Psychometric properties of the online Satisfaction with Life Scale in university students from a low-income region.

PURPOSE: To test the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in an online format in university students from a low-income region. METHODS: This was a psychometric study, involving a study of reliability (n = 117) and validity (n = 195) in university students from a region with a Gini index of 0.56. The scale was applied at two time points with an interval of 2 weeks. This scale measures satisfaction with life based on five statements and responses ranging from 1 to 7 (strongly disagree to strongly agree). We conducted the reliability assessment using temporal stability and internal consistency and construct validity assessment by internal structure solution. RESULTS: All SWLS items showed acceptable (rho > 0.30) and significant (p < 0.05) temporal stability and acceptable internal consistency (alpha > 0.70). In construct validity (internal structure), we identified a factor with an explained variance of 59.0% in the exploratory factor analysis. Additionally, in the confirmatory factor analysis, we identified a one-factor structure solution for SWLS with an acceptable model fitting (chi-square/degrees of freedom [X2/df] = 6.53; Tucker-Lewis Index [TLI] = 0.991; Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = 0.996; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.040; standardized root mean-squared residual [SRMR] = 0.026). CONCLUSION: The Satisfaction with Life Scale, in the online format, is a reliable and valid tool for university students in a low-income context.

Correction to: Regional disparities in the flow of access to breast cancer hospitalizations in Brazil in 2004 and 2014.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Regional disparities in the flow of access to breast cancer hospitalizations in Brazil in 2004 and 2014.

BACKGROUND: Access to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in Brazil is marked by immense inequalities in the provision of specialized assistance, which leads patients to seek treatment outside the place of residence. To evaluate the variations between 2004 and 2014 in the distribution of flow between place of residence and care, and the average distance traveled for treatment of breast cancer in the administrative regions and federal states of Brazil. METHOD: Analysis of secondary data from the years 2004 and 2014, extracted from the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System through the Hospital Information System. Data from Hospitalization Release Authorizations were collected, and the maps were created with TabWin 3.6 software. Descriptive analysis was performed on Stata® (StataCorp, LC) 11.0. RESULTS: In the total flow, it was observed that there was a decrease in referrals between 2004 and 2014 in most regions. In 2004 the main direction of flow was in the Midwest and Southeast regions. In 2014, however, the intensity of these admissions was centralized in the Southeast region. In relation to the average distance traveled, the North, Northeast, and Midwest regions had the highest values of displacement. Of the 27 federative units, 17 presented an increase in average distance between these periods. CONCLUSION: Despite the improvement in the hospitalization of residents, in most regions and federal units, Brazilians still travel great distances when they require treatment for breast cancer.

Factors associated with perceived quality of life in artisanal fishermen: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze a combination of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, chronotype, stress perception and level of physical activity with the perception of quality of life in artisanal fishermen. RESULTS: Several variables were associated with lower scores of quality of life domains: workload (P = 0.047), age (P = 0.01), economic class D-E (P = 0.04) and perceived stress scores (P = 0.01) for scores physical domain; workload (P = 0.03) and perceived stress (P < 0.001) for scores psychological domain; Perceived stress (P < 0.001) and age (P = 0.01) for social domain scores; economic class D-E (P = 0.03) and perceived stress (P = 0.01) for environment domain scores; perceived stress (P = 0.01) and age (P = 0.01) for general quality of life scores and; female sex (P = 0.04) and age (P = 0.02) for the score of satisfaction with quality of life.

Factors associated with blood pressure disorders in Afro-descendant children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (AH) is an emerging disease that has rapidly increased in the last decades throughout the world. The increase in blood pressure (BP) is observed with growth and development and, although the manifestation of the disease is rare in childhood and adolescence, its occurrence is increasing and the causes are likely to be from different combinations of factors. Afrodescendants have been consistently observed in many populations, including Brazil, which has the largest population of Afrodescendants outside Africa; nevertheless, data is scarce on the disease in children and adolescents. In this study, we investigated BP disorders in children and adolescents of "Quilombola" populations of the state of Tocantins, northern Brazil, and determined the disease occurrence with some factors, namely food consumption, body composition, anthropometric measures, and biochemical data. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study with 67 children aged 10-17 years, comparing the variables studied between the normotensive and non-normotensive groups, using the Chi-square test for qualitative variables and the appropriate tests, according to data adherence to the Gaussian distribution for the quantitative variables. High blood pressure was defined as mean systolic or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 percentile for age, height, gender. RESULTS: The rate of adolescents with BP disorders was 19.4% (prehypertension 14.9% and hypertension 4.5%). There were no significant differences between the sexes for high blood pressure. In the Poisson regression analysis, the high fat percentage was associated with elevated blood pressure (p = 0.021) for adolescents. Similar associations were observed for non-HDL-c (p < 0.001) and low calcium intake (p = 0.015). CONCLUSION: Most children and adolescents in "Quilombola" communities had normal blood pressure. However, higher levels of dyslipidemia and low calcium intake are factors associated with prehypertension in the population studied with high BP.

Correlation between municipal human development index and stroke mortality: a study of Brazilian capitals.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between municipal human development indices (MHDIs) and stroke mortality in residents of Brazilian state capitals in 2010. A secondary data analysis was conducted in 2015 using data for the MHDI and the following dimensions: income, longevity and education which were obtained from the United Nations Development Program. Additionally, we analyzed age-standardized stroke mortality data from the Department of System Information Unified Health of Brazil. RESULTS: We observed a correlation between stroke mortality and MHDIs overall (Pearson r = - 0.563; p = 0.002) and within the following dimensions: income (Spearman's ρ = - 0.479; p = 0.011), longevity (Pearson r = - 0.510; p = 0.006) and education (Pearson r = - 0.592; p = 0.001). We identified moderate but significant negative correlations between MHDI overall and in its individual dimensions (income, longevity, and age) and stroke mortality in Brazilian capitals. Stroke is the second leading cause of death in industrialized countries and the leading cause of death in Brazil. Therefore, the discovery of factors that may influence the epidemiology of stroke is important for the construction of adequate policies considering to the socioeconomic status in these places and with an emphasis in lower socioeconomic status places.

Regional differences in the temporal evolution of stroke: a population-based study of Brazil according to sex in individuals aged 15-49 years between 1997 and 2012.

OBJECTIVE: The present study analyzed the temporal trend of stroke mortality according to sex in individuals aged 15-49 years in the different regions of Brazil between 1997 and 2012. RESULTS: There was progressive reduction in mortality rate due to stroke in Brazil. The reduction trend was the same for both sexes, although mortality remained slightly higher among men. There was a difference in mortality rates according to the administrative region of the country.

Quality of Life, Sleep, and Health of Air Traffic Controllers With Rapid Counterclockwise Shift Rotation.

Rotating shiftwork is common for air traffic controllers and usually causes sleep deprivation, biological adaptations, and life changes for these workers. This study assessed quality of life, the sleep, and the health of 30 air traffic controllers employed at an international airport in Brazil. The objective was to identify health and quality of life concerns of these professionals. The results identified physical inactivity, overweight, excess body fat, low scores for physical and social relationships, and sleep deprivation for workers in all four workshifts. In conclusion, these workers are at risk for chronic non-transmittable diseases and compromised work performance, suggesting the need for more rest time before working nightshifts and work environments that stimulate physical activity and healthy diets.

Access to health services by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons: systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between users and health services is considered essential to strengthen the quality of care. However, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender population suffer from prejudice and discrimination in access and use of these services. This study aimed to identify the difficulties associated with homosexuality in access and utilization of health services. METHOD: A systematic review conducted using PubMed, Cochrane, SciELO, and LILACS, considering the period from 2004 to 2014. The studies were evaluated according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criterias. Were included manuscripts written in English or Portuguese, articles examining the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender population's access to health services and original articles with full text available online. RESULTS: The electronic databases search resulted in 667 studies, of which 14 met all inclusion criteria. Quantitative articles were predominant, showing the country of United States of America to be the largest producer of research on the topic. The studies reveal that the homosexual population have difficulties of access to health services as a result of heteronormative attitudes imposed by health professionals. The discriminatory attendance implies in human rights violations in access to health services. CONCLUSIONS: The non-heterosexual orientation was a determinant factor in the difficulties of accessing health care. A lot must still be achieved to ensure access to health services for sexual minorities, through the adoption of holistic and welcoming attitudes. The results of this study highlight the need for larger discussions about the theme, through new research and debates, with the aim of enhancing professionals and services for the health care of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons.