Effect of environmental factors in reducing the prevalence of schistosomiasis in schoolchildren: An analysis of three extensive national prevalence surveys in Brazil (1950-2018).

Background: Over seven decades, Brazil has made admirable progress in controlling schistosomiasis, and a frequent question about the explanation for this reduction refers to the effect of improving environmental factors in the country. This article seeks to identify factors related to the change in the epidemiological situation of schistosomiasis mansoni infection by analyzing three national prevalence surveys conducted since 1950.

Methodology/principal Findings: This is an ecological study analyzing an unbalanced panel of data based on national surveys and considering the municipality as the unit of analysis.

Sewerage as a protective factor for prevalence of hookworm infection in schoolchildren in Brazil: A multilevel ecological analysis of national prevalence surveys (1950-2018).

Introduction: The prevalence of hookworm infection in Brazil has decreased considerably in recent decades. However, there is no definitive consensus as to which changes have contributed to this reduction. A hypothesis is that improvements in environmental factors have contributed to lowering the parasite load and the level of host-parasite contact.

Water, sanitation and schistosomiasis mansoni: a study based on the Brazilian National Prevalence Survey (2011-2015).

This study aimed to explore the association between water, sanitation, and the prevalence of schistosomiasis mansoni in students aged 7 to 17 years from all 27 federative units in Brazil. It was a cross-sectional study conducted based on data on the prevalence of schistosomiasis mansoni referring to 197,567 students from 521 Brazilian municipalities, who participated in the National Survey on the Prevalence of Schistosomiasis Mansoni and Soil-transmitted Helminth Infections (2011-2015). Univariable and multivariable generalized linear models of the negative binomial type were adjusted using 25 and 5% significance levels, respectively, considering municipalities as the unit of analysis.

Intervention for promoting intake of fruits and vegetables in Brazilians: a randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a nutritional intervention to promote fruit and vegetable (FV) intake.

Design: A randomised controlled community trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a 7-month nutritional intervention and to promote FV intake, separately and together. All participants attended physical exercise sessions.

Association between water and sanitation and soil-transmitted helminthiases: Analysis of the Brazilian National Survey of Prevalence (2011-2015).

Background: Most of the studies conducted in Brazil assessing the relationship between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections, have focused on cases, reflecting the reality of small areas and not of a countrywide situation. In order to fill this gap, the current paper presents an epidemiological study exploring the association between water and sanitation and STHs prevalence in students from 7 to 17 years old, in all 27 Brazilian Federation Units.

Methods: Three ecological studies were carried out considering the prevalence of ascariasis, trichuriasis, and hookworm as outcome variables.

Combination of conditional cash transfer program and environmental health interventions reduces child mortality: an ecological study of Brazilian municipalities.

Background: This study aims to assess the interactive effects of Brazilian public interventions, environmental health programs (access to water, sanitation and solid waste collection) and a Conditional Cash Transfer Program (PBF), on the mortality reduction due to diarrhea and malnutrition among children under 5 years old.

Methods: The study design is ecological, with longitudinal analysis in a balanced panel. The period covered is 2006 to 2016, including 3467 municipalities from all regions of the country, which resulted in 38,137 observations.

Combined effects of conditional cash transfer program and environmental health interventions on diarrhea and malnutrition morbidity in children less than five years of age in Brazil, 2006-2016.

Introduction: Governmental measures aiming at social protection, with components of disease control, have potential positive impacts in the nutritional and health outcomes of the beneficiaries. The concomitant presence of these measures with environmental sanitation interventions may increase their positive effect. The context of simultaneous improvement of social protection and environmental sanitation is found in Brazil since 2007 and an assessment of the combined effects of both programs has not been performed so far.

Validation of self-reported weight among users of the Belo Horizonte Health Fitness Center Program, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2017.

Objective: to validate self-reported body weight of Programa Academia da Saúde (PAS) users in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, and to identify factors associated with weight error.

Methods: self-reported body weight, obtained by telephone interview, was compared to measured weight; we used Student's t-test, ANOVA, Lin's concordance correlation coefficient, the Bland-Altman method and Kappa coefficient; women's self-reported weight was corrected according to measured weight using multiple regression.

Results: 441 users participated; weight self-reported by men was valid (error=0; p=0.

The influence of climatic conditions on hospital admissions for asthma in children and adolescents living in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Limited research exists on the influence of climatic conditions on the risk of hospital admission for asthma in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The objectives of this article are: a) to evaluate the influence of climatic conditions on hospital admissions for asthma and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) among children and adolescents living in Belo Horizonte during the period 2002 to 2012 and identify epidemic peaks of admissions for asthma; b) to compare local seasonal patterns of admissions for asthma and LRTIs. Using hospital admission data stratified by aged group, regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the variables.

Barriers to and facilitators for adherence to nutritional intervention: Consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the barriers and facilitators for the adherence of participants to a nutritional intervention.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was carried out with participants from the Health Academy Program in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. The intervention (7 mo) was based on the Transtheoretical Model and on Paulo Freire's pedagogy and offered 12 education activities with the purpose of promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Built and Social Environment by Systematic Social Observation and Leisure-Time Physical Activity Report among Brazilian Adults: a Population-Based Study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between built and social environment and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among adults living in an urban center. The individual data was from the household survey and the environmental data was assessed through systematic social observation by trained observers on street segments of respondents' residences. The relationship between environmental factors and LTPA was examined using multilevel logistic regression.

Does access to healthy food vary according to socioeconomic status and to food store type? an ecologic study.

Background: The food environment can influence opportunities and barriers to food access. This study aimed to investigate whether access to healthy foods varies according to store types and the socioeconomic status of the users of the public health promotion program in Brazil, known as the Health Academy Program.

Methods: A total of 18 Health Academy Program centers were selected via simple conglomerate sampling.

Mortality from Homicides in Slums in the City of Belo Horizonte, Brazil: An Evaluation of the Impact of a Re-Urbanization Project.

: Homicide rates in Brazil are among the highest worldwide. Although not exclusive to large Brazilian cities, homicides find their most important determinants in cities' slums. In the last decade, an urban renewal process has been initiated in the city of Belo Horizonte, in Brazil.

The slowing down phenomenon: What is the age of major gait velocity decline?

Decreased gait velocity is associated with limited mobility, community participation, cognitive decline, and increased risk of falls in elderly women. Therefore, early detection of reduced gait velocity allows proper monitoring and treatment to prevent or delay the associated limitations. This study determined the age of major gait velocity decline in a large sample of women.

Neighborhood-based physical activity differences: Evaluation of the effect of health promotion program.

Introduction: The practice of physical activity is an important factor in the prevention of health problems. However, a small portion of the population is physically active. Recent reviews show that physical activity classes in community settings have the potential to increase population levels of physical activity and reduce health inequalities.

Anthropometric patterns of adiposity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus in older adults of Viçosa, Brazil: A population-based study.

Aim: To identify anthropometric patterns of adiposity and estimate their association with hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) in older adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with 537 older adults aged ≥60 years was carried out. Weight, height, and waist, hip and calf circumference were measured.

Mistaken perception of lipid intake and its effects: a randomized trial.

Background: Although the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) is promising for behavioral interventions, it may be limited by an inability to understand perceptions of food consumption. The following questions and gaps presented by the scientific community prompted this study: What is the concordance between perceived and actual food consumption? What proportions of individuals are in the pseudo-maintenance (PM) stage (overly optimistic perception of fat consumption)? What is the proportion of individuals in the non-reflective action stages (adequate fat intake but do not recognize it)? Is it necessary to develop specific strategies for individuals in these stages? Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the proportion of "pseudo-respondents," or those in the PM and non-reflective action stages, and to explore subgroup effects by PM classification.

Methods: In a previously conducted randomized controlled trial, participants in the usual care group (UCG) and the TTM-intervention group (TM-IG) were post-hoc classified as "true respondents" or "pseudo-respondents"; the latter included those in the PM (mistakenly perceived their lipid intake as adequate) or non-reflective action (did not recognize the adequacy of their lipid intake) stage.

[Indicators of physical and social neighborhood attributes measured by the Systematic Social Observation method].

Place of residence is heavily shaped by social position, indicating that neighborhood characteristics can be important contributing factors to health iniquities. The objectives were to construct indicators of the physical and social environment in an urban context based on variables obtained with the Systematic Social Observation method (SSO) and to analyze them according to the Health Vulnerability Index (HVI). The instrument was developed to determine the characteristics of the physical and social neighborhood in two health districts in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

Coexistence of risk behaviors for being overweight among Brazilian adolescents.

This study aimed to evaluate the magnitude of and the factors associated with the coexistence of risk behaviors for being overweight among Brazilian adolescents. This is a cross-sectional study with a representative sample of adolescents (mostly aged 13-15years) enrolled from public and private schools of Brazil in 2012. The co-occurring sedentary behavior and inadequate food consumption (regular intake of sugary and fried foods, and irregular consumption of fruits and vegetables-FV) was estimated using a Venn diagram.

Temporal and Spatial Trends in Childhood Asthma-Related Hospitalizations in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil and Their Association with Social Vulnerability.

Introduction: Asthma is a multifactorial disease and a serious public health problem. Environmental factors and poverty are the main determinants of this disease.

Objective: To describe the spatial and temporal distribution of asthma-related hospitalizations and identify the areas with the highest prevalence of and vulnerability to severe asthma in a major Brazilian city.

Do speed cameras reduce speeding in urban areas?

This observational study aimed to estimate the prevalence of speeding on urban roadways and to analyze associated factors. The sample consisted of 8,565 vehicles circulating in areas with and without fixed speed cameras in operation. We found that 40% of vehicles 200 meters after the fixed cameras and 33.

Urban road traffic deaths: data linkage and identification of high-risk population sub-groups.

This study analyzes the profile of deaths from road traffic accidents in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, by linking two public databases, the Information System of the Urban Transportation and Transit Company (BH10) and the Mortality Information System (SIM). The linked database (n = 306) identified a 24% under-recording rate for deaths and differed in the age distribution from the BH10 database and in roadway user category when compared to the mortality database. The mortality rate for road traffic accidents within the city limits was 10.

The impact of a nutritional intervention on the nutritional status and anthropometric profile of participants in the health Gym Programme in Brazil.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of an intervention implemented under the Programa Academia da Saúde (Health Gym Programme) of Belo Horizonte, MG on the nutritional status and anthropometric profile of participants. Intervention study involving participants in the Health Gym Programme which encompasses group food and nutrition education activities over a period of 11 months combined with regular physical activity. Impact was assessed by comparing nutritional and anthropometric indicators in women participants who were divided into two groups according to their participation rate in the intervention.

Intervention based on Transtheoretical Model promotes anthropometric and nutritional improvements - a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To analyze the effects of an intervention based on the Transtheoretical Model on anthropometric and dietetic profile among women in the Primary Health Care in Brazil.

Design And Methods: Randomized controlled trial. The control group participated in physical activity and open group-education regarding nutrition of usual care.

Factors associated with the calibration of a food frequency questionnaire for the Bambuí Project, Brazil.

Background: The present study aimed to calibrate a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) using one 24-h recall (R24) associated with foodstuff replicas.

Methods: Calibration was performed by linear regression. Of a probability sample of 150 individuals (>18 years) of the town of Bambui, 98 completed the study.