Gender, body mass index and socio-demographic variables associated with knowledge about type 2 diabetes mellitus among 13,293 Mexican students.

The main aim of this study was to evaluate correlates of the knowledge Mexican young people have about type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) risk and prevention. We developed a cross-sectional study in public schools in Morelos, in central Mexico during 1998-1999 in 13,293 students (11-24 years). We determined body mass index (BMI) with anthropometric measurements (height and weight). Using questionnaire data, we constructed a DM knowledge-based scale. Statistical analysis was done using an ordinal, logistic regression model. Only 1.6% of the students (95%CI = 1.4-1.8) had high DM knowledge levels; 85.6% (95%CI = 84.9-86.1) had low levels. The factors with the strongest associations with high levels of knowledge about type 2 DM among the Mexican students in this study were: being in high school or at university (vs. junior high), urban residence, higher socio-economic level, and BMI indicating overweight or obesity. Other socio-demographic factors correlated with high levels of knowledge about the disease, but with slightly weaker associations, included female gender, higher age, higher academic achievement (grades) and higher education level of the student's mother. While young men who were overweight or obese were 2.6 and 3.4 times more likely to have high levels of knowledge about DM (95%CI = 1.9-3.6 and 2.1-5.5, respectively), young women who were overweight or obese were only 1.4 and 1.1 times more likely to have high knowledge about DM (95%CI = 1.0-1.9 and 0.6-1.8, respectively). Mexican young people have limited knowledge about DM, although this chronic disease is increasingly common in Mexico as in many other countries.

Perceptions of nurses with regard to doctor-patient communication.

The objective of this study was to evaluate nurses' perceptions of communication between doctors and patients with cancer, AIDS and rheumatoid arthritis. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 741 nurses in 12 hospitals. Nurses received a self-questionnaire that included questions on personal value and attitudes. The answers were used in constructing affective variables (religious beliefs, attitude towards death, paternalism). The prevalence of explicit communication in 'nurse perception of doctor-patient communication' in the case of cancer was 4.5%, with AIDS 30%, and with rheumatoid arthritis 41.8%. When the value of communication was evaluated, it became evident that the likelihood of a nurse perceiving explicit communication in reference to a diagnosis of cancer was 6.5 time greater when communication was considered to be of greater value (CI 95% 2.6-6.6). For nurses who accept the possibility of death, the likelihood of perceiving explicit communication in the case of AIDs was 7.4 times greater than for nurses who deny this possibility (CI 95% 3.7-14.7), and when nurses displayed a deeply religious attitude, the likelihood of perceiving explicit communication was 80% greater than for nurses without this attitude (CI 95% 1.1-2.9). Nurses participate actively in the process of attending to patients with cancer and other disabling illnesses. Thus, there is a need for health professionals who provide compassionate attention, which will improve the various interrelationships between nurses and patients.

Prognostic factors related to cervical cancer survival in Mexican women.

OBJECTIVE: To identify prognostic survival factors among Mexican women with cervical cancer. METHODS: A total of 378 women with cervical cancer admitted from 1984 to 1996 to our referral hospital were evaluated, using survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards method). We designed a symptom index which included asymptomatic conditions, severity of symptoms and comorbidity. RESULTS: Overall 5-year survival was 66.6%. The shortest survival time was for FIGO stage IV (21.5%, P<0.001) and adenosquamous histologic type (53.1%, P=0.15). The main prognostic factors were primary symptoms (RR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.02-6.66); systemic symptoms (RR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.23-9.01); FIGO stage IV (RR, 5.5; 95% CI, 2.36-12.96); and oncogenic symptoms (prognostic comorbidity present) (RR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.08-4.89). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that clinical stage and several types of symptoms influence CC survival. This present strategy to assess morphological and clinical characteristics may be a more accurate indicator of survival rate and potentially an efficient indicator of new therapeutic alternatives.