A controlled cross-sectional study of family growers of fruit and vegetables was conducted between October 2009 and October 2010 to characterize the use of pesticides, establish the socio-demographic profile, and analyze cholinesterase activity in small-scale agricultural workers in Southern Brazil. Data was collected for 173 workers and 179 controls. A structured questionnaire was applied collecting socio-demographic information and determining knowledge and work practices in relation to pesticide use. The benchmarks for total cholinesterase (ChEs) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were obtained from the average enzymatic activity of the occupationally unexposed group (control). The mean age of the exposed population was 40.0 ± 11.2 years. The symptoms differed significantly (p30%) of ChEs activity, whereas no workers showed high inhibition (>50%) of BuChE. Potential factors involved include gender, education, pesticide orientation, exposure, and hygiene measures.

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar os padrões de amamentação nos primeiros seis meses de vida e fatores associados ao desmame precoce numa coorte de nascidos vivos em Rio Branco, Acre. MÉTODOS: Estudo prospectivo com nascidos vivos entre abril e junho de 2015. As entrevistas com as mães ocorreram logo após o nascimento e entre 6 e 15 meses pós-parto. Na alta hospitalar, o aleitamento foi definido em exclusivo (AME) e materno (AM). No seguimento, os padrões de amamentação foram AME, aleitamento materno predominante (AMP) e AM. A interrupção da amamentação nos primeiros seis meses foi classificada como desmame precoce. Utilizou-se o método de Kaplan Meier (log-rank: 95%) para estimar a probabilidade condicional de mudança no padrão de amamentação e risco de desmame. Os fatores associados ao desmame e seus intervalos de confiança de 95% (IC95%) foram analisados pela regressão proporcional de Cox bruta e ajustada. RESULTADOS: Participaram do estudo 833 lactentes que na alta hospitalar estavam em AME (95,4%) e AM (4,6%). A probabilidade do lactente em AME na alta hospitalar permanecer em AME, ou se tornar AMP ou AM, aos seis meses, foi de 16,4%, 32,3% e 56,5% respectivamente. A probabilidade de desmame aos seis meses foi estaticamente maior para lactentes em AM na alta hospitalar (47,4%) em comparação com aqueles em AME (26%). Mostraram-se associados ao desmame precoce: o AM na alta hospitalar (HR = 1,82; IC95% 1,06–3,11), ausência de amamentação cruzada praticada pela mãe (HR = 2,50; IC95% 1,59–3,94), usar chupeta (HR = 6,23; IC95% 4,52–8,60), pretender amamentar por menos de seis meses (HR = 1,93; IC95% 1,25–2,98), não amamentar na primeira hora de vida (HR = 1,45; IC95% 1,10–1,92) e consumir álcool na gestação (HR = 1,88; IC95% 1,34–2,90). CONCLUSÃO: Comparados aos lactentes em AME, aqueles em AM, na alta hospitalar, apresentaram maior probabilidade de desmame. Esforços em saúde pública devem priorizar o AME na alta hospitalar, promover amamentação na primeira hora de vida e orientar sobre os riscos do consumo de álcool na gestação, amamentação cruzada e uso de chupeta.

Undergraduates may face challenges to assure food security, related to economic and mental distress, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess food insecurity and its associated factors in undergraduates during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2020 to February 2021 with 4775 undergraduates from all Brazilian regions. The questionnaire contained socio-economic variables, the validated Brazilian food insecurity scale, and the ESQUADA scale to assess diet quality. The median age of the students was 22.0 years, and 48.0% reported income decreasing with the pandemic. Food insecurity was present in 38.6% of the students, 4.5% with severe food insecurity and 7.7% moderate. Logistic regressions showed students with brown and black skin color/race presented the highest OR for food insecurity; both income and weight increase or reduction during the pandemic was also associated with a higher OR for food insecurity, and better diet quality was associated with decreased OR for food insecurity. Our study showed a considerable presence of food insecurity in undergraduates. Policy for this population must be directed to the most vulnerable: those with brown and black skin color/race, who changed income during the pandemic, and those presented with difficulties maintaining weight and with poor diet quality.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and analyze the factors associated with food insecurity during gestation in a maternal–infant cohort in Brazilian Western Amazon. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted with parturients from a maternal–infant cohort in Rio Branco, located in the Western Brazilian Amazon. The dependent variable food insecurity (FI) was obtained through the Brazilian Scale of Food Insecurity, and associated factors were identified through multiple logistic regression. The prevalence of FI in pregnancy was of 34.8%. Regarding severity, the prevalence of mild food insecurity was 24.6%, moderate food insecurity was 4.8%, and severe food insecurity was 5.4%. The factors directly associated with FI were the presence of open sewage in the peridomestic environment; belonging to the lower economic classes; being an income transfer program beneficiary, while the factors inversely associated with FI were schooling equal to or greater than 8 years; having a partner; primigestation; and regular consumption of fruits and vegetables during pregnancy. These findings reinforce the need for the ratification of actions aimed at the domestic economy in the income transfer programs and the development of actions of food and nutritional education in the gestational period.

OBJETIVO: Analisar a tendência da mortalidade infantil em Rio Branco, AC, de 1999 a 2015. MÉTODOS: Estudo observacional ecológico de série temporal, em que foram utilizados dados de óbitos do Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade e Nascimentos do Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos. Estimou-se a variação percentual anual por meio do software Joinpoint. RESULTADOS: A taxa de mortalidade infantil reduziu de 26,99, em 1999, para 14,50, em 2015, por 1.000 nascidos vivos, com variação percentual anual de -4,37 (IC95% -5,4– -3,4). Quando estratificada por componentes etários, o neonatal apresentou variação percentual anual de -4,73 (IC95% -5,7– -3,7), e o pós-neonatal de -3,7 (IC95% -5,4– -2,0). A evitabilidade, as causas evitáveis e as causas mal definidas apresentaram tendência descendente em todo o período e as causas não claramente evitáveis apresentaram tendência ascendente até 2008. O grupo de causas que mais contribuiu para os óbitos infantis no período estudado foi o das afecções perinatais, seguido pelo das malformações, das doenças infecciosas e parasitárias, e do grupo das doenças respiratórias. CONCLUSÕES: Apesar da tendência decrescente da taxa de mortalidade infantil na capital, quando comparada à de países desenvolvidos, mostra-se relativamente elevada.