Relationship between Child Abuse and Delinquent Behavior in Male Adolescents Deprived of Liberty.

The objective is to identify the prevalence of child abuse and criminal behavior among young male prisoners in Ecuador. METHOD: A total of 425 young people between 12 and 18 years of age, deprived of liberty from different centers for adolescent offenders in Ecuador, were used. The level of abuse to which they had been subjected in childhood was evaluated, as well as the risk factors present in their history. The relationship between abuse, risk factors, and criminal behavior was analyzed. RESULTS: A high prevalence of the different types of abuse was found in the mean age of 15.03 years standard deviation (SD = 1.34). CONCLUSION: In addition, a relationship was discovered between the abuse suffered during childhood and the risk factors present in criminal behavior during adolescence, which was demonstrated in this article. The practical implications of these results are discussed, taking into consideration their relevance for prevention.

Undiagnosed cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese individuals: a low income country experience.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are associated with diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, there is scarce information from lower income countries about undiagnosed obesity-associated conditions. This information is necessary for healthcare planning and for assessment of Global Burden of Disease. METHODS: We assessed the prevalence of obesity-associated conditions in 656 overweight (n = 360) and obese (n = 296) adults from inner-city Portoviejo (Ecuador), in descriptive field research, based on an opportunistic and selective sampling strategy. RESULTS: Of 316 men and 340 women, 73% met criteria for prehypertension (27%) or hypertension (46%), 50% met criteria for prediabetes (30%) or diabetes (20%), 11% had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 consistent with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and 5.5% had pathological albuminuria for a total CKD prevalence of 16%. Age-related prevalence data were generated. In all participants, serum total cholesterol and triglycerides were >200 and >150 mg/dl, respectively. Hyperuricemia and microhematuria (<2%) were uncommon. Women were more likely to have low eGFR (18 vs 5%, p 0.000). Diabetes and pathological albuminuria prevalence were higher in obese than in overweight participants (15 vs 12%, p 0.018; and 8 vs 4%, p 0.0199, respectively). DISCUSSION: In conclusion, undiagnosed hypertension, diabetes and CKD were more common than expected in overweight and obese persons from Ecuador. Detection rates exceeded official estimates of prevalene of these conditions. Screening the overweight/obese for these conditions, especially at the age ranges at higher risk, may be cost-effective to identify a high number of persons who may benefit from early inexpensive intervention.