Gender and age differences in the sleep habits : a cross-sectional study in adolescents

Objectives: Analyze gender and age differences in sleep habits in a sample of adolescents. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: Public schools of Viseu, Portugal. Participants: Sample consisted of 7534 students, aged 11-20 years (mean age: 14.96 ± 1.81 years; 53.6% girls). Measurements: Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire, answered in class and consists of questions to assess insomnia (DSM-IV criteria), sleep patterns, socio-demographic and daily habit variables. Results: Mean sleep duration in this sample was 8.02 ± 1.13 h. Age interfered with sleep duration that decreased with the increasing of age, from 8.45 ± 1.14 h among 11/12 years old to 7.37 ± 1.04 h for ages ≥ 17 years old. Insomnia and symptoms of insomnia were associated with gender and with increasing of age. Nearly 80% of students reported daytime tiredness, 66.7% sleepiness during the day; 56.1% during classes and 47.6% reported waking up with headaches, all variables more prevalent among girls and older adolescents. Conclusions: The sleep problems and variables related to sleep have become more frequent among girls and with increasing age. We recommend that the promotion of sleep hygiene and prevention of the consequences should be encouraged in adolescents and their families, especially among the female gender and older adolescents.

Conhecimento dos pais perante a criança com febre

Enquadramento – A febre na criança é reconhecida como uma manifestação de doença e encarada por muitos pais com uma conotação negativa, causando grande ansiedade e obsessão pela apirexia. Objetivos – Determinar o nível do conhecimento dos pais/acompanhantes perante a criança com febre; verificar se as variáveis sociodemográficas, contextuais da febre e de caraterização da criança interferem no conhecimento dos pais/acompanhantes perante a criança com febre. Métodos – Estudo quantitativo, transversal, descritivo e correlacional, realizado numa amostra não probabilística por conveniência, constituída por 360 pais/acompanhantes de crianças na consulta de Saúde Infantil, em instituições de saúde públicas, na região centro de Portugal. Recorreu-se a um questionário de autopreenchimento, com caracterização sociodemográfica, da febre, da criança e do conhecimento sobre a febre. Resultados – Amostra com idade média de 34.7 anos ± 7.9, maioritariamente feminina (51.7%). Com fracos conhecimentos perante a criança com febre prevalecem os participantes com idade ≥ 38 anos (36.2%), que coabitam com companheiro(a) (77.0%), em zona rural (69.3%) e com escolaridade até ao 3º ciclo (53.9%). Os participantes com idade até 37 anos (68,2%), com companheiro(a) (89.0%), residentes em zona urbana (53.0%) e com o ensino superior (43.3%) revelaram bons conhecimentos. As principais fontes de informação sobre a febre foram o médico (65.8%) e o enfermeiro (50.6%). As mulheres, os acompanhantes de crianças com menos idade e com melhores atitudes revelaram melhores conhecimentos perante a criança com febre. Conclusão: Os resultados apontam para a importância da realização de sessões de educação para a saúde aos pais/acompanhantes, de modo a aumentar o conhecimento perante a febre na criança. Palavras-chave: Conhecimento - Febre - Criança.

Factors Affecting the Body Mass Index in Adolescents in Portuguese Schools

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children is increasing; hence, it was aimed to assess the Body Mass Index (BMI) in school children aged from 10 to 18 years for girls and to 17 for boys, as well as to identify the factors influencing BMI. This study included 742 students who answered a questionnaire previously approved for application in schools. The results showed some sociodemographic factors associated with BMI classes: age, school year, practicing high competition sport, being federate in a sport or having a vegetarian diet. The educational factors associated with BMI classes included only seminars given at school by a nutritionist. Behavioural factors significantly associated with BMI included: learning in classes, playing in the open air, reading books or use of internet. As conclusion, the results demonstrated that several factors affect BMI, and hence some actions could be taken in order to change them so as to reduce the prevalence of overweight, namely reinforcing the role of school and a more active participation of nutritionists in the education of the adolescents.