[Quality of the environment and associated factors: a pediatric study in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil].

This study aims to describe and identify factors associated with environmental quality and characteristics of children exposed to environmental risk factors in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This was a prospective, population-based study, including 630 children from the 1993 birth cohort. During the year 1998, environmental quality and other information were assessed using the Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment.

[General aspects of planning and care in mental health].

This paper reviews some general concepts on Planning, especially in public and welfare sectors, stressing those concerning the major flaws in the argentine system of mental health. The author considers the definition of planning levels, and sets forth three: general plan, program and project. The correlative implementation is also considered.

[Attitudes towards alcohol in adolescents of 3 social classes in the City of Cordoba].

When dealing with some of primary prevention of alcoholism, the starting point is always a preliminary descriptive study of valueattitude systems of community groups, being one of the main prevention goals to modify certain guidelines and patterns of alcohol intake. This research aims at: a) Description of attitudes towards alcohol of 116 adolescents between 12 and 16 years in Córdoba City, belonging to middle class, white collar and qualified blue collar; b) Definition of relationships between adolescents' attitudes and social class; c) Determination, according to the social class, of favorable, unfavorable or neutral attitudes towards a program of prevention and control of alcoholism. A questionnaire with 49 uncomplete phrases first conceived for Chile and adapted to our milieu was used.