Correspondence analysis: a method for classifying similar patterns of violence against women

Violence against woman has received relatively little debate in society. It includes physical, psychological, and sexual abuse that jeopardizes the victim's health. Multivariate correspondence analysis and cluster analysis were applied to crimes reported to the Integrated Women's Aid Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to investigate associations between injury and define criteria for classifying the aggressions. Three groups of abuse were identified, differing according to the nature (physical, psychological, or sexual) and severity of the crimes. Less serious crimes consisted of threats and moderate physical injuries. The intermediate severity group included serious physical assault and threats. More serious crimes included death threats, rape, and sexual assault. The method thus allowed classification of the crimes in three groups according to severity

Prevalence of obesity, overweight and abdominal obesity and its association with physical activity in a federal University

A cross sectional study to investigate the prevalence of obesity, overweight and abdominal obesity and its association with the level of physical activity (PA) measured in employees of a Rio de Janeiro University according to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).299 employees selected by random sampling were interviewed. The association between PA and anthropometric markers was estimated by Poisson models (robust variance). The prevalence of obesity was 27.4% (men 22.8% and 36.3% women), the prevalence of overweight was 63.5% (men 65.0% and women 65.8%) and the prevalence of abdominal obesity was 45.2% (men 35.5% and 63.7% women). Women reported a higher prevalence of low PA (42.2%) compared to men (33.0%). The models adjusted for socio-demographic and behavioral variables and habits related to health, showed a significant association between PA and the outcomes analyzed. The low level of practice of PA (high level reference) has remained associated with the occurrence of obesity (PR = 1.89; 95%CI 1.05 - 3.42) and overweight (PR = 1.40; 95%CI 1.08 - 1.80). For the abdominal obesity, both the mid level (PR = 1.70; 95%CI 1.11 - 2.58) and the low level (PR = 1.74; 95%CI 1.14 - 2.66) were related. This study found inverse association between the practice of PA and obesity in line with what has been recommended by the WHO, and it reinforces the use of IPAQ in population studies. Specifically in relation to abdominal obesity, a remarkable gradient was not observed between levels of PA, suggesting that what is important is the high level of practice of PA

Adverse reactions to antituberculosis drugs in Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to characterize and estimate the frequency of adverse reactions to antituberculosis drugs in the population treated at the Centro de Saúde Escola Germano Sinval Faria, a primary health care clinic in Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro City, and to explore the relationship between adverse drug reactions and some of the patients' demographic and health characteristics. METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted via patient record review of incident cases between 2004 and 2008. RESULTS: Of the 176 patients studied, 41.5% developed one or more adverse reactions to antituberculosis drugs, totaling 126 occurrences. The rate of adverse reactions to antituberculosis drugs was higher among women, patients aged 50 years or older, those with four or more comorbidities, and those who used five or more drugs. Of the total reactions, 71.4% were mild. The organ systems most affected were as follows: the gastrointestinal tract (29.4%), the skin and appendages (21.4%), and the central and peripheral nervous systems (14.3%). Of the patients who experienced adverse reactions to antituberculosis drugs, 65.8% received no drug treatment for their adverse reactions, and 4.1% had one of the antituberculosis drugs suspended because of adverse reactions. "Probable reactions" (75%) predominated over "possible reactions" (24%). In the study sample, 64.3% of the reactions occurred during the first two months of treatment, and most (92.6%) of the reactions were ascribed to the combination of rifampicin + isoniazid + pyrazinamide (Regimen I). A high dropout rate from tuberculosis treatment (24.4%) was also observed. CONCLUSION: This study suggests a high rate of adverse reactions to antituberculosis drugs

The effect of chronic diseases on functional status of the elderly living in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil

The main focus of this study was the effect of chronic disease (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, lung disease, cancer, and arthropathy) on the functional status (activities of daily living-ADL, instrumental activities of daily living - IADL) among the elderly, controlling for age, gender, living arrangements, education, and comorbidity. The analysis was based on information provided by the SABE Project, from the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, including individuals 60 years of age and over (n = 1, 769), from January 2000 to March 2001. A multinomial logistic regression model was used. Compared to the absence of dependency category, heart disease (OR = 1.82), arthropathy (OR = 1.59), lung disease (OR = 1.50), and hypertension (OR = 1.39) were the main diseases that affected the IADL dependency category. Lung disease (OR = 2.58), arthropathy (OR = 2.27), hypertension (OR = 2.13), and heart disease (OR = 2.10) had important impact on the IADL and ADL dependency categories. The results were statistically significant (p < 0.05)