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AIMS: To estimate the prevalence of cannabis use in the last 12 months in the Brazilian population and to examine its association with individual and geographic characteristics. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey with a national probabilistic sample. PARTICIPANTS: 3006 individuals aged 14 to 65 years. MEASUREMENTS: Questionnaire based on well established instruments, adapted to the Brazilian population. FINDINGS: The 12-month prevalence of cannabis use was 2.1% (95%CI 1.3-2.9). Male gender, better educational level, unemployment and living in the regions South and Southeast were independently associated with higher 12-month prevalence of cannabis use. CONCLUSION: While the prevalence of cannabis use in Brazil is lower than in many countries, the profile of those who are more likely to have used it is similar. Educational and prevention policies should be focused on specific population groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examined the validity of the self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20) in a population-based survey with older adults in Sao Paulo, Brazil.Method: The study sample consisted of 2,008 individuals aged 65 years or more who were living in an economically disadvantaged area of the city. The geriatric mental state (GMS) was used as the gold standard for the assessment of common mental disorders (CMD).Results: The optimal SRQ-20 threshold for case definition was 4/5 (sensitivity = 76.1%, specificity = 74.6%, area under ROC curve = 0.82). Women, older participants and those with lower income were more likely to be misclassified by the questionnaire. The inclusion of older persons with dementia or psychosis did not change the ability of the SRQ-20 to identify cases of CMD.Discussion: The SRQ-20 may be a useful instrument to be used in large epidemiological studies in resource-poor settings for the identification of cases of depression and anxiety in later life. The performance of the SRQ-20 among older adults was similar to that observed with the adult population in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 100 years after the first description, Alzheimer's disease is one of the most disabling and burdensome health conditions worldwide. We used the Delphi consensus method to determine dementia prevalence for each world region.Methods: 12 international experts were provided with a systematic review of published studies on dementia and were asked to provide prevalence estimates for every WHO world region, for men and women combined, in 5-year age bands from 60 to 84 years, and for those aged 85 years and older. UN population estimates and projections were used to estimate numbers of people with dementia in 2001, 2020, and 2040. We estimated incidence rates from prevalence, remission, and mortality.Findings: Evidence from well-planned, representative epidemiological surveys is scarce in many regions. We estimate that 24.3 million people have dementia today, with 4.6 million new cases of dementia every year (one new case every 7 seconds). The number of people affected will double every 20 years to 81.1 million by 2040. Most people with dementia live in developing countries (60% in 2001, rising to 71% by 2040). Rates of increase are not uniform; numbers in developed countries are forecast to increase by 100% between 2001 and 2040, but by more than 300% in India, China, and their south Asian and western Pacific neighbours.Interpretation: We believe that the detailed estimates in this paper constitute the best currently available basis for policymaking, planning, and allocation of health and welfare resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]