Confiabilidad intraobservador de mediciones antropométricas en niños y adolescentes sudamericanos: Estudio SAYCARE

ABSTRACT: The South American Youth/Child Cardiovascular and Environmental (SAYCARE) feasibility study aims to develop valid and reliable indicators to investigate health-related behavior and nutritional status in children and adolescents. Anthropometric measurements are one of the evaluated indicators in the study. The accuracy of the anthropometric data is very important and relies in the quality of the measurements. Objective: to describe the intra-observer reliability of ten anthropometric measurements: weight, height, circumferences (neck, arm, waist, hip) and skinfolds (triceps, subscapular, biceps and suprailiac) of children and adolescents from six South American cities: Lima, Medellin, Montevideo, Santiago, San Pablo and Teresina. Methods: prior to the study, fieldworkers from the seven centers participated in central training to ensure the application of standardized pro- cedures in the anthropometric measurements. Intra-observer precision, technical error of measurement (TEM) and coefficient of reliability (R) were estimated for each measurement. Results: reliability of weight and height was above 99% in almost all cities. TEM for skinfold thickness was below 1.4 mm in children and 2.13 mm in adolescents, while reliability was above 95% in most of the skinfold measurements. TEM for circumferences was below 1.8 cm in children and 0.64 cm in adolescents, while reliability was above 99% in almost all circumferences. Conclusions: reliability of the anthropometric measurements in this study was high. In comparison with similar European or American studies, the reliability of the measurements taken in our study was, in most cases, similar or even higher.RESUMEN: El estudio piloto South American Youth/Child cARdiovascular and Environmental (SAYCARE) tiene como objetivo desarrollar indicadores válidos y confiables para investigar el estado nutricional y las conductas vinculadas a la salud en niños y adolescentes. Uno de estos indicadores son las mediciones antropométricas. La precisión de los datos antropométricos es muy importante y se basa en la calidad con que se toman las mediciones. Objetivos: describir la confiabilidad intraobservador de diez mediciones antropométricas: peso, talla, circunferencias (cuello, brazo, cintura, cadera) y pliegues (trÍceps, subscapular, bÍceps y suprailIaco) de niños y adolescentes de seis ciudades de Sudamérica: Lima, Medellín, Montevideo, Santiago, San Pablo and Teresina. Métodos: previo al estudio, los trabajadores de campo de los seis centros participaron de un entrenamiento centralizado, para asegurar la aplicación de procedimientos estandarizados en la toma de las mediciones antropométricas. Para determinar la precisión intraobservador, se estimó el error técnico de medición (TEM) y el coeficiente de confiabilidad (R) para cada medición. Resultados: la confiabilidad de las medidas de peso y la talla estuvo por encima del 99% en casi todas las ciudades. El TEM para el grosor de los pliegues estuvo debajo de 1,4 mm en los niños y de 2,13 mm en los adolescentes, mientras que la confiabilidad fue superior al 95% en la mayoría de las mediciones de los pliegues. El TEM para las circunferencias estuvo por debajo de 1,8 cm en los niños y de 0,64 cm en los adolescentes, mientras que la confiabilidad fue superior al 99% en casi todas las circunferencias. Conclusiones: la confiabilidad de las mediciones antropométricas en este estudio fue alta. Comparada con estudios similares realizados en Europa y Estados Unidos, la confiabilidad de las medidas tomadas en nuestro estudio es, en la mayoría de los casos, similar o aún más elevada

Sampling and processing blood samples within the South American Youth/Child cARdiovascular and Environmental (SAYCARE) Study

Obesity and overweight in children and adolescents is increasing rapidly worldwide; however, scarce data have been reported from South America countries. With the purpose of assessing hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, the evaluation of blood biomarkers such as glucose, lipoproteins and chronic inflammation proteins is required. In the context of the SAYCARE study, in children and adolescents (3 to 18 years) from seven South American cities, our aim was to assess the impact of pre analytical conditions on different biomarkers evaluated in 474 fresh serum samples, in different country centers. We also evaluated the stability according to time and frozen storage within this study across the concordance of the results obtained from the 49 blood samples measured in three different centers. Significant correlations as well as concordance were observed in TG, Total-C, HDL-C and glucose between Buenos Aires and São Paulo. The samples evaluated in Teresina and São Paulo presented similar results, with exception of total cholesterol. We observed acceptable concordance between Buenos Aires vs São Paulo and Teresina vs São Paulo, suggesting that samples could be processed in each of these centers. This concordance is a consequence of the strict pre analytical conditions previously established in the SAYCARE study

Reliability and validity of a questionnaire for physical activity assessment in South American children and adolescents: The SAYCARE Study

ABSTRACT: The objective of this article is to test the reliability and validity of the new and innovative physical activity (PA) questionnaire. Methods: Subsamples from the South American Youth/Child Cardiovascular and Environment Study (SAYCARE) study were included to examine its reliability (children: n 5 161; adolescents: n 5 177) and validity (children: n 5 82; adolescents: n 5 60). The questionnaire consists of three dimensions of PA (lei-sure, active commuting, and school) performed during the last week. To assess its validity, the subjects wore accelerometers for at least 3 days and 8 h/d (at least one weekend day). The reliability was analyzed by correlation coefficients. In addition, Bland-Altman analysis and a multilevel regression were applied to estimate the measurement bias, limits of agreement, and influence of contextual variables. Results: In children, the questionnaire showed consistent reliability (q 5 0.56) and moderate validity (q 5 0.46), and the contextual variable variance explained 43.0% with 222.9 min/d bias. In adolescents, the reliability was higher (q 5 0.76) and the validity was almost excellent (q 5 0.88), with 66.7% of the variance explained by city level with 16.0 min/d PA bias. Conclusions: The SAYCARE PA questionnaire shows acceptable (in children) to strong (in adolescents) reliability and strong validity in the measurement of PA in the pediatric population from low- to middle-income countries

A simple and cheaper solution to calibrate microcomputer time base with NIST totalizer method / Uma solução simples e mais barata para calibrar a base de tempo do microcomputador com o método totalizador NIST

Normally, laboratories that need traceability of time quantity in measurements, find high cost and complex infrastructure to collect traceable time measurements and automation software. This paper shows the calibration of microcomputers in LNMRI laboratory, using a simple method proposed by Special Publication NIST 960-12, with a unique reference counter with an external time base by the CSAC cesium frequency standard and a virtual stopwatch that can be download on the internet. The totalizer method is a simple way to calibrate time offset dt/t, and the results show that the microcomputers can be used how a time base reference in measurements that required dimensionless fractional time uncertainty until microseconds for a second

Tecnologia da Informação Aplicada a Gerenciamento de Acervo Documental Histórico

Este artigo mostra a aplicação de Tecnologia da Informação juntamente com conceitos de GED no Centro de Documentação Histórica da Universidade Severino Sombra. Um sistema desenvolvido em plataforma livre, em funcionamento, com finalidade de disponibilizar imagens digitais de acervos históricos sob guarda do Centro de Documentação Histórica. Esta solução foi proposta por um projeto de preservação de todo acervo documental histórico apoiado pela Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - FAPERJ, com isso o sistema tem por excelência a disponibilização das imagens, cadastro e consulta dos documentos, gerenciamento de desarquivamento, uso e desarquivamento de documentos, cadastro e gerenciamento de usuários com privilégios para cada tipo, registro de ações e histórico de pesquisa por cada usuário e entre outros. Com esta solução é possível disponibilizar um acervo para ser pesquisado por vários usuários ao mesmo tempo e sem danificar o documento original, que estará sempre bem guardado e protegido. O artigo também apresenta uma visão geral das interfaces gráficas do sistema desenvolvimento