[Men's health policy].

The paper discusses the articulation among epidemiological information systems, scientific production and men's health policies. Three secondary sources were used: data from the Ministry of Health (Mortality and Hospital Information Systems, Surveillance of Protection and Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases through Telephone Survey), papers published in SciELO, and documents of the Ministry of Health regarding men's health. The results indicate that, in terms of morbidity and mortality, men are more exposed to risks than women.

Oral language comprehension assessment among elderly: a population based study in Brazil.

Background: Determinants of oral language comprehension, a complex skill, are not clearly established, but may include age, schooling, health condition, depression and quality of life.

Objective: To assess oral comprehension skill among Brazilian elderly and identify factors explaining elderly variability in the Token test performance.

Methods: A population-based random sample of 373 elderly (> or = 60 years) in Belo Horizonte, 2007, answered standardized questionnaire including socio-demographic and health-related questions and performed the Token Test short version (SVTT), Snellen Test, Mini Mental State Examination, General Health Questionnaire, and Health Survey Short Form (SF12).