O conhecimento sobre Aids de homens idosos e adultos jovens: um estudo sobre a percepção desta doença Awareness about Aids among elderly males and young adults: a study of the perception of this disease

O objetivo foi comparar conhecimento de homens idosos ao de adultos jovens sobre Aids, considerando escolaridade. Estudo epidemiológico, descritivo e de corte transversal, em que foram analisadas informações de 30 idosos e 62 adultos jovens sobre conceito, transmissão, prevenção, diagnóstico e tratamento de Aids, investigadas por entrevista estruturada baseada em questionário validado padronizado. Para análise de contingência e de variância, empregaram-se distribuições de frequências e testes de Qui quadrado ou exato de Fisher e teste t de Student ou Mann-Whitney em nível de significância de 0,05. Foram empregados o teste de Mantel-Haenszel, em nível de significância de 0,05, e os Odds Ratio com intervalos de confiança a 95%, para influência da escolaridade. Constataram-se percepção individual de boa saúde maior em jovens (61,3% contra 43,3% dos idosos) e atividade sexual maior em idosos (80% contra 62,9% dos jovens). Apesar disso foi menos frequente idosos afirmarem conhecimento satisfatório sobre Aids (26,7% contra 80,6% dos jovens); história de teste de HIV (13,3% contra 24,2% dos jovens) e ter recebido orientação sobre Aids (36,7% dos idosos e 98,4% dos jovens). Os idosos tinham informação insuficiente sobre HIV/Aids comparados a adultos jovens, reforçando a necessidade de maior atenção à população idosa.<br>The scope was to compare awareness of elderly males and young adults about aids, taking education into consideration. By means of an epidemiological, descriptive and cross-sectional study, the information of 30 elderly males and 62 young adults about the concept, transmission, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of aids was investigated by structured interviews based on a standardized and validated questionnaire. Frequency distribution, Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, as well as Student's t test or the Mann-Whitney test were used, with a significance level of 0.05 for contingency and variance analysis. The Mantel-Haenszel test with a significance level of 0.05 and Odds Ratio with 95% confidence intervals were used to determine scholarship influence. Individual perception of good health was greater among young adults (61.3% vs 43.3% for elderly) and major sexual activity for elderly males was detected (80% vs 62.9% of young adults). Nevertheless, the elderly males declared adequate knowledge about aids less frequently (26.7% vs 80.6% of young adults); prior HIV test (13.3% vs 24.2% of young adults) and receiving orientation about aids (36.7% vs 98.4% of young adults). Elderly males had insufficient information on HIV/aids, when compared with young adults, highlighting the need to pay closer attention to the elderly population

Prevalence of trachoma in school children in the Marajó Archipelago, Brazilian Amazon, and the impact of the introduction of educational and preventive measures on the disease over eight years

Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness in the world and is associated with precarious living conditions in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of trachoma in three municipalities of the Marajó Archipelago, located in the state of Pará, Brazil. In 2008, 2,054 schoolchildren from the public primary school system of the urban area of the region and their communicants were clinically examined; in 2016, 1,502 schoolchildren were examined. The positive cases seen during the clinical evaluation were confirmed by direct immunofluorescence (DIF) laboratory tests. The presence of antibodies against the genus Chlamydia was evaluated by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), and the serotypes were determined by microimmunofluorescence (MIF). In 2008, the prevalence of trachoma among schoolchildren was 3.4% (69 cases) and it was more frequent in children between six and nine years of age and in females; among the communicants, a prevalence of 16.5% was observed. In 2016, three cases of trachoma were diagnosed (prevalence of 0.2%), found only in the municipality of Soure. The results of the present study showed that in 2008, trachoma had a low prevalence (3.4%) among schoolchildren in the urban area of Marajó Archipelago; eight years after the first evaluation and the introduction of control and prevention measures (SAFE strategy), there was a drastic reduction in the number of cases (0.2%), demonstrating the need for constant monitoring and effective measures for the elimination of trachoma