Understanding immigrants’ interactions with the United States (US) healthcare system will likely make it possible to meet their healthcare needs and improve their quality of life in the US. Although challenges to accessing and utilizing healthcare in the US have been identified, there is little information specific to Brazilian-born immigrants’ experiences. Brazilians comprise a fast-growing immigrant population group in the US. The purpose of this study was to explore Brazilian immigrant women’s perspectives and experiences with healthcare services in the US to gain insights into factors amenable to interventions that may contribute to disparities in access to and utilization of services. Five focus groups were conducted from April to May in 2015 using a purposeful sampling of Brazilian-born immigrant women living in Massachusetts, US. Thirty-five women participated in this study. Although participants expressed their overall satisfaction with the US healthcare system, they noted several barriers to care, including sociocultural differences in delivery of care and communication barriers, including inconsistent quality of interpreting services. This study provides new information on the experiences and challenges faced by Brazilian immigrant women in accessing and utilizing healthcare services in the US and points out opportunities for improving services and the overall health of this immigrant population. Addressing noted sociocultural differences and communication barriers including inconsistent quality of hospital’s interpreting services might enhance Brazilian-born immigrants’ experiences with the healthcare system.

The new National Curriculum Guidelines aim at restructuring and adapting medical curricula. The objective is to conduct a critical-reflective analysis of the restructure of a medical course’s curricular matrix. This action research was conducted at a Brazilian federal university. The material was analyzed using the discourse analysis method. Among the results, the proposal of a curriculum that values life and transfers the biomedical paradigm to incorporate other dimensions in healthcare is highlighted. The need to strengthen a curricular matrix based on social demands and preferably focused on primary care is indicated. The establishment of longitudinal and transversal relationships among the competency areas of the 2014 National Curricular Guidelines and the curricular components is proposed. The intention is to foster the understanding of determinants and relationships between diseases and the communities’ ways of living.

Latina women in the United States (U.S.) are disproportionately affected by obesity and are more likely to begin pregnancy overweight and gain excessive weight during pregnancy. The prenatal care period represents a window of opportunity for women to access the healthcare system and receive preventive services, education, nutritional support, and other social services to improve pregnancy outcomes. Excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) has numerous negative short- and long-term consequences for both the mother and newborn. We explored nulliparous Latina women’s perceptions about their experiences communicating with their primary healthcare provider about GWG and physical activity (PA) to identify possible intervention targets using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Bilingual, trained research staff conducted 23 interviews with first-time pregnant Latinas between 22 and 36 weeks of gestation. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Salient text passages were extracted, shortened, coded, and grouped into categories. Women, including those who self-identified as being overweight or obese prior to pregnancy, reported receiving limited or no advice from their healthcare providers about GWG or PA. Additionally, analysis revealed that although participants value information received from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program counselors, they would like to receive more information from their primary healthcare providers about adequate GWG. Furthermore, study findings indicate that some participants received conflicting information regarding PA during pregnancy. Study findings suggest the need for increased integration of communication and counseling about GWG and PA into prenatal care services to promote healthy weight gain and PA among low-income Latina women.

OBJECTIVE To assess the perceptions of pregnant women about COVID-19 and the prevalence of common mental disorders during the implemented social distancing period. METHODS This was an observational, cross-sectional study using digital media, of pregnant women exposed to social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Northeastern Brazil. Common mental disorders were estimated using the modified Self-Report Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20) scale, and the feelings towards COVID-19 were assessed using the Fear of COVID-19 scale through telephone calls made in May 2020. COX multivariate regression models were used to verify the associations. RESULTS Of the 1,041 pregnant women, 45.7% (95%CI: 42.7–48.8) had common mental disorders (CMD). All items of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale showed a significant association with the prevalence of CMD (p < 0.001). A CMD risk gradient was observed, going from a prevalence ratio of 1.52 (95%CI: 1.13–2.04) in pregnant women with two positive items to 2.70 (95%CI: 2.08–3.51) for those with four positive items. Early gestational age and the lack of prenatal care were also associated with CMD. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of common mental disorders in pregnant women was high during the period of social distancing and was aggravated by negative feelings towards COVID-19.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: The increasing prevalence of excessive screen time (ST) among children is a growing public health concern due evidence linking this to increased risk of overweight and obesity among children. Objective: To explore the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of Brazilian-born immigrant mothers’ living in the United States (US) related to their preschool-aged children’s ST. Methods: Qualitative study consisting of seven focus group discussions (FGDs) Methods: Qualitative study consisting of seven focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted with Brazilian immigrant mothers living in the US. All FGDs were audio-recorded and professionally transcribed verbatim. The Portuguese transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: In total, 37 women participated in the FGDs. Analyses revealed that although most mothers expressed concerns for their children’s ST, nearly all viewed ST as an acceptable part of children’s daily lives. Furthermore, mothers perceived that ST has more benefits than disadvantages. Mothers’ positive beliefs about (e.g., educational purposes, entertainment, etc.) and perceived functional benefits of ST (e.g., ability to keep children occupied so tasks can be completed, facilitation of communication with family outside the US, etc.) contributed to their acceptance of ST for their young children. Nevertheless, most mothers spoke of needing to balance their children’s ST with other activities. Mothers reported using several parenting practices including monitoring time and content, setting limits and having rules, and prompting their children to participate in other activities to manage ST. Conclusions: The present study provides new information on the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of Brazilian immigrant mothers living in the US related to their preschool-aged children’s ST. Study findings revealed several potentially modifiable maternal beliefs and parenting practices that may provide important targets for parenting- and family-based interventions aimed at promoting adequate preschool-age children’s ST. Clinical Trial: n/a