Factors associated with common mental disorders among female nursing professionals in primary health care.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors associated with common mental disorders (CMD) in primary care female nursing professionals. METHODS: We performed exploratory cross-sectional study, using a structured questionnaire, applied to 451 primary care female nursing professionals from five municipalities of Bahia, Brazil, in a randomly selected sample. The outcome variable (CMD) was evaluated by SRQ-20. To analyze the factors associated with the prevalence of CMD, logistic regression analysis was used in blocks. RESULTS: The prevalence of CMD was 16.2% and the exposure factors were professional category (PR 0.56, CI 0.34-0.90, p = .01), having a workload of more than 60 h per week (PR 2.53, CI 1.55-4.11, p < .01), personal insecurity at work (PR 1.92, CI 1.28-2.88, p = .00), high domestic overload (PR 1.94, CI 1.25-2.98, p < .01), effort-reward imbalance at work (PR 1.78, CI 0.98-3.23, p = .05), dissatisfaction with oneself (PR 2.30, CI 1.52-3.46, p < .01), poor quality of life (PR 1.69, CI 1.07-2.65, p = .02), and negative health status self-assessment (PR 1.77, CI 1.12-2.77, p = .01). CONCLUSIONS: The results reinforce the evidences of the relation between the health-disease process and work, be it professional or domestic. They also highlight the importance of changes in the organization of the nursing activities in the context of primary care, aiming to minimize stress and occupational dissatisfaction and promote the health of this category. It is noteworthy that domestic work should be considered and incorporated into investigations regarding the mental health of female population.

[Prevalence of eating disorders in urban workers in a city of the northeast of Brazil]. / Prevalência de transtornos alimentares em trabalhadores urbanos de município do Nordeste do Brasil.

This article seeks to estimate the prevalence of eating disorders among workers living in urban areas of Feira de Santana, Bahia. It involves an epidemiologic, descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional study of 1,273 randomly selected workers. Socio-demographic and work characteristics, lifestyle, psychosocial aspects at work and eating behavior were investigated. Females were predominant (60.2%), the youngest 51.7% were up to 35 years old, married (53.1%), Afro-Brazilian descent (55.2%), with high school education (51.5%) and with low incomes (81.2%). The prevalence of Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa were, respectively, 4.3% and 1%. The prevalence of these disorders was higher among workers who indulged in excessive alcohol consumption, were dissatisfied with their personal appearance and weight, reported violence in childhood and had financial problems or related worries. Also included were those involved in house care services and commerce, who had informal work arrangements or were in highly demanding work environments. Besides investigating the relation between eating disorders and work, data was provided about these disorders in a population-based study. It is hoped that this study may encourage investments in health policies for these disorders.

Practice of physical activity during leisure time and common mental disorders among residents of a municipality of Northeast Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between physical activity during leisure time and common mental disorders among residents in urban areas of Feira de Santana City, Bahia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a representative sample from the urban population. A sample of 3,597 individuals aged 15 years or older (71.4% female) was studied. A questionnaire gathered information about sociodemographic information, self-reported diseases, screening for mental disorders, lifestyle habits and physical activity during leisure time. To evaluate common mental disorders (CMD) the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) was used. To analyze the association between leisure physical activity (active/inactive) and CMD, prevalence ratios (PR) and their respective 95% confidence intervals were estimated by using multiple logistic regression and the Delta method. RESULTS: We found a frequency of 27.7% of individuals who were active during leisure time. The prevalence of CMD was lower among those active in leisure time, after adjustment by sex, age, income, education, alcohol consumption and smoking (PR = 0.78; 95% CI0.70 to 0.87). CONCLUSION: The population of Feira de Santana city has a high frequency of individuals insufficiently active during leisure, and this condition was associated with higher prevalence of CMD. Actions directed to mental health programs must encourage physical activity among the population, considering the association of this behavior with low prevalence of common mental disorders.

Prevalence of common mental disorders among the residents of urban areas in Feira de Santana, Bahia.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of common mental disorders according to sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle and medical conditions among residents of urban areas of Feira de Santana, Bahia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out, including a random sample of the urban population over the age of 15 years of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. We used a form to attain information on sociodemographic factors, lifestyle and disease frequency. The SRQ-20 was used to measure common mental disorders (CMD). Statistical analysis adopted the p< 0.05 significance level; prevalence ratios and respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: We studied 3,597 individuals, 71.4% female. The global prevalence of CMD was 29.9%. Data analysis revealed that sociodemographic characteristics (sex, education, income), lifestyle and clinical conditions were associated with the prevalence of CMD. CONCLUSION: The study allowed us to estimate the prevalence of CMD among the urban population of a municipality located in Northeastern Brazil and to identify the characteristics associated with CMD prevalence that may interfere with mental health. In this sense, municipal healthcare policies should include actions aimed to encourage participation in leisure activities as well as campaigns to control smoking and chronic diseases.