RESUMO
Heat stress is a challenge for the milk production chain, especially in tropical environments. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the knowledge and the perception of milk producers about heat stress and determine what corrective measures they adopted to minimize losses in the productive performance of dairy cows due to high temperatures. A questionnaire was applied to 112 dairy farmers in the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás, Brazil in 2019 and 2020. The collected data were submitted to descriptive statistics using the G test of independence and multivariate correspondence analysis. Among the surveyed producers, 89% stated that they had already been informed about what heat stress is and how it affects the animals; 94% declared that they had already noticed in their day-to-day activities that heat stress impairs productivity and milk quality, and 92% stated that they have tried to reduce the heat stress to which the animals in their herd are exposed. There was an association among previous knowledge about heat stress and farm size, daily volume of milk produced, number of lactating cows, type of milking and presence of technical assistance. There was also an association among the adoption of measures that minimize the negative effects of heat stress with the size of the property, the number of cows in lactation and with the producer's perception of heat stress in their daily lives. It was concluded that, in important municipalities of the Brazilian dairy chain, most milk producers surveyed have knowledge and perception of the negative effects of heat stress on the productive performance of dairy cows and sought to adopt measures that could alleviate them.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The medical literature shows that alcohol consumption is common among diabetic individuals and is associated with poor adherence to treatment, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. However, no study has assessed the association between high-risk alcohol consumption and the presence of anxiety and depression in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (1DM). METHODS: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in Uberlândia, Brazil, and it assessed 209 outpatients in relation to alcohol consumption and the presence of anxiety and depression symptoms, using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, and glycemic control, according to the levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the association between the investigated variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of high-risk alcohol consumption (AUDIT ≥ 8) among individuals with 1DM was high, specifically 24.9% among the entire group of subjects, 12.9% among the adolescents, 14.7% among the females, and 34.6% among the males. In comparisons based on gender and age, the odds of high-risk drinking were higher among males and participants aged 30 to 40 years (33.9%). The frequency of high-risk alcohol consumption did not differ as a function of gender among adolescents (females: 9.0%, males: 16.2%; p = 0.374). There was a linear trend in proportions related to the scores of anxiety and depression symptoms with high-risk alcohol consumption scores, indicating the association of these variables (p = 0.0229 and p = 0.0262, respectively). Moreover, the odds of female subjects exhibiting anxiety and depression symptoms were higher (odds ratio - OR: 4.4 and OR: 7.4, respectively). Glycemic control did not exhibit an association between high-risk alcohol consumption and the presence of anxiety and depression symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of high-risk drinking increased along with age and was greater among males; however, this frequency did not exhibit differences in terms of gender among adolescents. There was a positive association between high risk alcohol consumption and anxiety and depression symptoms, although glycemic control was inadequate in most of the sample independent of alcohol consumption and the presence of anxiety and depression symptoms.
