Staff SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence and Mental Health as Key Factors in University Response to COVID-19 Pandemic.

In response to rapid global spread of the newly emerged coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), universities transitioned to online learning and telework to decrease risks of inter-person contact. To help administrators respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and better understand its impacts, we surveyed SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among NOVA University employees and assessed community mental health. Data were collected from voluntary participants at six NOVA University locations, in the Lisbon metropolitan area, from June 15-30, 2020.

Validation of the Telephone-Administered Version of the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) Questionnaire.

A 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) questionnaire was developed and validated in face-to-face interviews, but not via telephone. The aims of this study were to evaluate the validity and reliability of a telephone-administered version of the MEDAS as well as to validate the Portuguese version of the MEDAS questionnaire. A convenience community-based sample of adults ( = 224) participated in a three-stage survey.

Food Insecurity Is Associated with Low Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Adverse Health Conditions in Portuguese Adults.

Background: Food insecurity is a limited or uncertain access to the adequate food and is a significant public health problem. We aimed to assess determinants of food insecurity and the corresponding health impact in Portugal, a southern European country that faced a severe economic crisis.

Methods: Data were derived from the Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Cohort Study (EpiDoC), a population-based cohort of 10,661 individuals that were representative of the Portuguese adult population and followed since 2011.

Anxiety and Depression in the Portuguese Older Adults: Prevalence and Associated Factors.

Anxiety and depression in the elderly individuals have been studied around the world, and some authors consider them among the most serious problems faced by modern societies. With recent economic crisis-very important in Southern European countries-isolation, loneliness, and exclusion of the active society, mental problems are probably raising and associated with distinct factors. In this cross-sectional analysis, nested in a longitudinal population-based cohort study, we analyze anxiety and depression prevalence, and their related factors, in a representative cohort of Portuguese seniors.

Dietary Patterns Characterized by High Meat Consumption Are Associated with Other Unhealthy Life Styles and Depression Symptoms.

Objective: We aimed to identify dietary patterns (DPs) of Portuguese adults, to assess their socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle determinants, and to identify their impact on health.

Design: EpiDoC 2 study included 10,153 Portuguese adults from the EpiDoC Cohort, a population-based study. In this study, trained research assistants using computer-assisted telephone interview collected socioeconomic, demographic, dietary, lifestyles, and health information from March 2013 to July 2015.

The economic impact of early retirement attributed to rheumatic diseases: results from a nationwide population-based epidemiologic study.

Objectives: To measure early retirement due to self-reported rheumatic diseases (RDs) and to estimate the respective indirect costs and years of working life lost (YWLL).

Methods: We used individual level data from the national, cross-sectional, population-based EpiReumaPt study (September 2011-December 2013) where 10,661 inhabitants were randomly surveyed in order to capture and characterize all cases of RD within a representative sample of the Portuguese population. In this analysis, we used all participants aged between 50 and 64 years, near the official retirement age.

The Use of Analgesic and Other Pain-Relief Drugs to Manage Chronic Low Back Pain: Results from a National Survey.

Objectives: To analyze and characterize the intake profile of pain-relief drugs in a population-based study of adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Methods: EpiReumaPt was a cross-sectional Portuguese population-based study (10,661 subjects). Self-reported active CLBP was considered to be low back pain on the day of enrollment and for ≥ 90 days.

Prevalence and social burden of active chronic low back pain in the adult Portuguese population: results from a national survey.

To determine the prevalence of active chronic low back pain (CLBP) in the adult Portuguese population; to compare the active CLBP population with the population without CLBP; and to explore factors associated with active CLBP. The present study was conducted under the scope of EpiReumaPt a population-based study. Active CLBP was self-reported and considered if present on the day of the interview and for ≥90 days.