Nutritional status and dental caries of vulnerable Cambodian children and adolescents living in Phnom Penh

During childhood, malnutrition is associated with dental caries, being the most prevalent oral disease in Cambodian. Therefore, this cross-sectional study investigated the nutritional status and the prevalence of dental caries in 344 vulnerable Cambodian children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years old. Nutritional status (body weight, height and body mass index-for-age and sex) and the DMFT index (decayed-missing-filled teeth) were measured and calculated. Results showed that most participants presented normal weight (56.7%), 36.6% were underweight, 6.7% were overweight and 45.1% were stunted. Dental caries prevalence was remarkably high (94.9%) with children aged 6-11y-old presenting a significantly higher DMFT index (6.7 ± 4.0) than adolescents (4.0 ± 2.9 for 12-14y and 4.1 ± 1.6 for 15-18y, P < 0.01). Children suffering from underweight showed the highest DMFT index (6.6 ± 3.8). In conclusion, vulnerable and at-risk children aged 6-11y-old and underweight were the most affected; therefore, prevention is urgent, especially nowadays. Nutritional and oral health literacy should be encouraged.publishersversionpublishe

Actas do Colóquio Internacional São Tomé e Príncipe numa perspectiva interdisciplinar, diacrónica e sincrónica

O Colóquio Internacional São Tomé e Príncipe numa perspectiva interdisciplinar, diacrónica e sincrónica resultou de uma parceria entre investigadores do Centro de Estudos Africanos do ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTEIUL) e do Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical (IICT) no quadro de programas de investigação em curso, e visou apresentar e partilhar estudos e resultados de projectos sobre São Tomé e Príncipe, nas várias áreas do saber científico

Self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in Portuguese primary school-aged children

Costa D, Cunha M, Ferreira C, et al. Self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in Portuguese primary school-aged children. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1): 87

Overweight or obesity and lifestyle factors in a sample of elderly from the municipality of Lisbon

Pretendeu caracterizar-se o estado nutricional de idosos por avaliação de indicadores antropométricos e conhecer o papel de fatores socioeconómicos e de estilos de vida no excesso de peso, incluindo obesidade (ExP+Ob), e obesidade abdominal. Desenvolveu- se um estudo transversal em instituições de Lisboa (Portugal) e a amostra estudada foi de 434 pessoas com idade igual ou superior a 60 anos. A maioria dos participantes foram mulheres (77,9%) e a média de idades foi de 79,91±7,61 anos. A prevalência de ExP+Ob foi de 81,9% no critério da OMS e 69,5% segundo Lipschitz, e maior nas mulheres (OMS: 85,0% vs. Lipschitz: 73,7%, p=0,01) do que nos homens (OMS: 70,8% vs. Lipschitz: 55,2%, p=0,00). A prevalência de ExP+Ob/OMS foi maior nas mulheres que passavam mais de 2h/dia a ver televisão, mais tempo sentadas e que tomavam mais de três medicamentos. A prevalência de risco substancialmente aumentado para perímetro abdominal (OMS) ou razão perímetro abdominal/estatura foi maior nas mulheres do que nos homens (p<0,05). Maiores prevalências de Exp+Ob ou risco substancialmente aumentado de obesidade abdominal ocorreram quando foi reportada hipertensão arterial, diabetes ou hipercolesterolemia. Nos idosos estudados, ocorreu elevada prevalência de ExP+Ob total e risco aumentado de obesidade abdominal, o que poderá revelar estado nutricional preocupante a influência do sedentarismo/inatividade ou causa/consequência de doença metabólica.This study aimed to characterize the nutritional status of the elderly by assessing anthropometric indicators and to understand the role of socioeconomic factors and lifestyles in overweight, including obesity (ExP+Ob), and abdominal obesity. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Lisbon (Portugal) with 434 people aged 60 or over who attended social institutions. Most participants were women (78%) and the average age was 79.91±7.61 years. The prevalence of ExP+Ob was 81.9% according to the WHO criteria and 69.5% according to Lipschitz, with higher rates in women (WHO: 85.0% vs. Lipschitz: 73.7%, p=0.01) than in men (WHO: 70.8% vs. Lipschitz: p=0.00). The odds of ExP+Ob/WHO was higher in women who spent more than 2h/day watching television, that spent more time sitting and were taking three or more medications. The prevalence of substantially increased risk for waist circumference (WHO) or waist circumference/height ratio was higher in women than in men (p<0.05). Higher prevalence of ExP+Ob or substantially increased risk of abdominal obesity occurred when arterial hypertension, diabetes or hypercholesterolemia was reported. In our sample, there was a high prevalence of total ExP+Ob and an increased risk of abdominal obesity, which may reveal malnutrition and the influence of physical inactivity or cause/ consequence of metabolic disease

Percepção parental do ambiente de residência e obesidade infantil no Distrito de Coimbra

A obesidade é um dos maiores problemas de saúde pública da actualidade. Para além dos factores individuais, os lugares em que se vive podem influenciar o comportamento e a saúde, providenciando ou não oportunidades de desenvolver uma vida saudável. O objectivo deste estudo é analisar a associação entre a percepção parental do ambiente local e o excesso de peso e obesidade em 1885 crianças com idades entre os 3 e os 10 anos residentes no distrito de Coimbra. Os dados foram recolhidos entre Março e Julho de 2009, utilizando-se os intervalos definidos pela ITOF para classificar as crianças com excesso de peso e obesidade. As características ambientais foram avaliadas por inquérito (IPS). Efectuou-se uma Análise de Componentes Principais para Dados Categóricos, que conduziu à obtenção de duas dimensões ambientais, posteriormente usadas com variáveis independentes numa análise de regressão multinominal. Os resultados revelaram associações significativas entre as dimensões ambientais e o peso das crianças do sexo feminino. Este estudo tem implicações para a saúde e para as políticas sociais. Melhorar o ambiente físico e social comunitário, providenciando e mantendo lugares seguros para caminhar e passear (disponibilizando infra- estruturas de suporte a essas actividades, melhorando a organização e o controlo social) pode ser uma forma efectiva de modelar o peso das crianças e os seus níveis de saúde, actuais e futuros, sobretudo para o género feminino, grupo que se revela particularmente vulnerável ao ganho de peso.Obesity is one of the most important health problems in many developed countries. Besides individual factors, neighbourhoods in which people live can influence their behaviour, and health, providing (or not) environmental opportunities to living healthy lives. The aim of this study was to analyse whether parent’s perceptions of local neighbourhood attributes were associated with overweight and obesity among 1885 children aged 3-10 years old living in Coimbra. Data was collected between March to July 2009. Height and weight were measured and IOTF cutoffs to define overweight and obesity were used. Environmental features were assessed through questionnaire (IPS). A Categorical Principal Component Analysis was performed, allowing the extraction of two neighbourhood dimensions which were subsequently used as independent variables in a multinomial logistic regression: one related with physical environment; other related with social environment. Significant associations with parent’s neighbourhood perceptions were found for girls, after adjustment for sex, age and socioeconomic level. These have implications for health and social policy. Enhancing the community’s physical and social environment, e.g., by providing and maintaining safe places for walking and cycling (through supportive infrastructures, social organization and social control) may provide effective ways to shape childrens weight and their current and future health, specially the girls, the most vulnerable group considering weigh gain

Social inequalities in traditional and emerging screen devices among portuguese children: a cross-sectional study

Background: Children are often exposed to too much screen time but few studies have explored the use of old and new digital media among young children. This study assesses screen time, including traditional and mobile devices, in pre-school and elementary school-aged children, according to their gender, age, and socioeconomic position (SEP). Methods: A total of 8430 children (3 to 10 years; 50.8% boys) from the north, center and south-central Portugal were included in the present study. Data was collected by a parental questionnaire during 2016/2017. Children’s screen time (by media device, weekdays and at the weekend; calculated by mean minutes per day) were reported by parents. Analysis were carried to compare screen time by children’s age, gender and family SEP (classified using father’s educational degree). Results: Daily screen time was high both in children aged 3 to 5 and 6 to 10 years – 154 min/day (95% CI: 149.51–158.91) and 200.79 min/day (95% CI: 197.08–204.50), respectively – and the majority of children, independently of their gender, exceed the recommended 2 h/day of screen viewing. Children are still primarily engaging in screen time through television but the use of mobile devices, particularly tablets, were already high among 3 year-old children and increased with age. SEP was a negative predictor of screen time in the linear regression analysis, including after adjustment. Conclusions: Considering the negative health impacts of excessive screen time, recognizing subgroups at risk of excessive screen time and identifying how each device is used according to age is fundamental to enable appropriate future interventions. The screen time in children aged 3–10 years is longer than the recommended, particularly among boys and in those children from lower SEP. Parents and policymakers should have in mind that children spend most of their screen time watching television but mobile devices are becoming extremely popular starting at a young age.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Portuguese preschool‐aged children: Changes from 2009 to 2016

Rodrigues D, Costa D, Gama A, et al. Socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Portuguese preschool‐aged children: Changes from 2009 to 2016. American Journal of Human Biology. 2021: e23582

Screen media use by Portuguese children in 2009 and 2016:a repeated cross-sectional study

Background Few studies have examined how access to mobile media is disrupting more traditional forms of media use. Aim To examine screen-time in 2009/10 and 2016/17 among children aged 3–6 years and assess potential socio-economic determinants of adherence to screen-time recommendations. Subjects and methods Two independent cross-sectional studies included 6874 Portuguese children. Screen-time (including television, computer, tablet, and smartphone) and proxy measures to calculate socioeconomic position (SEP) were parent-reported using a standardised questionnaire. Screen-time and adherence to screen-time recommendations were calculated for both periods. Determinants of excessive screen-time were identified using adjusted logistic regression models. Results In 2009/10 screen-time averaged 107 min/day for pre-school children and 149 min/day for school-aged children. In 2016/17 values were 142 min/day and 173 min/day, respectively. Screen-time allocated to television was the highest, independently of children’s age. In 2016/17, mobile media use was common among pre-school (37 min/day) and school-aged children (43 min/day). Exceeding the recommended screen-time was more prevalent in boys than girls (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) between 1.02 and 1.59) and in children whose parents had lower education levels or were unemployed (aOR between 1.00 and 2.23). Conclusion Screen-time was high among pre-school children, emphasising the need for earlier interventions, particularly among those from lower-SEP who had higher risk of exceeding the screen-time recommendations

Children mental health after the 2008 global economic crisis: assessing the impact of austerity in Portugal

Costa D, Cunha M, Ferreira C, et al. Children mental health after the 2008 global economic crisis: assessing the impact of austerity in Portugal. Children and Youth Services Review. 2020;118: 105332