"It's okay because I'm just driving": an exploration of self-reported mobile phone use among Mexican drivers.

Introduction: Technological advancements have the potential to enhance people's quality of life, but their misuse can have a detrimental impact on safety. A notable example is the escalating issue of distracted driving resulting from the use of mobile phones behind the wheel, leading to severe crashes and injuries. Despite these concerns, both drivers' usage patterns and their risk-related associations remain scarcely documented in Mexico. Therefore, this descriptive study aimed to examine the mobile phone usage of Mexican drivers, its relationships to risk awareness and near-miss/crash involvement, and the self-reported underlying reasons for this behavior. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a sample of 1,353 licensed Mexican drivers who took part in a nationwide series of interviews regarding their onboard phone use settings. Results: A significant percentage of drivers (96.8%) recognize using a mobile phone while driving as high-risk behavior. However, only 7.4% reported completely avoiding its use while driving, with 22.4% identified as high-frequency users. Frequency was also found positively associated with the self-reported rate of near-misses and crashes. Furthermore, qualitative data analysis highlights the emergence of a 'sense of urgency' to attend to phone-related tasks in response to daily demands and life dynamics, offering a potential explanation for this behavior. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest common patterns of onboard mobile use among Mexican drivers concerning driving situations and associated risks. This underscores the need for increased efforts to discourage onboard phone use in the country.

Comparing the cycling behaviours of Australian, Chinese and Colombian cyclists using a behavioural questionnaire paradigm.

Cyclists are vulnerable road users and face disproportionately high rates of road trauma, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Behaviour of road users is a system outcome, and thus studying cyclist behaviours can identify problems in the whole road transport system and assist in generating long-lasting, cost-effective solutions to promote cyclist safety. This study aims to investigate the similarities and disparities of cycling behaviour among countries with different income levels and cycling prevalence, and the relationships among cyclist demographic characteristics, behaviours and crash involvement. It applies the Cycling Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ) to measure the behaviour of cyclists in three countries: Australia (high-income, emerging cycling country), China (mid-income, traditional cycling country) and Colombia (low-income, emerging cycling country). A total of 1094 cyclists (Australia 347, China 368, and Colombia 379) with a mean age of 31.8 years completed the online questionnaire. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to examine the factorial structure of the CBQ. The results showed that the three-factor CBQ (i.e., Traffic Violations, Errors and Positive Behaviours) had a stable and uniform factorial structure across all three countries. Cyclists reported more frequent positive behaviours than risky behaviours across all three countries. The Australian cyclists reported more positive behaviours and fewer violations than cyclists from the other countries, which is likely to reflect the road environment, policy and enforcement differences. Male cyclists tended to engage in more risky riding than females and reported more crash involvement. Older cyclists reported less risky riding and less involvement in crashes than younger cyclists. Cyclists who rode more often reported more frequent risky riding. The study helps understand the prevalence of risky/positive cyclist behaviours among countries and provides insights for developing systematic countermeasures to improve cycling environment and cyclist safety.

Is organized carpooling safer? Speeding and distracted driving behaviors from a naturalistic driving study in Brazil.

Carpooling consists of drivers and passengers sharing a journey and its costs. Nowadays, in the context of mobility as a service, organized carpooling encompasses a service and trust relationship between drivers and passengers, by matching common routes and splitting cost through mobile phone applications. Therefore, passengers expect a certain level of travel quality and safety. In this context, this research aims to verify the hypothesis that drivers in an organized carpooling situation (CP) show safer driving behavior in terms of speeding (SP) and mobile phone use while driving (MPU) in comparison with non-carpooling (NCP) drivers. The research is based on data from the Brazilian Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS-BR) conducted in the City of Curitiba, with 40.45 driving hours and a traveled distance of 895.87 km. Methodology included the selection of safety performance indicators on SP and MPU, use of nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test for safety performance indicator comparisons and Pearson Chi-Square to test the association between CP or NCP and low or high indicator values. Hypothesis test results point in the same direction and partially confirm the initial assumption that CP induces safer behavior in terms of speeding. The statistically sound results showed that CP drivers engaged in less speeding episodes and mobile phone use duration in comparison to NCP drivers, as well as lower speed while using a mobile phone. In addition, driver behavior in CP and NCP situations also differed in terms of the type of MPU, with the proportion of types of use that demand a higher level of visual and manual distraction being higher among NCP drivers. In summary, these results confirm the initial hypothesis of safer driving behavior during carpooling in terms of MPU while driving.

Naturalistic Driving Study in Brazil: An Analysis of Mobile Phone Use Behavior while Driving.

Mobile phone use (MPU) while driving is an important road safety challenge worldwide. Naturalistic driving studies (NDS) emerged as one of the most sophisticated methodologies to investigate driver behavior; however, NDS have not been implemented in low- or middle-income countries. The aim of this research is to investigate MPU while driving and compare the results to those reported in international studies. An analysis of 61.32 h and 1350 km driven in Curitiba (Brazil) showed that MPU lasted for an average of 28.51 s (n = 627) and occurred in 58.71% of trips (n = 201) with an average frequency of 8.37 interactions per hour (n = 201). The proportion of the trip time using a mobile phone was 7.03% (n = 201), and the average instantaneous speed was 12.77 km/h (n = 627) while using the phone. Generally, drivers spent less time on more complex interactions and selected a lower speed when using the phone. MPU was observed more during short duration than longer trips. Drivers in this study engaged in a larger number of MPU compared to drivers from Netherlands and the United States; and the percentage of trip time with MPU was between North American and European values.

A brief-review of the risk factors for covid-19 severity.

The World Health Organization has emphasized that one of the most important questions to address regarding the covid-19 pandemic is to understand risk factors for disease severity. We conducted a brief review that synthesizes the available evidence and provides a judgment on the consistency of the association between risk factors and a composite end-point of severe-fatal covid-19. Additionally, we also conducted a comparability analysis of risk factors across 17 studies. We found evidence supporting a total of 60 predictors for disease severity, of which seven were deemed of high consistency, 40 of medium and 13 of low. Among the factors with high consistency of association, we found age, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, albumin, body temperature, SOFA score and diabetes. The results suggest that diabetes might be the most consistent comorbidity predicting disease severity and that future research should carefully consider the comparability of reporting cases, factors, and outcomes along the different stages of the natural history of covid-19.

A brief-review of the risk factors for covid-19 severity

ABSTRACT The World Health Organization has emphasized that one of the most important questions to address regarding the covid-19 pandemic is to understand risk factors for disease severity. We conducted a brief review that synthesizes the available evidence and provides a judgment on the consistency of the association between risk factors and a composite end-point of severe-fatal covid-19. Additionally, we also conducted a comparability analysis of risk factors across 17 studies. We found evidence supporting a total of 60 predictors for disease severity, of which seven were deemed of high consistency, 40 of medium and 13 of low. Among the factors with high consistency of association, we found age, C-reactive protein, D-dimer, albumin, body temperature, SOFA score and diabetes. The results suggest that diabetes might be the most consistent comorbidity predicting disease severity and that future research should carefully consider the comparability of reporting cases, factors, and outcomes along the different stages of the natural history of covid-19.

Fast and furious: A neglected issue in health promotion among young drivers.

ISSUES ADDRESSED: This paper investigates the influence of mood while driving, advocates for identifying high-risk groups and detects associations between mood while driving and risky driving behaviours. While commensurate studies regarding aggressive driving have confirmed significant detriments in driving performance, little scholarly research has studied the gaps and opportunities at the intersection of mood and risky driving in young drivers. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was implemented using 660 young drivers (17-25 years) from Australia (34.7%) and Colombia (65.3%), who completed the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS). Cluster analysis differentiated young drivers across two groups: high-risk and low-risk driving while influenced by mood. Hierarchical segmentation analysis explored the relationship between driver mood and self-reported risky driving behaviour. RESULTS: Young drivers reported frequent driving while influenced by mood. The typical risky driving behaviours of young drivers who are emotion-affected are transient violations (eg, speeding) and risky exposure (eg, driving tired). CONCLUSIONS: Risky driving behaviours that have been found to increase the risk of road injury (speeding, fatigued driving) and to decrease the survivability of road crashes (speeding) are inextricably intertwined with the influence of driver mood upon driving behaviour at an international level. Driver mood is a neglected issue in health promotion programs for young drivers. SO WHAT?: Current health promotion interventions for young drivers safety such as Graduated Driver Licensing may not prevent driving while influenced by mood. Additional strategies are required to minimise the exposure to driving while affected by negative mood.

Young drivers and their cars: Safe and sound or the perfect storm?

Consistent with the experiences in high-income countries, young drivers remain overrepresented in road trauma statistics in low- and middle-income countries. This article pursues the emerging interest of approaching the young driver problem from a systems thinking perspective in order to design and deliver robust countermeasures. Specifically, the focus of this paper is the cars driven by young drivers. The study of vehicles' characteristics and their interaction with driving behaviour is, more often than not, considered a minor concern when developing countermeasures in young drivers' safety not only in developed nations, but especially in developing nations. Participants completed an online survey containing the 44-item Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale Spanish version (BYNDS-Sp), in addition to providing information regarding their vehicle, any crash involvement, and driving offences. Based on the vehicle model information, the assessment of vehicle safety was conducted for three safety programs (ANCAP, Latin NCAP, U.S. NCAP). Young drivers in Colombia reported a breadth of risky driving behaviours worth targeting in broader interventions. For example, interventions can target speeding, particularly as three quarters of the participants drove small-medium cars associated with poorer road safety outcomes. Moreover, risky driving exposure was highly prevalent amongst the young driver participants, demonstrating the need for them to be driving the safest vehicles possible. It is noteworthy that few cars were able to be assessed by the Latin NCAP (with half of the cars rated having only 0-2 star ratings), and that there was considerable discrepancy between ANCAP, U.S. NCAP, and Latin NCAP ratings. The need for system-wide strategies to increase young driver road safety-such as improved vehicle safety-is vital to improve road safety outcomes in jurisdictions such as Colombia. Such improvements may also require systemic changes such as enhanced vehicle safety rating scales and investigation of the nature of vehicles sold in developing nations, particularly as these vehicles typically contain fewer safety features than their counterparts sold in developed nations.

The sex disparity in risky driving: A survey of Colombian young drivers.

OBJECTIVE: The overrepresentation of young drivers in poor road safety outcomes has long been recognized as a global road safety issue. In addition, the overrepresentation of males in crash statistics has been recognized as a pervasive young driver problem. Though progress in road safety evidenced as a stabilization and/or reduction in poor road safety outcomes has been made in developed nations, less-developed nations contribute the greatest road safety trauma, and developing nations such as Colombia continue to experience increasing trends in fatality rates. The aim of the research was to explore sex differences in self-reported risky driving behaviors of young drivers, including the associations with crash involvement, in a sample of young drivers attending university in Colombia. METHODS: The Spanish version of the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS-Sp) was applied in an online survey to a sample of 392 students (225 males) aged 16-24 years attending a major university. Appropriate comparative statistics and logistic regression modeling were used when analyzing the data. RESULTS: Males reported consistently more risky driving behaviors, with approximately one quarter of all participants reporting risky driving exposure. Males reported greater crash involvement, with violations such as speeding associated with crash involvement for both males and females. CONCLUSION: Young drivers in Colombia appear to engage in the same risky driving behaviors as young drivers in developed nations. In addition, young male drivers in Colombia reported greater engagement in risky driving behaviors than young female drivers, a finding consistent with the behaviors of young male drivers in developed nations. As such, the research findings suggest that general interventions such as education, engineering, and enforcement should target transient rule violations such as speeding and using a handheld mobile phone while driving for young drivers in Colombia. Future research should investigate how these interventions could be tailored specifically for the Colombian cultural context, including how their effects can be evaluated, prior to implementation.

Características del dolor, aspectos psicológicos, calidad de vida y estrategias de afrontamiento en pacientes con dolor de espalda crónico en una ciudad de Colombia / Characteristics of pain, psychological aspects, quality of life and coping strategies in patients with chronic back pain in a city of Colombia

Abstract Introduction: Chronic back pain is one of the principal causes of long term disability in middle age. Its consequences include decreased worker productivity and increased costs for affected individuals, their employers and society in general. Objective: Determine coping strategies, characteristics of pain including psychological aspects, and quality of life in patients with chronic back pain. Materials and methods: 50 patients from three institutions providing physiotherapy services in the city of Sincelejo, were surveyed. A non-experimental descriptive cross type design was used; each participant underwent treatment with a pain characteristic assessment interview, along with the visual analog scale (VAS), the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (QSC) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire Euroqol (EQ5D2). Results: Most patients had a diagnosis of cervicalgia and low back pain. The perceived intensity of pain was generally moderate. The most frequently used coping strategies was praying and hoping and the least used was catastrophizing. Patients reported a high level of quality of life in terms of self-care and mobility scales. In addition, statistically significant relationships between current pain intensity and coping strategy to ignore it (positive) and between duration of pain and the coping strategy consistent of minimizing pain (negative) were established. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the use of strategies to ignore the pain increases with the intensity of the pain and reduces with longer duration. Additionally, pain perception is sensitive to age and experiences.

Resumen Introducción: El dolor de espalda crónico es una de las principales causas de discapacidad a largo plazo en la edad madura. Sus consecuencias incluyen disminución de la productividad laboral y aumento en los costos para los individuos afectados, sus empleadores y la sociedad en general. Objetivo: Determinar las estrategias para afrontar el dolor, características de este, incluyendo aspectos psicológicos y calidad de vida en pacientes con dolor de espalda crónico. Materiales y métodos: Se encuestaron 50 pacientes de tres instituciones que prestan servicios de fisioterapia en la ciudad de Sincelejo. Se utilizó un diseño no experimental, descriptivo transversal. A cada participante se le hizo una entrevista de evaluación de las características del dolor junto con la Escala Analógica Visual (VAS), el Cuestionario de Estrategias de Afrontamiento del Dolor (QSC) y el Cuestionario de Calidad de Vida Euroqol (EQ5D2). Resultados: La mayoría de los pacientes presentaron un diagnóstico de lumbalgia y cervicalgia. En general su percepción era de dolor moderado. Las estrategias de afrontamiento más utilizadas eran rezar y tener esperanza, mientras que la menos usada era la catastrofización. Los pacientes reportaron un buen nivel de calidad de vida en las escalas de cuidado personal y movilidad. Además, se establecieron relaciones estadísticamente significativas entre la intensidad del dolor actual y la estrategia de afrontamiento de ignorar el dolor (positiva) y entre la duración del dolor y la capacidad para afrontarlo basada en minimizar el dolor (negativa). Conclusiones: Los hallazgos sugieren que el uso de estrategias para ignorar el dolor se incrementa con la intensidad del mismo y disminuye a medida que se prolonga en el tiempo. Adicionalmente, la percepción del dolor es sensible a la edad y a las experiencias.

Young driver risky behaviour and predictors of crash risk in Australia, New Zealand and Colombia: Same but different?

Young drivers remain overrepresented in road crashes around the world, with road injury the leading cause of death among adolescents. In addition, the majority of road traffic crashes, fatalities and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. All young drivers are at risk due to a breadth of age- and inexperience-related factors; however it is well recognised that young drivers may also intentionally engage in risky driving behaviours which increase their crash risk. The aim of this paper is to examine the self-reported risky driving behaviour of young drivers in Australia, New Zealand (high-income countries), and Colombia (middle-income country), and to explore the utility of a crash risk assessment model in these three countries. Young drivers aged 16-25 years completed the Behaviour of Young Novice Drivers Scale (BYNDS), in addition to self-reporting crash involvement and driving offences. A hierarchical segmentation analysis via decision trees was used to study the relationship between self-reported crashes and risky driving. Young drivers in Colombia reported more risky driving than young drivers in New Zealand, and considerably more risky driving than young drivers in Australia. Significant differences among and across countries in individual BYNDS items were found, and 23.5% of all participants reported they had been involved in a road crash. Handheld mobile phone usage was the strongest predictor of crashes, followed by driving after drinking alcohol, and carrying friends as passengers. Country of origin predicted mobile phone usage, with New Zealand and Colombia grouped in the same decision tree branch which implies no significant differences in the behaviour between these countries. Despite cultural differences in licensing programs and enforcement, young drivers reported engaging in a similar breadth of risky behaviours. Road crashes were explained by mobile phone usage, drink driving and driving with passengers, suggesting interventions should target these three risk factors. Whilst New Zealand and Australia have implemented graduated driver licensing programs, are geographical neighbours, and are high-income countries, the finding that behaviours of young drivers in New Zealand and Colombia were more similar than those of young drivers in New Zealand and Australia merits further investigation.

Hand anthropometric study in northern Colombia.

The main purpose of this study is to gather information about the dimensions of the northern Colombian (Caribbean region) population, focusing on the dimensions of the hand and comparing them with measurements from other regions. Thirty-two hand dimensions were chosen and 120 males and 86 females were measured. Results indicated that there were differences between the dimensions of the hand for men and women, showing that men are larger. Also, there was a comparison made between some measurements of other studies in different regions of Colombia, the USA, Chile, Jordan, Korea and Japan. The results indicated important physiological differences between regions in Colombia and across countries. It was therefore concluded that differences in anthropometric measurements must be included in the design and procurement of machinery and apparatus in order to avoid productivity loss, occupational injuries or illness.

Construcción y validación de una escala para evaluar salud sexual y reproductiva en adolescentes mujeres de la Región Caribe Colombiana / The Development and Validation of a scale to measure Reproductive and Sexual Health of young women in the Colombian Caribbean region

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo el diseño y validez de una escala para evaluar salud sexual y reproductiva. Participaron 919 estudiantes mujeres entre 11 a 19 años quienes respondieron el cuestionario, que evalúa actitudes y normas subjetivas, basado en planteamientos de la teoría de comportamiento planeado. Con el objetivo de comprobar la fiabilidad y validez del instrumento, se realizó un análisis factorial exploratorio y un análisis de componentes principales con rotación VARIMAX. Esta investigación incluye dos estudios independientes, en el estudio 1 (prueba piloto) la versión del pilotaje inicialmente constaba de 172 ítems y disminuyó a 78 en la muestra final. Para el estudio 2, en la escala de actitud se reporta una media de 3.68 (D.E. = 1.21) y un a= 0.91. Se extrajeron dos factores agrupados en dos dimensiones que explican un 67.10%; en la escala de normas subjetivas se obtuvo media de 3.80 (D.E. = 1.10) y un a= 0.97. Los ítems se adecuan a la matriz factorial. Se extrajeron 11 factores de los cuales son interpretables 9 y se explican en un 75.89%. En conclusión, el instrumento confirma una confiabilidad adecuada y estabilidad estructural de gran utilidad para la comprensión e implementación de estrategias de acción en sexualidad reproductiva en mujeres adolescentes.

This article describes the design and validation of a scale for evaluating reproductive and sexual health. 919 young females from 11 to 19 years in five Caribbean- Colombian cities were administered the questionnaire that assesses attitudes and subjective norms about the reproductive sexuality, based on the planned behavior theory (Ajzen & Fishbein, 2000). The reliability and validity of the instrument was analyzed through exploratory factorial analysis with principal components and VARIMAX rotation. The methodology includes two independent studies; in study 1 (pilot test) the first questionnaire consisted of 172 items and decreased to 78 in the final sample. For study 2, the attitude scale reported (Mean = 3.68, ED = 1.21) and Cronbach's alpha reliability was 0.91. Two factors were extracted and grouped into two dimensions that explain 67.10% of the variance. For the subjective norms scale (Mean = 3.8, ED = 1.1) Cronbach's alpha reliability was 0.97 and eleven factors were extracted and grouped into nine dimensions, which explain 75.89% of the variance. The scale showed good reliability and structural stability for the analysis and design of programs for sexual and reproductive health in adolescent girls.

Correlación entre la personalidad y los factores de la teoría del comportamiento planeado (TCP) en adolescentes escolarizados de 11-19 años del caribe colombiano / Correlation between personality and the factors of the theory of planned behavior, in school enrolled adolescents from 11-19 years old in the Colombian Caribbean

La creciente tasa de embarazos en adolescentes y la alta incidencia de las infecciones de transmisión sexual (entre ellas el VIH/SIDA), son temáticas en torno a la salud y en especial la salud sexual y reproductiva, que han recibido gran atención por parte de investigadores y de la opinión pública en general. Recientemente, se ha encontrado que los adolescentes llevan a cabo con facilidad comportamientos de riesgo para su salud sexual y reproductiva y aquellos que no han presentado dichos comportamientos también muestran altos niveles de intención para llevarlos a cabo. Se ha hipotetizado que además de variables cognitivas como las actitudes, normas subjetivas, control conductual percibido y la intención, la personalidad de los jóvenes es un aspecto que juega un papel importante en su salud sexual y reproductiva. Se encontraron correlaciones significativas entre las variables de la TCP y las características de personalidad y los resultados sugieren que la direccionalidad de estas correlaciones se encuentra asociada con el tipo específico de comportamiento o situación que se está evaluando.

The increasing rate of pregnancies in teenagers and the high incident of the infections of sexual transmission (HIV/ AIDS, for example), these are health related issues (and especially the sexual and reproductive health), which have received great attention on the part of investigators and of the public opinion in general. Recently, there has been evidenced that teenagers carry out very easily risk sexual behaviors, and those who have not presented the above mentioned behaviors also show high levels of intention to carry out them. There is the hypothesis that besides cognitive variables such as attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention, the personality of the young persons is an aspect that plays an important paper in their sexual and reproductive health. Significant correlations were found between the variales of the TPB and the personality traits; the results suggest that the direction of these correlations is associated with the specific type of behavior or situation that is assessed.

The influence of atmospheric conditions on the leakage current of ceramic insulators on the Colombian Caribbean coast.

The contamination of electrical insulators is one of the major contributors to the risk of operation outages in electrical substations, especially in coastal zones with high salinity levels and atmospheric pollution. By using the measurement of leakage-currents, which is one of the main indicators of contamination in insulators, this work seeks to the determine the correlation with climatic variables, such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, solar irradiance, atmospheric pressure and wind speed and direction. The results obtained provide an input to the behaviour of the leakage current under atmospheric conditions that are particular to the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and principal component analysis are utilised to determine the significant relationships among the different variables under consideration. The necessary information for the study was obtained via historical databases of both atmospheric variables and the leakage current measured in over a period of 1 year in a 220-kV potential transformer insulator. We identified the influencing factors of temperature, humidity, radiation, wind speed and direction on the magnitude of the leakage current as the most relevant.

Presentación de una escala para evaluar actitudes y creencias sobre la sexualidad reproductiva en adolescentes varones de la región Caribe colombiana / Presentation of an Attitudes and Beliefs Scale to Assess Adolescent Sexuality and Reproductive Health of Young Males in the Caribbean Region

Este artículo presenta la construcción y comprobación de la confiabilidad de un instrumento para evaluar las actitudes y normas subjetivas en el comportamiento sexual y reproductivo en varones en dos estudios. La escala fue administrada a 965 estudiantes varones escolarizados, entre 11 a 19 años de edad, en la región Caribe colombiana. En el Estudio 1 (pilotaje) el cuestionario constituido por 150 ítems se redujo a 78 en la prueba final. En la escala de actitud protección (Media = 4.1 y DE = 1.07) se obtuvo un alfa de Cronbach de 0.93 y en la de actitud abstinencia/retardo (Media = 3.6 y DE = 1.26), un alfa de 0.88 y homogeneidad elevada con correlación ítem-total superiores a 0.6. Para la escala de creencias categorizada como normas subjetivas (Media = 3.79 y DE = 1.08) la estimación del alfa de Cronbach fue de 0.98 y homogeneidad adecuada con correlaciones superiores a 0.66. La evaluación de la validez de constructo mediante el análisis factorial exploratorio y análisis de componentes principales con rotación VARIMAX, denota adecuación satisfactoria de los datos a la matriz factorial en el Estudio 2 (escala definitiva). En conclusión el instrumento es confiable, de estructura estable para la medición de actitudes y normas subjetivas en sexualidad reproductiva y contribuirá a establecer acciones específicas en programas, acorde a las expectativas en salud sexual y reproductiva de los adolescentes varones.

This paper presents the construction and testing of the reliability of an instrument to assess attitudes and subjective norms sexual and reproductive behavior of young males. The scale was administered to 965 male students (From of 11 to 19 years) enrolled at school in the Colombian Caribbean region. This work includes two independent studies, in the Study 1 (pilot) the questionnaire consisted of 150 items and it was reduced to 78. In the protective attitude scale (Mean = 4.1 and SD = 1.07) was obtained Cronbach's alpha of 0.93 and for the abstinence / delay attitude (Mean = 3.6 and SD = 1.26) an alpha of 0.88 with high homogeneity. The total correlation item was greater than 0.6 for all the attitude scales. On the scale of beliefs represented by the subjective norms (Mean = 3.79 and SD = 1.08) the estimation of Cronbach's alpha was 0.98 with correlations above 0.66. In Study 2 (final stop), the construct validity assessment using factorial analysis and principal components analysis with VARIMAX rotation reported a satisfactory fit of the data to the array factor. In conclusion, the instrument has a reliable and stable structure for the measurement of attitudes and subjective norms for sexuality and reproductive health, and it is useful to help in the setting of programs.

Condiciones de trabajo que impactan en la vida laboral / Working conditions impacting quality of work life

Objetivo:Proponer un esquema de clasificación conceptual (ECC) basado en el método de análisis de contenidos, con el fin determinar brechas en el conocimiento en cuanto a las variables de condiciones de trabajo que impactan la Calidad de Vida Laboral. Materiales y métodos: Seutilizó una metodología integral de clasificación que considera 54 artículos científicos comprendidos en el periodo 1992 - 2012, a partir de los cuales se estructuraron diferentes categorías, tales como: año de publicación del artículo, titulo de la revista científica en la cual se publicó y un esquema conceptual basado en preguntas. Resultados:Las investigaciones relacionadas con el tema de estudio han aumentado en la última década. El total de artículos revisados aumentó de 6 en el período 1992 - 2001 a 48 en el período 2002 - 2012. Por otra parte, el 76 % de los artículos analizados llega a la conclusión de que existe una estrecha relación entre las condiciones de trabajo analizadas y el impacto en la salud física y mental de los trabajadores. No obstante, con un porcentaje del 9 % diferentes investigaciones exponen la relación entre las condiciones favorables de trabajo y el incremento en la productividad. Conclusiones: Los avances realizados en el campo han dado frutos y actualmente se están estimando nuevas metodologías y/o herramientas que permitan evaluar las condiciones a las que están expuestos los trabajadores, y de esta manera involucrarlos a conseguir no solo los objetivos financieros y de operaciones de la empresa, sino también los beneficios en pro de su desarrollo personal y profesional.

Objective: Propose a conceptual classification scheme (CCS) based on the content analysis method, in order to determine gaps in knowledge regarding to the working conditions variables that impact the Quality of Work Life. Materials and methods: We used an integral methodology that considers around 54 scientific papers of the period 1992-2012, from which, we structured different categories of classification like year of publication, title of the journal and a conceptual framework based on questions. Results:The amount of research related to the topic of study has increased over the past decade. The total increased from 6 articles reviewed in the period 1992-2001 to 48 in the period 2002-2012. Moreover, 76 % of the articles analyzed concludes that there is a close relationship between working conditions and the impact on physical and mental health workers; however, with a rate of 9 % different research present the relation between the favorable conditions of work and the increased of productivity. Conclusions: Advances in the field have induced to estimate new methodologies and / or tools, in order to evaluate the conditions that workers are exposed and thus involve not only achieve financial and operations objectives, but also, the benefits towards their personal and professional development.

Medición de la intención en la actividad sexual en adolescentes: una aproximación de acuerdo al género del Caribe Colombiano / Adolescent sexual behavioral intentions measurement: a gender approach in the Colombian Caribbean region

Este estudio de 1.777 adolescentes escolares varones y mujeres entre 11 a 19 años en el Caribe colombiano, tuvo doble objetivo: diseñar y validar dos escalas de intención en sexualidad reproductiva y analizar diferencias de género. El pilotaje de las escalas constaba de 8 ítems y se redujo a 6; la comprobación de la fiabilidad y validez mediante análisis factorial exploratorio y de componentes principales con rotación VARIMAX arrojó dos factores: Intención de Protección e Intención de Riesgo, explicados entre 69. por ciento y 7 por ciento respectivamente. En la Intención de Protección masculina (M = 3.87 y D.E = 1.29) y de Riesgo (M = 2.56 y D.E = 1.18) obtuvieron un alfa entre 0.74 y 0.86, y en la Intención de Protección femenina (M = 3.49 y D.E = 1.35) y de Riesgo (M = 1.50 y D.E = 0.89) osciló entre 0.78 y 0.86. En conclusión, la confiabilidad y estabilidad estructural son adecuadas y existen diferencias de género en las escalas.

The study of 1777 male and female adolescent students of 11 - 19 years in the Colombian Caribbean had two objectives: development and validation of two reproductive health intention scales and analyze gender differences. The pilot of the scale consisted of 8 items and was reduced to 6, to check the reliability and validity using factor analysis and principal components with VARIMAX rotation yielded two factors: Intention and Intention Risk Protection, explained between 69 percent and 7percent respectively. In the male Protection Intent (M = 3.87 and SD = 1.29) and risk (M = 2.56 and SD = 1.18) obtained an alpha between 0.74 and 0.86, and in Protection of Intent to female (M = 3.49 and SD = 1.35) and risk (M = 1.50 and SD = 0.89) ranged between 0.78 and 086. In conclusion, the reliability and structural stability are adequate and there are gender differences in the scales.