[Illicit substances use by Portuguese adolescents]. / Consumo de substâncias ilícitas por adolescentes portugueses.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of illicit drug consumption among adolescents and the motives that led these adolescents to try them. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 2,499 adolescents aged 17 years, based on a cohort called EPITeen, which was started in 2003/2004 with adolescents born in 1990 who studied in public and private schools of the city of Porto, Portugal. A new assessment was carried out in 2007/2008: 1,716 adolescents (79.5%) were recovered and 783 new participants were evaluated. Information about social and demographic characteristics, family and personal history of diseases and behaviours were obtained through self-administered structured questionnaires. The chi-square test was used to test the associations. The statistical analysis was performed in the program SPSS® version 17. RESULTS: Of the adolescents, 14.6% had tried drugs at least once in their lives. The most tried illicit drug was cannabis (12.5%), followed by alcohol together with cannabis (5.5%) and tranquilizers (1.7%). The most cited reason for trying drugs was curiosity (77.5%). Friends were the most frequently cited form of obtaining drugs and the school was seen by 24.2% of the adolescents as a place where it was possible to buy cannabis. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the need to intervene at an early age and suggest that this intervention should be integrated with strategies targeted at other risk behaviors, particularly in schools.

Consumo de substâncias ilícitas por adolescentes portugueses / Illicit substances use by Portuguese adolescents / Consumo de sustancias ilícitas por adolescentes portugueses

OBJETIVO: Descrever a prevalência de consumo de drogas ilícitas em adolescentes e os motivos que os levam a experimentá-las. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 2.499 adolescentes de 17 anos, com base numa coorte designada por EPITeen, iniciada em 2003/2004 com adolescentes nascidos em 1990 que estudavam nas escolas públicas e privadas da cidade do Porto, Portugal. Foi realizada nova avaliação em 2007/2008, sendo recuperados 1.716 adolescentes (79,4%) e avaliados 783 novos participantes. Informações sobre características sociais e demográficas, história familiar e pessoal de doença e comportamentos foram obtidas com questionários estruturados autoadministrados. O teste de qui-quadrado foi utilizado para testar as associações. A análise estatística foi realizada no programa informático SPSS® versão 17. RESULTADOS: Dos adolescentes, 14,6% referiram ter experimentado drogas alguma vez na vida. A droga ilícita mais experimentada foi a cannabis (12,5%), seguida pelo álcool em simultâneo com cannabis (5,5%) e pelos tranquilizantes (1,7%). A razão mais referida para experimentar drogas foi a curiosidade (77,5%). Os amigos foram a forma mais frequentemente referida para obter a droga e a escola era vista por 24,2% dos adolescentes como um local em que se podia comprar cannabis. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados fundamentam a necessidade de intervir em idades precoces e sugerem que essa intervenção deve ser integrada com estratégias dirigidas a outros comportamentos de risco, nomeadamente em meio escolar.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of illicit drug consumption among adolescents and the motives that led these adolescents to try them. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 2,499 adolescents aged 17 years, based on a cohort called EPITeen, which was started in 2003/2004 with adolescents born in 1990 who studied in public and private schools of the city of Porto, Portugal. A new assessment was carried out in 2007/2008: 1,716 adolescents (79.5%) were recovered and 783 new participants were evaluated. Information about social and demographic characteristics, family and personal history of diseases and behaviours were obtained through self-administered structured questionnaires. The chi-square test was used to test the associations. The statistical analysis was performed in the program SPSS® version 17. RESULTS: Of the adolescents, 14.6% had tried drugs at least once in their lives. The most tried illicit drug was cannabis (12.5%), followed by alcohol together with cannabis (5.5%) and tranquilizers (1.7%). The most cited reason for trying drugs was curiosity (77.5%). Friends were the most frequently cited form of obtaining drugs and the school was seen by 24.2% of the adolescents as a place where it was possible to buy cannabis. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the need to intervene at an early age and suggest that this intervention should be integrated with strategies targeted at other risk behaviors, particularly in schools.

OBJETIVO: Describir la prevalencia de consumo de drogas ilícitas en adolescentes y los motivos que los llevan a experimentarlas. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal con 2.499 adolescentes de 17 años, con base en una cohorte designada por EPITeen, iniciada en 2003/2004 con adolescentes nacidos en 1990 que estudiaban en las escuelas públicas y privadas de la ciudad de Porto, Portugal. Se realizó nueva evaluación en 2007/2008, siendo recuperados 1.716 adolescentes (79,4%) y evaluados 783 nuevos participantes. Informaciones sobre características sociales y demográficas, historia familiar y personal de enfermedad y comportamientos fueron obtenidas con cuestionarios estructurados auto-administrados. La prueba de chi-cuadrado fue utilizada para evaluar las asociaciones. El análisis estadístico fue realizado en el programa informático SPSS® versión 17. RESULTADOS: De los adolescentes, 14,6% relataron haber experimentado drogas alguna vez en la vida. La droga ilícita más experimentada fue la cannabis (12,5%), seguida por el alcohol simultáneamente con cannabis (5,5%) y por los tranquilizantes (1,7%). La tasa más referida para experimentar drogas fue la curiosidad (77,5%). Los amigos fueron la forma más frecuentemente referida para obtener la droga y la escuela era vista por 24,2% de los adolescentes como un lugar donde se podía comprar cannabis. CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados fundamentan la necesidad de intervenir en edades precoces y sugieren que dicha intervención debe ser integrada con estrategias dirigidas a otros comportamientos de riesgo, específicamente en medio escolar.

Endoscopic treatment of interhemispheric arachnoid cysts.

BACKGROUND: To describe the neuroendoscopic treatment of interhemispheric arachnoid cysts. METHODS: Five children (aged 1-9 months) harboring interhemispheric arachnoid cysts underwent the procedure. The neuroendoscopic technique included cystoventriculostomy and cystocisternostomy. Imaging exams were compared before and after surgery, and the differences in cyst diameters were calculated. Head circumference and neurological development were also evaluated. RESULTS: The cystoventriculostomy was performed through the lateral ventricle in 4 cases and through the third ventricle in 4 cases. An added cystocisternostomy was performed in 1 case. Cyst diameters were reduced in the anterior-posterior, lateral-medial and superior-inferior planes in 22, 31 and 31% of the cases, respectively. The rate of increasing head circumference slowed; however, all the children continued to show slight macrocrania. There were complications in 2 cases: cerebrospinal fluid fistula was managed by lumbar puncture in 1 case and subdural collection was treated with a shunt in another single case. CONCLUSION: The neuroendoscopic approach to interhemispheric arachnoid cysts was effective with few complications.

[Smoking and its associated factors in Portuguese adolescent students]. / Uso de tabaco por estudantes adolescentes portugueses e fatores associados.

OBJECTIVE: To describe smoking habits and to identify their determinants in adolescent students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on smoking habits comprising 1,052 girls and 984 boys aged 13 years attending public and private schools in the city of Porto, Portugal. The proportion of participation was 77.5%. Information on sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics was obtained from a questionnaire filled out at home by participants and their parents. At school, another self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information about tobacco use. Several independent samples were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test and proportions were compared by Chi-square test. Odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 19.9% (22.4% of girls and 17.1% of boys) students only had ever experimented smoking but were not smokers; 1.8% (2.0% of girls and 1.5% of boys) were occasional smokers and 1.3% (2.0% of girls and 0.4% of boys) smoked at least one cigarette/day. Curiosity was the main reason given by adolescents to experiment smoking (48.4% of girls and 45.6% of boys). After adjustment to parental, siblings' and friends' smoking habits, the stronger association was with the smoking habits of their friends for both girls (OR=4.03; 95% CI: 2.69-6.04) and boys (OR=5.39; 95% CI: 3.34-8.70). CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of students had ever experimented smoking. Smoking habits among peers proved to be the strongest determinant of smoking during adolescence.

Uso de tabaco por estudantes adolescentes portugueses e fatores associados / Smoking and its associated factors in Portuguese adolescent students

OBJETIVO: Descrever o uso de tabaco e identificar os seus determinantes em estudantes adolescentes. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, tendo sido avaliadas 1.052 meninas e 984 meninos de 13 anos de idade matriculados em escolas públicas e privadas da cidade do Porto, Portugal. A proporção individual de participação foi de 77,5 por cento. O adolescente e o seu responsável preencheram um questionário sobre informações sociodemográficas e de comportamento em suas casas. Na escola, o adolescente completou outro questionário, com informações sobre o tabagismo. As variáveis contínuas foram comparadas pelo teste Kruskal-Wallis e as proporções pelo teste de qui-quadrado. As estimativas de risco e respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95 por cento foram calculados por regressão logística não condicional. RESULTADOS: Dos adolescentes avaliados, 19,9 por cento (22,4 por cento das meninas e 17,1 por cento dos meninos) experimentaram fumar mas não eram fumantes; 1,8 por cento (2,0 por cento das meninas e 1,5 por cento dos meninos) fumavam ocasionalmente e 1,3 por cento (2,0 por cento das meninas e 0,4 por cento dos meninos) fumavam pelo menos um cigarro por dia. A razão mais referida como a mais importante para experimentar fumar foi a curiosidade (46,3 por cento das meninas e 45,6 por cento dos meninos). Após ajuste para os hábitos tabágicos dos progenitores, dos irmãos e dos amigos, a associação mais forte foi com o tabagismo dos amigos, nas meninas (OR=4,03; IC 95 por cento: 2,69-6,04) e nos meninos (OR=5,39; IC 95 por cento: 3,34-8,70). CONCLUSÕES: Uma elevada proporção tinha experimentado fumar e ter amigos fumantes foi o mais forte determinante para experimentar fumar.

OBJECTIVE: To describe smoking habits and to identify their determinants in adolescent students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out on smoking habits comprising 1,052 girls and 984 boys aged 13 years attending public and private schools in the city of Porto, Portugal. The proportion of participation was 77.5 percent. Information on sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics was obtained from a questionnaire filled out at home by participants and their parents. At school, another self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information about tobacco use. Several independent samples were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test and proportions were compared by Chi-square test. Odds ratio and 95 percent confidence intervals were calculated by unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall, 19.9 percent (22.4 percent of girls and 17.1 percent of boys) students only had ever experimented smoking but were not smokers; 1.8 percent (2.0 percent of girls and 1.5 percent of boys) were occasional smokers and 1.3 percent (2.0 percent of girls and 0.4 percent of boys) smoked at least one cigarette/day. Curiosity was the main reason given by adolescents to experiment smoking (48.4 percent of girls and 45.6 percent of boys). After adjustment to parental, siblings' and friends' smoking habits, the stronger association was with the smoking habits of their friends for both girls (OR=4.03; 95 percent CI: 2.69-6.04) and boys (OR=5.39; 95 percent CI: 3.34-8.70). CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of students had ever experimented smoking. Smoking habits among peers proved to be the strongest determinant of smoking during adolescence.