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Introduction: Social isolation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked interest in its psychological and neurobiological consequences. The pandemic has been associated with an increase in anxiety, depression, and stress, according to some cross-sectional studies. This study aims to analyze changes in the levels of anxiety, depression and stress by comparing the confinement phase to the post-confinement period in the Ecuadorian population., Methods: A longitudinal, comparative, prospective study was conducted using an online survey comprising two sections. The first section gathered demographic information, whereas the second section included the DASS-21 questionnaire. Ecuadorian participants who completed the survey during the initial data-collection period were included., Results: In total, 162 participants were included in the final analysis. The average age of the participants was 29.6 ± 11.7 years, and the majority were women (63.3%). In 2020, the median depression, anxiety, and stress scores were 6 (IQR 2-12), 6 (IQR 2-10), and 10 (IQR 6-16) respectively. In 2021, the median depression score was 8 (IQR 4-14), the median anxiety score was 8 (IQR 4-14.5), and the median stress and its interquartile range were 10 (IQR 6-18). The levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly inversely correlated with age, number of children, self-reported general health, and self-reported mental health in both 2020 and 2021., Conclusion: Exercise, being a student, sex and having had COVID-19 examination may be predictors for the changes in the levels of psychological disorders. Implementing psychological strategies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and physiological interventions, like regular physical activity, early in the post-lockdown period could help mitigate the negative mental health impacts observed in the aftermath of the pandemic. These interventions can provide necessary support and coping mechanisms for those at higher risk, thereby improving overall mental health outcomes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Gallardo-Rumbea, Farfán Bajaña, Mautong, Moncayo-Rizzo, Andrade, Cherrez-Ojeda and Alvarado-Villa.)

Objective: The aim of this study is to develop and validate a questionnaire for dental students in Ecuador to assess their reasons to study dentistry., Materials and Methods: A 25-item questionnaire was developed by the authors based on similar studies and a qualitative study. The questionnaire had five theoretical factors: economic, professional, vocational, social and academic reasons for study. In the first two samples, exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify the structure, and the models obtained were compared with confirmatory factor analysis in the third sample., Results: Three samples were used, sample A with 201 participants, sample B with 623 participants, and sample C with 596 participants. Two-thirds of the participants were female and almost one-third were from coast region. The EFA applied in sample A resulted in a five-factor model with 18 items; in contrast, a three-factor model was obtained from sample B. According to the CFA in sample C, the best model was explained by three factors: labor, vocational and academic reasons. Considering two items to cross-load in labor and vocational factors, which are theoretically justified., Conclusion: This study presents a 12-item questionnaire that assesses labor, vocational and academic reasons for studying dentistry in an Ecuadorian population., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Burnout syndrome, characterized by physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion due to continuous exposure to high-stress work conditions, has been increasingly recognized as a serious occupational phenomenon, especially amongst healthcare professionals. Recent studies indicate that illegitimate tasks-activities unrelated to one's role are a significant factor contributing to burnout. However, given the variability of work environments across regions, these findings may not apply universally., Objective: To investigate the behavior of the relationship between burnout and illegitimate tasks among healthcare professionals in Guayaquil, Ecuador., Methods: We conducted a survey of 562 healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and medical/nursing interns, employing the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and Bern Illegitimate Task Scale. Regression models were developed to predict burnout levels based on multiple factors, including demographic characteristics, professional roles, and perceptions of illegitimate tasks., Results: We revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between burnout and illegitimate tasks, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.320 to 0.588, with higher levels of illegitimate tasks leading to increased burnout. Interestingly, we also found that age and length of service were negatively correlated with burnout, suggesting that these factors may serve as protective elements against burnout., Conclusions: Illegitimate tasks had an impact on burnout amongst healthcare professionals and emphasized the need for organizational strategies aimed at better task management to mitigate burnout risk., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:, (© 2024 The Authors.)

Non-alcoholic liver steatosis is currently considered an epidemic. It involves a broad spectrum of liver diseases, in which older adults constitute a susceptible group. The aim of this study is to identify the role of waist circumference as a risk factor for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease., Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 99 older adults who regularly attended five gerontological centers in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The variables studied were age, gender, independent life, access to complete meals, waist circumference, and NAFLD diagnosed by ultrasound., Results: A significant relationship exists between waist circumference, body mass index, and fat mass percentage. However, only age and waist circumference were significant in the multivariate logistic regression model. Our results suggest that in the presence of waist circumference, body mass index loses its significance and age may be a protective factor due to adipose tissue loss and redistribution., Conclusion: Anthropometric measurements such as waist circumference can be used as complement indicators of NAFLD.

Background and Objectives: Diabetes mellitus affects 422 million people around the world, positioning it as a major health problem. According to the WHO(World Health Organization), 90% corresponds to type 2. The shared-decision making (SDM) is a method used to facilitate patient control, medication, maintenance, and assessment of health status according to their priorities and preferences. With the application of SDM in patients with diabetes, it is expected there will be an increase in treatment adherence and a reduction in HbA1c levels. The aim of this study is to determine the predictors of the change in HbA1c. Material and Methods: A sample of 76 participants attending as endocrinology outpatients was obtained. Data collected within the sample included: sex, age, educational level, body mass index, and the level of SDM using the SDMQ-9. In addition, HbA1c levels were measured twice: at baseline and three months after the first measurement. Results: The linear regression indicates that the level of SDM is a significant predictor of the change in HbA1c, specifically in men. However, the direction of the relationship was a somewhat opposite trend than we expected. Higher levels of SDM imply an increase in HbA1c rather than a reduction. Conclusions : Contrary to the literature, our results shows that elevated levels of perceived SDM may be associated with worse diabetic control. However, more investigation is needed as these results are not generalizable, due to the specific population used and the sample size. Furthermore, to better understand the effect of SDM on the change in HbA1c in patients with poorly controlled diabetes.

In recent years, a new factor for work stress has been studied along with stress as an offense to self-theory. Illegitimate tasks refer to assignments that are unnecessary or are not related to the employee's role. Because of this, the Bern Illegitimate Tasks Scale was developed, which measures illegitimate tasks in terms of unreasonable tasks and unnecessary tasks. There are no studies in Latin America on illegitimate tasks, so the purpose of this research is to translate and validate the Bern Illegitimate Tasks Scale. The study was performed with a sample of nursing staff from a hospital in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Written informed consent was obtained from each of the participants. The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated and its structural validity was verified by exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency of the whole scale, measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.857. Moreover, the unnecessary and unreasonable subscales measure were 0.846 and 0.841, respectively. The exploratory factor analysis supported a two-factor model that explained 73.96% of the variance. Additionally, the confirmatory factor analysis showed good indexes of fit (GFI = 0.915, CFI = 0.955, TLI = 0.933, SRMR = 0.084, and RMSEA = 0.087). The Spanish version of the Bern Illegitimate Tasks Scale presents good psychometric properties and can be applied to nurses in the Ecuadorian population., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Valdivieso Portilla, Gonzalez Rosero, Alvarado-Villa and Moncayo-Rizzo.)