Browsing by Author "Aguiar, Pedro"
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- Are physicians aware of their role in tobacco control? A conference-based survey in PortugalPublication . Ravara, Sofia B.; Castelo-Branco, Miguel; Aguiar, Pedro; Calheiros, José M.BACKGROUND: The crucial role of physicians in tobacco control (TC) is widely recognized. In 2008, Portugal implemented a non-comprehensive smoke-free policy (SFP). In 2009, a conference-survey was carried out to explore Portuguese physicians' engagement in tobacco control, by evaluating the following: 1) attendance at TC training and awareness of training needs; 2) participation in TC activities; 3) attitudes and beliefs regarding SFPs. METHODS: Questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted during two major national medical conferences targeting GPs, hospitalists, and students/recent graduates. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: Response rate was 63.7% (605/950). Of the 605 participants, 58.3% were GPs, 32.4% hospitalists, 9.3% others; 62.6% were female; mean age was 39.0 ± 12.9 years. Smoking prevalence was 29.2% (95% CI: 23.3-35.1) in males; 15.8% (95% CI: 12.1-19.5) in females, p < 0.001. While the overwhelming majority of physicians strongly agreed that second-hand smoke (SHS) endangers health, awareness of SFP benefits and TC law was limited, p < 0.001. A significant minority (35.5%) believed that SHS can be eliminated by ventilation systems. Most physicians lacked training; only a minority (9.0%) participated regularly in TC. Training was the most consistent predictor of participation in TC. General agreement with SFP was high; but significantly lower for indoor leisure settings, outdoors bans in healthcare/schools settings and smoking restrictions in the home/car, p < 0.001. Smoking behaviour strongly predicted support for smoking restrictions in restaurants and bars/discos, healthcare outdoors and private settings. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that Portuguese physicians are not aware of their role in tobacco control. Poor engagement of physicians in TC may contribute to the current lack of comprehensive policies in Portugal and Europe and undermine social norm change. Medical and professional continuing education on tobacco control should be made top priorities.
- Association Between BMI and Blood Lipids in a Portuguese Population – an Analysis of the e_COR StudyPublication . Siopa, Margarida; Alves, Catarina; Rato, Quitéria; Aguiar, Pedro; Bourbon, MafaldaPurpose: All over the world, cardiovascular diseases are the major cause of death in both genders. In Europe they are responsible for 50% of deaths and in Portugal they represent more than 30% of deaths. In this context, it is crucial to asses the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in order to monitor the health status of the Portuguese population. Therefore, e_COR, a population study was design to collect data on the cardiovascular risk factors. Based on the e_COR data, the present study aims to analyse the association between BMI (Body Mass Index) and lipid profiles in Portuguese adults.
- Biomarcador de alcoolismo crónico – transferrina deficiente em carbohidratos (CDT): parâmetro bioquímico de diagnóstico e monitorização para utilização no sistema de saúdePublication . Gomes, Filomena; Boto, Paulo; Aguiar, Pedro; Vasconcelos, Miguel; Silva, Ana Vieira daNo âmbito da saúde pública torna-se importante compreender a problemática do diagnóstico e monitorização dos doentes com síndrome de dependência do álcool, pelos problemas de saúde e sociais relacionados com o consumo excessivo, mas também pelos custos imputados ao sistema de saúde. Existem vários biomarcadores específicos do alcoolismo, mas na sua maioria ainda não estão devidamente estandardizados, têm limitações de acesso à amostra biológica, ou são tecnicamente dispendiosos para uso no referido sistema. Tendo em consideração os resultados de uma revisão sistemática da literatura sobre o biomarcador especifico transferrina deficiente em carbohidratos (CDT), realizado no âmbito do Curso de Mestrado em Gestão da Saúde na Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública em 2019, pode concluir-se que a utilização deste parâmetro bioquímico é efetivo no diagnóstico e monitorização dos doentes com síndrome de dependência do álcool.
- Cardiovascular risk assessment of dyslipidemic children: analysis of biomarkers for the correct assessment of monogenic dyslipidemiaPublication . Medeiros, Ana Margarida; Alves, Ana Catarina; Aguiar, Pedro; Bourbon, Mafalda
- Compliance and enforcement of a partial smoking ban in Lisbon taxis: an exploratory cross-sectional studyPublication . Ravara, Sofia B.; Castelo-Branco, Miguel; Aguiar, Pedro; Calheiros, José M.BACKGROUND: Research evaluating enforcement and compliance with smoking partial bans is rather scarce, especially in countries with relative weak tobacco control policies, such as Portugal. There is also scarce evidence on specific high risk groups such as vehicle workers. In January 2008, Portugal implemented a partial ban, followed by poor enforcement. The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of a partial smoking ban in a pro-smoking environment, specifically transportation by taxi in the city of Lisbon. Ban effectiveness was generally defined by ban awareness and support, compliance and enforcement. METHODS: Exploratory cross-sectional study; purposive sampling in selected Lisbon streets. Structured interviews were conducted by trained researchers while using taxi services (January 2009-December 2010). Participants: 250 taxi drivers (98.8% participation rate). Chi-square, McNemar, Man Whitney tests and multiple logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: Of the participants, 249 were male; median age was 53.0 years; 43.6% were current smokers. Most participants (82.8%) approved comprehensive bans; 84.8% reported that clients still asked to smoke in their taxis; 16.8% allowed clients to smoke. Prior to the ban this value was 76.9% (p < 0.001). The major reason for not allowing smoking was the legal ban and associated fines (71.2%). Of the smokers, 66.1% admitted smoking in their taxi. Stale smoke smells were detected in 37.6% of the cars. None of the taxi drivers did ever receive a fine for non-compliance. Heavy smoking, night-shift and allowing smoking prior the ban predicted non-compliance. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the strong ban support observed, high smoking prevalence and poor enforcement contribute to low compliance. The findings also suggest low compliance among night-shift and vehicle workers. This study clearly demonstrates that a partial and poorly-enforced ban is vulnerable to breaches, and highlights the need for clear and strong policies.
- Dislipidemia e risco cardiovascular em crianças: identificação de biomarcadores para uma melhor diferenciação entre uma dislipidemia monogénica e uma dislipidemia poligénica/externaPublication . Medeiros, Ana Margarida; Alves, Ana Catarina; Aguiar, Pedro; Bourbon, Mafalda
- Effectiveness of antimicrobial interventions directed at tackling antimicrobial resistance in animal production: A systematic review and meta-analysisPublication . Costa, Miguel Mendes; Cardo, Miguel; Ruano, Zita; Alho, Ana Margarida; Dinis-Teixeira, José; Aguiar, Pedro; Leite, AndreiaBackground: In the last decades, a more prudent and rational use of antimicrobials has been progressively directed towards animal production to reduce antimicrobial selective pressure and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in microorganisms and safeguard the antimicrobial efficacy of treatments in human medicine. This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of interventions that have been applied to reduce or improve veterinary antimicrobial usage and aimed at decreasing resistant bacteria in chicken broiler and pig production contexts. Methods: Original articles were identified by searching PubMed™, Scopus™, The Cochrane Library™, and Web of Science™, and grey literature by searching DANS EASY™, WorldCat™ and RCAAP™. Inclusion criteria included: chicken broiler or pig populations (predestined for meat production), interventions intended to reduce/improve antimicrobial use, comparator with standard or no use of antimicrobials, outcomes related to prevalence of resistant bacteria, farm level studies, original data, and analytical observational studies. Data was extracted from eligible studies and meta-analysis using random or fixed effects models was conducted for combinations including type of intervention, bacterial species, production type and animal populations. Models were selected according to heterogeneity between studies. The effectiveness of interventions was assessed using pooled odds ratio of resistance to antimicrobial substances/classes by bacteria for associations between animal populations with and without intervention. Results: A total of 46 studies were eligible for review. For chicken broilers, most interventions were identified as antimicrobial restrictions on all non-therapeutic use (46%), complete restriction (27%), and prohibition on antimicrobials used for growth promotion (23%). As for pig populations, restrictions were mainly observed on all non-therapeutic use (37%), complete restriction (37%) and group treatments (22%). For meta-analysis, 21 studies were pooled after assessment of existing combinations. These combinations demonstrated a protective effect for most antimicrobial classes in Escherichia coli, Campylobacter and Enterococcus isolates from samples of chicken broilers as well in Escherichia coli and Campylobacter spp. from samples of pigs, compared to animals raised under conventional production or without intervention. Increased odds of resistance were only observed for cephalosporins in E. coli and broilers raised without antimicrobials, and to fluoroquinolones and quinolones in Campylobacter and pigs raised without antimicrobials, compared to conventional production. Conclusions: Our study indicates that organic production, antimicrobial-free farms, and group treatment restrictions are recommended for AMR reduction, providing information that may support decision-making to tackle AMR and better reporting to improve comparability of results between studies.
- Giardia Duodenalis e Desnutrição Crónica em Crianças Menores de Cinco Anos de uma Região Rural da Guiné-BissauPublication . Centeno-Lima, Sónia; Rosado-Marques, Vitor; Ferreira, Filipa; Rodrigues, Ruben; Indenque, Benjamim; Camará, Idrissa; Sousa, Bruno; Aguiar, Pedro; Nunes, Baltazar; Ferrinho, Paulo[PT] Introdução: A desnutrição e as infecções por parasitas intestinais como Giardia duodenalis coexistem nas mesmas regiões geográficas, atingindo maiores prevalências em países em desenvolvimento. O ciclo da desnutrição e infecção implica que ambas as condições se podem agravar mutuamente e comprometer o crescimento e desenvolvimento das crianças, com especial relevância para as menores de cinco anos. O objectivo do presente estudo foi investigar a associação entre a desnutrição crónica e a infecção por G. duodenalis em crianças de uma comunidade rural da Guiné-Bissau.Material e Métodos: Realizou-se um estudo de caso-controlo que incluiu 109 crianças com idades entre os 0 e os 59 meses de uma comunidade rural da Guiné-Bissau. A avaliação antropométrica das crianças em estudo permitiu identificar 31 casos de desnutrição crónica (z-score estatura para a idade < -2) e 78 controlos (z-score estatura para a idade ≥ -2). Foi realizado exame microscópico de fezes para a detecção e identificação de G. duodenalis e de outros parasitas.Resultados: Foi detectada infecção por G. duodenalis em 29,0% (9/31) dos casos e 35,9% (28/78) dos controlos. Não foi encontrada associação entre a infecção por G. duodenalis e a desnutrição crónica nas crianças em estudo.Discussão e Conclusão: Os resultados obtidos mantêm em aberto o interesse em desenhar estudos que explorem esta associação em diferentes regiões e contextos epidemiológicos, apontando para a reflexão sobre a importância dos critérios de definição de desnutrição e concomitantemente da análise subsequente.
- Individual risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection during Alpha variant in high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysisPublication . Moniz, Marta; Pereira, Sofia; Soares, Patricia; Aguiar, Pedro; Donato, Helena; Leite, AndreiaObjectives: This study aimed to systematically appraise risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in high-income countries during the period of predominance of the Alpha variant (January 2020 to April 2021). Methods: Four electronic databases were used to search observational studies. Literature search, study screening, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted by two authors independently. Meta-analyses were conducted for each risk factor, when appropriate. Results: From 12,094 studies, 27 were included. The larger sample size was 17,288,532 participants, more women were included, and the age range was 18-117 years old. Meta-analyses identified men [Odds Ratio (OR): 1.23, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.97-1.42], non-white ethnicity (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.39-1.91), household number (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.06-1.10), diabetes (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.08-1.37), cancer (OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68-0.98), cardiovascular diseases (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.84-1.00), asthma (OR: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.75-0.92) and ischemic heart disease (OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.74-0.91) as associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusion: This study indicated several risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Due to the heterogeneity of the studies included, more studies are needed to understand the factors that increase the risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Odds Ratio: Reflexão sobre a Validade de uma Medida de Referência em EpidemiologiaPublication . Aguiar, Pedro; Nunes, Baltazar[PT] Introdução: É importante rever a validade do Odds Ratio como medida de associação e efeito, assim como, qual o viés introduzido pelo Odds Ratio quando este representa uma razão de riscos ou uma razão de prevalências em situação de doença mais frequente.Material e Métodos: Simulámos numa coorte de 200 indivíduos com 100 expostos e 100 não expostos a um fator de risco, um cenário de doença rara e outro de doença mais frequente, com razão de riscos igual em ambos os cenários. Determinaram-se o Odds Ratio e o Risco Relativo pelo método clássico (padrão) e respectivamente por regressão logística e regressão de Poisson. Introduziu-se de seguida uma variável de confundimento e determinaram-se o Odds Ratio e o Risco Relativo pelo método de Mantel-Hanszel (análise estratificada padrão) e respectivamente por regressão logística e regressão de Poisson. As análises estatísticas foram efectuadas em SPSS V20.Resultados: Para a doença rara, o Odds Ratio aproximou-se do Risco Relativo. Quando a doença foi mais frequente, o Odds Ratio sobrestimou o Risco Relativo. Nesta situação, e com a presença de uma variável de confundimento, o Risco Relativo ajustado por regressão de Poisson permitiu obter estimativas mais válidas da razão de riscos que o Odds Ratio ajustado por regressão logística. Os intervalos de confiança do Risco Relativo estimado por regressão de Poisson foram sempre mais largos que os determinados por análise de Mantel-Hanszel.Conclusões: O Odds Ratio e a regressão logística múltipla são procedimentos válidos em estudos caso-controlo e em estudosprospetivos e transversais de natureza exploratória. O Odds Ratio não deve ser interpretado como uma razão de riscos ou razão de prevalências se o resultado de saúde não é raro. A análise de regressão múltipla de Poisson deve ser considerada como alternativa válida à regressão logística múltipla, especialmente em estudos de uma exposição específica.