% intervention group). Emotional competencies improved in both groups after the school year (P-value < 0.001), but the increase was greater in the intervention group. The multilevel analysis showed an improvement in the final scores attributed to the intervention, especially for those in the first year of preschool [boys: 12.33 points (95% CI 5.51-19.15), girls: 9.66 points (95% CI 3.36-15.96)]. The thematic content analysis also highlighted enhanced emotional competencies in the intervention group. The final scores did not vary by sociodemographic variables. CONCLUSIONS: The 1,2,3,emoció! program had a positive effect on emotional competencies among children, with effectivity being higher among younger children.
Subject(s)
Health Promotion , Schools , Child , Child, Preschool , Cognition , Emotions , Female , Humans , Male , Program Evaluation , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of the health problems included in a multidimensional geriatric assessment (MGA) protocol and to compare them with the problems detected in the clinical histories (CH) of the population consulting at a primary care centre (PCC). DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational. SETTING: Urban PCC (metropolitan area of Barcelona). PATIENTS: Users > or = 65 of a PCC between 01/11/97 and 31/01/98. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A random sample of 114 people was chosen. The MGA protocol was used to screen disorders in: hearing, vision, mobility, affective state, cognitive state, social support, functionalism of the instrumental activities of daily life. The clinical histories provided age, sex and information previously recorded on these disorders. 102 people were surveyed (participation: 89.5%). The MGA enabled more problems to be detected, with the difference very marked in some cases such as visual disorders: 55.9% (46.2-65.5) with MGA and 23.5% (15.3-31.8) with CH. There was poor concordance between MGA and CH. For example, neither the 73.3% (54.1-87.7) of the hearing disorders detected with the MGA, nor 94.1% (71.3-99.8) of the cognitive deterioration detected with the MGA had been previously recorded in the CH. CONCLUSIONS: MGA detects more health problems than are normally recorded in primary care clinical histories, which makes this technique relevant to PC consultations with the elderly. However, it would be advisable to identify the population for whom there was better diagnostic performance.
Subject(s)
Geriatric Assessment , Aged , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Medical Records , Prevalence , Primary Health CareABSTRACT
Objetivo. Determinar la prevalencia de los problemas de salud incluidos en un protocolo de valoración geriátrica multidimensional (VGM) y compararlos con los detectados en la historia clínica (HCAP) en población consultante de un centro de atención primaria (CAP). Diseño. Observacional transversal. Emplazamiento: CAP urbano (área metropolitana de Barcelona). Pacientes. Usuarios >= 65 años de un CAP entre 01-XI-1997 y el 31-I-1998. Mediciones y resultados principales. Se seleccionó una muestra aleatoria de 114 individuos. Se cribó con el protocolo VGM las alteraciones en: audición; visión; movilidad; estado afectivo; estado cognitivo; soporte social; funcionalismo de las actividades instrumentales de la vida diaria (AIVD). De la HCAP se recogió: edad, sexo e información previamente registrada sobre estas alteraciones. Se encuestaron 102 sujetos (participación, 89,5 por ciento). La VGM aporta más capacidad de detección de problemas, siendo la diferencia muy acentuada en algún caso, como en las alteraciones visuales, 55,9 por ciento (46,2-65,5) con VGM y 23,5 por ciento (15,3-31,8) con HCAP. La concordancia entre la VGM y la HCAP es baja. Así, por ejemplo, ni el 73,3 por ciento (54,1-87,7) de las alteraciones auditivas detectadas con la VGM ni el 94,1 por ciento (71,3-99,8) de los deterioros cognitivos habían sido registrados previamente en la HCAP. Conclusiones. La VGM detecta prevalencias de problemas de salud superiores al registro habitual de la HCAP, por lo que parece interesante utilizar esta técnica en las consultas de atención primaria a la población anciana. Sin embargo, sería recomendable identificar la población en la que el rendimiento diagnóstico fuera superior (AU)