[Social use of alcohol among adolescent offenders: a fundamental approach toward human needs]. / Uso socializado de álcool por adolescentes ofensores: um enfoque fundamentado nas necessidades humanas.

This study examined some basic health care approaches toward human needs, with a particular focus on nursing. We aimed to incorporate these approaches into the discussion of the mental health of adolescent offenders who consume alcohol. We discuss specific needs of the delinquent group, critique policies that prioritize coercion of adolescent offenders, and the role that nurses could play in the sphere of juvenile delinquency.

[Epidemiological profile of drug addiction in college students]. / Perfil epidemiológico da toxicodependência em estudantes universitários.

Exploratory study with quantitative method. Data were obtained through a closed and structured questionnaire, self-administered to 500 undergraduates. Data processing and discussion was based on simple and stratified frequencies. In total, 185 (37.1%) students consumed or had used drugs at least once in life. Initial consumption started between the ages of 13 and 21 years. Alcohol is shown as the first drug, followed by snuff and, in descending order, marijuana, benzodiazepines and amphetamines. Regarding self-perception of the effect of drugs among users, this group showed a trend to deny that drugs exert some impact on their academic performance, showing that drugs use is not perceived as a problem if it affects only themselves, but is perceived as a problem if affecting fellow students when consuming drugs.

[Characterization of the students of a nursing course regarding the consumption of licit and illicit drugs]. / Caracterización de estudiantes de la carrera de enfermería sobre consumo de drogas lícitas e ilícitas.

The aim of this quantitative, descriptive, transversal study was to characterize drug use among students in the second year of the Nursing Degree course. The sample of 119 students answered a questionnaire divided into: general information, sociodemographic, economic, personal, familiar, sociocultural and drug usage. The study showed that students possess factors that protect them from drug usage and the acquisition of drug habits; but that they also have risk factors which must be taken into consideration in prevention programs, such as unhealthy life styles or drug abusage in people close to them (family, friends or classmates). We found that the profile of drugs used, containing both legal and illegal drugs, was similar to those in the national and international context. It is important to emphasize that even though the consumption of alcohol and tobacco occupy the highest places, in the student environment as well as nationally, these are not considered as problematic as the illegal drugs.

[Drug use among students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua, Leon, Nicaragua]. / Uso de drogas entre estudiantes de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua, León, Nicaragua.

The aim of this study was to characterize the relationships of students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of UNAN León, with licit and illicit drugs. This was accomplished by means of a traversal, descriptive study carried out in the year 2008 in the City of León, Nicaragua. The SAMSHA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) questionnaire, adapted for the Nicaraguan context, was applied anonymously. The questionnaire was completed by a total of 954 students, between 17 and 35 years old, of both sexes. It was found that 52.6% of the students used alcohol, 25.3% tobacco, 48.7% medication and 2.6% cocaine. It is necessary to develop other studies to guide prevention and intervention in the university context.

[An instrument to analyze secondary-level students' images about nurses]. / Elaboração de instrumento para análise da imagem do enfermeiro frente a alunos do ensino médio.

The objective of the present study was to perform a quantitative-descriptive pilot study, which would provide the support for a further construct validation of a data collection instrument to assess the perception of third-year secondary-level students about nursing. The data collection instrument was founded on Nursing History, Social Psychology, and Career Choice literatures, and was submitted to content validation by judges. The convenience sample consisted of 46 students, 28 of whom were women. Nursing occupied the eighth place in the ranking of social status among 14 professions. Regarding salary perception, nursing dropped to the ninth place. The association of Nursing with aspects that denote scientific knowledge suggests that the image of Nursing Practitioners should be updated among students in the city of Ribeirão Preto-SP.

[Falls among older adults seen at a São Paulo State public hospital: causes and consequences]. / Causas e conseqüências de quedas de idosos atendidos em hospital público.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the history of accidental falls reported by older adults, identifying possibly related factors, as well as place of occurrence, causes, and consequences. METHODS: The sample investigated included 50 older adults, of both sexes, ages 60 years or older, living in the city of Ribeirão Preto, Southeastern Brazil, who had been seen at two inpatient units of a public hospital. Patient records were examined and household visits carried out for the application of a structured questionnaire including open, closed, and mixed questions related to the fall. RESULTS: Data obtained show a reality not substantially different from that observed in other countries. Most events occurred among older women (66%), with mean age 76 years, and at home. Causes were mainly related to physical environment (54%), and brought serious consequences to the subjects, fractures being the most common outcome (64%). Falls had a great impact on subjects' lives in terms of activities such as: lying down/getting up, walking on plain surfaces, cutting toenails, bathing/showering, walking outside home, taking care of financial issues, shopping, using public transportation, and climbing stairs. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated that falls occurred among older adults have serious physical, psychological, and social consequences, reinforcing the need for fall prevention, in order to ensure greater quality of life, autonomy, and independence for the elderly.