Adherence to social distancing measures in southern Brazil, 2020/2021: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: We aimed to analyze the frequency of adherence to social distancing and individual protection measures of adult and older populations in two cities in southern Brazil and to characterize the sociodemographic aspects of these individuals.

Methods: This cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted in the cities of Rio Grande, RS, and Criciúma, SC, Brazil. The outcome measure was the frequency of adherence to social distancing measures.

[The experience of forced sexual intercourse among undergraduate students: associated factors and possible consequences].

The scope of this article is to investigate the prevalence of the experience of forced sexual intercourse on life and its possible consequences on mental and sexual health among undergraduate students at a public university in Brazil. It is a quantitative cross-sectional study with 996 undergraduate students. Sampling was carried out systematically by single-stage clusters.

Factors associated with sleep quality in university students.

To investigate factors associated with poor sleep quality. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 with random sampling. Information on sleep was obtained using the Mini Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ).

Does Money Buy Happiness? Disentangling the Association Between Income, Happiness and Stress.

Although there is evidence of an inverse relationship between stress and happiness, less is known about the interrelationship between income, happiness and stress. The purpose of this research brief was to investigate whether and how income and stress shape the distribution of happiness. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Rio Grande, Southern Brazil, with 1,168 individuals aged 18 years or older.

Excessive use of social media by high school students in southern Brazil.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of excessive use of social media and associated factors, as well as possible health consequences in high school students in southern Brazil.

Methods: This is a population-based cross-sectional study, conducted with high school students in the city of Rio Grande, RS. All students who were attending high school at the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul, campus Rio Grande, were eligible for this research in the second semester of 2019.

Fear of Covid-19 and health-related outcomes: results from two Brazilian population-based studies.

Fear is a reaction that can influence multiple aspects of health and life. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been serious pathophysiological, social, behavioral and mental consequences that can be related to fear. This study aimed to assess the fear of Covid-19 and its association with sociodemographic, behavioral and health variables.

A Study on the Health and Wellness of Undergraduate Students (SABES-Grad): methodological aspects of a nationwide multicenter and multilevel study overlapping with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The academic environment can negatively impact the mental health of undergraduate students, particularly in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. This study aimed to describe the methodological and operational aspects of a study of the health and well-being of undergraduate students: the Study on the Health and Wellness of Undergraduate Students (SABES-Grad) project.

Method: This was a nationwide cross-sectional study divided across two data collection strategies: a single-center, on-site data collection carried out in 2019 at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG) and a multicenter, multilevel, online data collection carried out in 2020/2021 at FURG, the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), the Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso (UFMT), the Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA), and the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE).

[Sexual exploitation of homeless children and adolescents living on the streets in Southern Brazil].

The scope of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sexual exploitation of homeless children and adolescents living on the streets, as well as characteristics associated with this outcome. In this cross-sectional investigation, carried out in the municipalities of Rio Grande and Porto Alegre-RS, data were collected through interviews, which were conducted by trained interviewers. The Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS) strategy was adopted and statistical analyses were conducted using Poisson regression with robust adjustment of variance.

Factors associated with the perception of fear of COVID-19 in university students.

Objective: to analyze the factors associated with the perception of fear of COVID-19 in Brazilian university students.

Methods: this is an online, cross-sectional analytical study conducted at a Brazilian public university with 1,437 undergraduate students between September and November 2020. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used to measure the main construct.

Internet addiction and depressive symptoms: a dose-response effect mediated by levels of physical activity.

Introduction: There are several negative impacts on the physical and mental health of people presenting internet addiction, including development of mood disorders, such as depression.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between internet addiction and depressive symptoms, as well as to test the mediating role of physical activity in this association.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with undergraduate students from three universities (one private and two public institutions) in southern Brazil.

An invisible villain: high perceived stress, its associated factors, and possible consequences in a population-based survey in southern Brazil.

Introduction: Much of the evidence on the relationship between stress, lifestyle, and other physical and mental health outcomes comes from studies conducted in high-income countries. There is therefore a need for research among populations in low and middle-income settings.

Objectives: To measure stress levels and identify factors associated with a high stress level and its consequences for health.

Who are the individuals with the worst perceived quality of sleep? A population-based survey in southern Brazil.

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with poorer sleep quality. It consisted of a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in Southern Brazil with individuals aged 18 years or older. Participants were selected through a two-stage random sampling strategy and data collection was conducted in 2016.

Income inequality and risk of infection and death by COVID-19 in Brazil.

Objective: To assess, through space-time analyses, whether the income inequality of the Federative Units (FUs) in Brazil can be associated with the risk of infection and death by COVID-19.

Methods: This was an ecological study, based on secondary data on incidence and mortality rates for COVID-19. Data were analyzed at the state level, having the Gini coefficient as the main independent variable.

Association of depression and obesity is mediated by weight perception.

This study investigates whether the association between obesity and depression is mediated by the perception of body weight and verifies the combined effect of being obese and having a self-perception of being fat on depression in a population-based sample of 1238 individuals. Weight perception mediated the association between depression and obesity in 39.3 percent of participants.

Academic migration and marijuana use among undergraduate students: evidences from a sample in southern Brazil.

The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of marijuana use in the last month, its associated factors and its relationship with academic migration among undergraduate students of a federal university in southern Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study and data were collected through self-administered questionnaire. A systematic sampling process was conducted.

[Pregnancy and abortion experience among children, adolescents and youths living on the streets].

The aim of this study is to identify the prevalence of pregnancy and abortion experience, along with associated factors among street children, adolescents and youths in Porto Alegre and Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. The sampling method in this cross-sectional study was Respondent-Driven Sampling (RDS), innovative in research about hidden populations. Interviews were conducted with 307 subjects, aged 10 to 21 years.