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The longhorned tick Haemaphysalis longicornis is a highly invasive tick that is native to Asia. Since its detection in New Jersey in 2017, this tick has spread to 18 states in the Northeast, the Midwest, and the Southeast regions of the United States. In Mexico, H. longicornis has been detected only once in an imported horse at the inspection point in Piedras Negras, Coahuila. However, the risk of introduction and establishment of this tick species is high due to importation of live animals, the frequent legal transportation of numerous pets by tourists, the migration of wildlife across the extensive northern border that is more than 3,000 km long, and the inherent difficulty in detecting immatures stages on animals. The aim of this work is to provide Spanish-language information on the distribution of H. longicornis in North America, as well as the ecological and biological aspects of this tick. This work includes morphological images of H. longicornis aimed at facilitating its accurate identification. This effort provides useful information for veterinarians, government agency officials, and other professionals involved in animal health and tick control to aid in the effective prevention of the introduction and establishment of H. longicornis in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach of this article is focused through a historical, social, criminological and criminal perspective on the resistance to investigate, the right to truth and the forensic crisis that is faced both in the investigations and in the processes of femicide cases in Mexico. The foregoing taking three Mexican cases as central axes, two of them iconic cases that have led to a transformation on creating laws that are applicable to the fight against gender violence in conjunction with a crime description that promptly collects the gender reasons that they are the cause of this crime; referring in this way to Gonzalez and others vs. Mexico or better known as Campo algodonero, which reached the Inter-American Court of Human Rights opening the way in the treatment of violence against women, with its emblematic and historic sentence. Secondly, we have the case of Mariana Lima Buendía, whose sentence -in Amparo en Revisión- issued by the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico, establishes that every violent death of a woman must be investigated as a femicide, changing the way in which how criminal investigations involving the deaths of women should be initiated; weighing the gender perspective, due diligence and good practices. The third case shows us how the forensic crisis that Mexico is currently facing directly permeates the investigations of cases of violent deaths of women. This last case is about Debhani Escobar, being the most recent that has convulsed the Mexican society due to the countless inconsistencies in the investigation of her disappearance and death. This is how femicide in Mexico faces great challenges in terms of adapting the instruments and legal framework to not only focus on punishment but also include a vision of forensic and procedural reform that includes public policies for prevention and comprehensive reparations for the victims, as well as a true commitment to the non-repetition of criminal acts against women for reasons of gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Endocrinología, Metabolismo y Nutrición is the property of Publicidad Permanyer SLU and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction. Interventions based on cognitive dissonance theory are the most effective for preventing eating disorders. Objective. To identify the changes at one year follow-up of a universal prevention intervention in disordered eating behaviors (DEB), thin-ideal internalization (TII), and drive for muscularity (DM). Method. A pre-experimental, pretest-posttest study was conducted on 602 university student subjects (76.1% women and 23.9% men) with an average age of 20.74 years at a public (30.6%) and a private university (69.4%) in Mexico City. A Split Plot ANOVA was performed with the intrasubject variable equal to each measurement (pretest, posttest, and follow-up), as well as the sex and body mass index (BMI) intersubject variables to analyze whether there was a significant interaction between these variables and the changes in dependent variables, as well as the changes through each measurement by group. Results. In the intrasubject analyses, statistically significant differences were found for DEB through the various measurements, without taking the interactions into account. Statistically significant interactions were observed between each measurement and BMI, and between each measurement and sex and BMI for the DM variable. Discussion and conclusion. Since a reduction of TII in women and DM in men was achieved, together with a decrease in DEB in women, the workshop can be said to have fully achieved its objectives for women and partly so for men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Entorno Geográfico is the property of Universidad del Valle and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent decades, the growing obesity epidemic in Mexico has become one of the most important public health challenges faced by the country. With support from the World Obesity Federation, we formed a working group in 2021 to identify and summarize priority actions that Mexico can take to face this epidemic. More than 1 000 health professionals joined the development and discussion process. Recommendations from previously published, high-level documents and guidelines were taken into account. In commemoration of World Obesity Day 2022, this statement is presented as input for health care professionals to develop actions to address obesity. The statement includes 10 recommendations that include population-level and individual-level actions. It emphasizes the importance of social participation, comprehensive interventions with a person-centered perspective, planetary sustainability, on improving education and communication campaigns, as well as fostering a built environment that promotes active living, and shielding prevention and control efforts from conflicts of interest. The statement calls for obesity to be treated seriously, based on scientific evidence, in a timely and comprehensive manner, employing a life-course and ethical approach that does not perpetuate weight stigma in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of 3C Empresa is the property of Area de Innovacion y Desarrollo, SL and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The advancement of digital technology has made it possible to conceive automated Epidemiological Surveillance Systems (ESS) with a holistic-systemic approach allowing effective operation, management, and processing of phytosanitary data for fast decisionmaking applied to regional prevention and pest management. This surveillance type focuses on plant health, overcoming the reductionist pest vision of the conventional normative surveillance. An ESS implies the precise definition of the regional framework, objectives, pest(s) in widesense, human/financial resources, regulatory context, support research planning, operational structure, and innovation models. These elements determine the precision, frequency, and type of sampling and monitoring and the selection of variables related to a novel epidemiological system. In contrast to the normative surveillance, a systemic ESS has descriptive and risk forecasting capabilities, including early warnings, based on spatial and temporal analyses. A web-based ESS assures a flexible-dynamic generation of reports and automated analysis. An ESS operated on web platforms, emphasizing open source software and tools, can be hosted on generic or dedicated servers for metadata storage configured with Linux / Apache technologies with 24/7 (h day-1) functional capabilities. Open source tools include MySQL / MariaDB and other systems as database managers; PHP / Node.js, and JavaScript, Ajax, HTML5 and CSS as web design base 'back-end' and 'front-end' programs, respectively. This review focuses on principles, conceptual attributes, general methodological approaches, and objectives of web-based ESS. An overview is presented with an ESS developed in Mexico for coffee plantations (Coffea spp.), which allowed the surveillance of 19 pests, nine under quarantine status, through the generation, management, and analysis of 87.4 million climatic data and 15.7 million epidemiological records over 2013-2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico has an extensive history in the field of vaccine application and production, which resulted in a prestigious prevention program based on the development of effective, low-cost vaccines, applicable on a large scale and with lasting protective effects. However, along with the creation of vaccines, the opposition groups were born, who present a range of arguments ranging from religious, philosophical, economic, security and personal opinions against vaccination. Due to this problem, this article addresses the arguments most frequently used by the community reluctant to vaccinate and scientific evidence supporting child vaccination is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses two issues that are key to Mexico's violence and crime prevention policy. The first part reviews how the prevention policy has been shaped over the past 10 years. In the second, the effects of Mexico's Programa Nacional de Prevención del Delito (PRONAPRED, National Crime Prevention Programme) is analysed using Propensity Score Matching. Using data at the municipal level and taking the homicide and gun-related injuries rates as output variables, we found that PRONAPRED only significantly affects the homicide rate; however, that effect is the opposite of what is expected. The results of this research show that, in order to achieve the intended results, violence and crime prevention policies in Mexico require significant changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostate cancer is the most frequent tumor found in men worldwide and in Mexico in particular. Age and family history are the main risk factors. The diagnosis is made by prostate biopsy in patients with abnormalities detected in their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels or digital rectal exam (DRE). This article reviews screening and diagnostic methods as well as treatment options for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has been underdiagnosed because it does not have a specific clinical presentation, and the signs and symptoms are similar to the irritable bowel syndrome and pelvic inflammatory disease. EOC is less common than breast and cervical cancer, but it is more lethal. On the whole, EOC has an early dissemination to peritoneal cavity, which delays a timely diagnosis and increases the rate of advanced diagnosed disease. The diagnosis usually surprises the women and the primary care physician. Therefore, it is necessary to count on prevention and early diagnosis programs. EOC has 80% response to surgical treatment, but nearly 70% of the patients may relapse in five years. The objectives of this document are presenting a summary of the EOC epidemiology and comment about advancements in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of this cancer. That will raise awareness about the importance of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Iberoamericana de Turismo is the property of Revista Iberoamericana de Turismo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction Epidemiological studies in our country show increases in the consumption of illegal drugs and alcohol. The age of onset has decreased, especially regarding alcohol use. Meanwhile, consumption of inhalants has increased significantly, especially among young women. There are several factors associated with drug use, but the development of resistance strategies, along with its underlying social skills and parenting styles, stand out in a significant way. Method Data comes from a probabilistic survey carried out in November 2012, with students from 7th to 12th school grades, in Mexico City, which was representative for each of its districts. The sample was 26 503 students. Information was obtained through a questionnaire standardized and validated in previous surveys. Results Tobacco consumption decreased significantly (44.3% to 41.0%); 32.9% of the adolescents began its use before age 13. Lifetime consumption of alcohol was 68.2%, while the average age of onset of cannabis use remained at 12.6 years. Lifetime prevalence of any drug use increased from 21.5% to 24.4%. Marijuana was the first drug of choice among students (15.9%). Increases were also found in sexual abuse rate, while suicide attempt decreased. Discussion Although inhalants use remained stable and tobacco use decreased significantly, results show the continued growth of drug use. Given this context, concentrating more efforts in prevention with studies and evaluated interventions for pre-school and elementary school students, as well as for parents and teachers, is a preponderant task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a public health problem in the world. Its impact and potential consequences on health and quality of life of individuals and their families, health systems and the global economy, has become a priority issue for governments and administrative systems. It is a multifactorial disease with well-known prenatal and postnatal origins, which offer prevention and treatment opportunities. So, is necessary the health professional have an intimate knowledge of the disease and its complications, also existing treatment options: behavior management for acquiring a healthy lifestyle, drugs, nutrients and bariatric surgery; to achieve contain the impact on healthy life years, life expectancy and occupational health worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dilemas Contemporáneos: Educación, Política y Valores is the property of Dilemas Contemporaneos: Educacion, Politica y Valores and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article is about the Civil Society Organizations (CSO's) and how it working against trafficking of persons. Specially analysis of trafficking women and girls to sexual explotation in Mexico. The emphasis is on the importance of changing wel-fare approach of CSO's to other one based on rights and participation of women and girls. We show three strategies have worked best address this problem: prevention, protection, assistance and prosecution. Highlights the inequalities of gender's culture as one of the factors that explain the prevalence of this problem in Mexico. Finally, we check out joint work between CSO's and federal and local government commissions to confront sex trafficking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archivos de Criminología, Criminalística y Seguridad Privada is the property of Sociedad Mexicana de Criminologia Capitulo Nuevo Leon, A.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The State Council Against Addictions in Jalisco offers a great opportunity to initiate interventions that contribute to the prevention of drug abuse. These strategies should be designed and planned in response to addictive behavior epidemiological phenomenon. To define this behavior has conducted a statistical analysis tool t-Student test of the data collected in the School Survey on Addictions in the State of Jalisco 2009, with the aim of identifying the dimensions that most can support prevention of abuse in consumption youth drug Secondary Education and Higher Secondary Education in Jalisco, Mexico and identify variables free time use that promote and / or prevent abuse drugs. As a result of this detailed analysis shows that certain student activities during their leisure time have direct effects on the use and abuse of addictive substances and stand out above the rest those that involve spending time with the family, focusing on study and sport-related activities. Therefore planning drug prevention strategies in this population sector should seek to create common activities that allow young people to spend more time with the family shared, extracurricular activities and enable study mechanisms and places where they can play sports (Family, Education and Sport, FEDE for the acronym in spanish). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, prevalence of smoking among women has been significantly increasing. The aim of this research was to examine the relationships of smoking susceptibility and smoking behavior, specifically in youth teenage girls, in order to have tools for smoking prevention among women. Three studies were conducted in successive years in public and private secondary schools of Mexico City; in total, 1.460 female adolescents participated in them. Psychometric scales were constructed and reconstructed to susceptibility, experimentation and smoking could be measured. In the latest versions of the scales were obtained explained variances > 59% and coefficients a > 0.82. Results showed high and significant coefficients of correlation between susceptibility to smoking and experimentation with tobacco (r = 0.743) as well as smoking (r = 0.424). According to the regression analysis, the susceptibility explained 28.9% of experimentation variance, and 22% of smoking variance, so it is a good predictor of smoking behavior among girls. It was concluded that smoking susceptibility is a measure that can be used reliably to evaluate smoking risk in adolescent women; in this way the prevention efforts will be properly focused on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista CES Psicologia is the property of Universidad CES and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista ADM is the property of Asociacion Dental Mexicana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Some patients stop treatment with orlistat because of the hassle of gastrointestinal effects, but is now known that adding a fiber can reduce such problems significantly. Objectives: To determine whether the gastrointestinal side effects induced by orlistat may be prevented or mitigated by the concurrent use of Psyllium plantago and determine the frequency of gastrointestinal effects inherent in the use of orlistat and management related or not of psyllium for 12 months. Design: Comparative study of 4-arm parallel, factorial design 2 to 2, experimental, along, prospective, open-label Phase IV. 120 Patients of both sexes between 18 and 60 years with BMI> 27 kg/m², randomized treatment with orlistat, with or without psyllium for 12 months. The dosage of orlistat was 60 or 120 mg every 8 hours and who received 6 g psyllium was dissolved in water every 8 h. We quantified each month gastrointetinales side effects inherent in the use of orlistat (number of stools, loose stools, liquid or steatorrhea, flatulence, oily spotting, fecal urgency and incontinence). results: We found that administration of psyllium significantly reduced the mean fecal urgency (without Psyllium [10.6], with Psyllium [3.8]), regardless of the dose of orlistat. The administration of Psyllium also significantly reduced the average spot oil and liquid feces, predominantly with the dose of 120 mg oil stain (without Psyllium [49.7], with Psyllium [16.5]) and loose stools (without Psyllium [33.5], with Psyllium [4.5]) Conclusions: The results suggest that concomitant administration of Psyllium plantago protects patients from gastrointestinal side effects, fecal urgency, oily stains and loose stools. The protective effect of Psyllium appears to be prevalent for the dose of 120 mg in cases of fecal stains and loose stools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incidences of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) have been increasing in a Mexican factory during the last years. Five workstations were assessed using Individual Risk Assessment (ERIN) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) ergonomic tools. The final risk levels of these tools were compared. Videos of workstations were taken and WMSD statistics gathered. The ERIN and RULA risk levels were similar in four of five workstations. Correspondence between WMSD and global ERIN scores was found. This paper shows how can be made initiatives aimed to the prevention of these occupational diseases at workplace level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction In the course of the last three years, a wide range of epidemiological studies related to drug use has been conducted, both at a national and international level. Talking about national studies in the field of school population, surveys have been conducted in the states of Colima, Nuevo León and Jalisco, as well as surveys in university population, among others. Regarding tobacco use, several studies were made and they covered many cities of the country. About household surveys, the fifth National Addictions Survey (ENA) was carried out in 2008 and it provided data at a national and state level. The Global Survey of Smoking in Adults (GATS) was also made having nationwide coverage. In relation to tobacco use, the trend shows a decrease in the prevalence of consumption. This is shown in ENA 2008 and GATS, as well as school population studies in different states. For alcohol consumption, the situation is different; both for the prevalence and for the proportion of people who start its early consumption, significant increases have been reported throughout the country. Alcohol abuse remains constant and is similar between men and women. When considering the use of illegal drugs, there is an overall increase. As for marijuana, data indicates that its consumption has increased and that it remains as the primary drug of use. However, the main increase is for inhalants, particularly among school population and especially in women. For cocaine, data from United Nations shows a significant decrease in the supply of this substance due to the increase of seizures. Data from ENA 2008 shows that the use of this drug has doubled between 2002 and 2008. The United Nations report indicates that the increase in our country is apparent until 2005 and since then it has been decreasing. Methamphetamine use remains low and it does not increase. Only in the case of the population that goes to service centers for drug users, a high rate of consumption is found. Finally, the consumption of heroin and hallucinogens is low. Chihuahua remains as the state with the most problems in the use of heroine. Most recent surveys have allowed us to see, in general, some of the trajectories in adolescent mental health, where sexual abuse is presented first in women, followed by ADDH, then the consumption of legal drugs, antisocial behavior, use of inhalants and suicide attempt. Then drug consumption, marijuana and cocaine. In men, the sequence is similar, although they face ADDH first and then sexual abuse. In this context, the objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of drug, alcohol and tobacco use, as well as consumption trends in school population from 7th to 12th grade from Mexico City and its political delegations. Method To ensure the comparability with similar studies carried out in Mexico in school population, the methodology used in this study maintains the basic aspects of the previous measurements that have been made in students from 7th to 12th grade from Mexico City and other states. The project had the approval of the ethics committee from the National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, and was approved by the educational authorities of Mexico City to be applied in school population. The unit of analysis from which the information was obtained were the students enrolled in 7th to 12th grade in 2008- 2009 from public and private schools in Mexico City. The sampling frame was developed based on the official records of the 2008-2009 school year. A non-response rate of 20%, a confidence level of 95% and an average absolute error of 0.004 were considered. The sample design was stratified by level of education (7th to 9th grades and 10th to 12th grades) and political delegations, which gave 32 different strata. It was also clustered by scholar group which was the primary unit of selection. The sample of groups and students were weighted considering the group, educational level and the delegation. A final sample of 22 980 subjects was obtained: 49.8% were female and 50.2% were men. 56.3% of the sample attended to 7th to 9th grades and 43.7% attended to 10th to 12th grades. In addition, most of the male and female adolescents were full-time students during the year prior to the study and only 7% of men and 5.1% of women were not students. 23.3% of men and 11.9% of women worked part or full time, and additionally, most of them had both parents. The information was obtained through a standardized questionnaire, which has been applied in previous surveys and has been previously validated. Due to the extension of the instrument, four forms were used to include various sections, the main part of questionnaire was administered to all subjects and the last two pages corresponded to forms, so each form was applied to one quarter of the sample. Alcohol consumption indicators used are comparable with WHO indicators, international observatories from Europe and the ones used in «Monitoring the Future.» Additionally, a significant amount of risk and protective factors related to drug use was evaluated. Results Regarding tobacco use, it decreased from 48.3% to 44.3% compared to the study made in 2006, and men were the ones who had the highest percentage (45.9%) compared with women (42.6%). Additionally, the average onset age is of 12.8 years. As for the current use of tobacco the situation is similar, the percentage is higher in men than in women and is much higher among students from 7th to 9th grades than among students from 10th to 12th grades. In the case of alcohol, its consumption has increased from 68.8% to 71.4%; it was similar in women compared to the last measurement and in men it increased. The prevalence of alcohol abuse decreased from 25.2% to 23.4% compared to the previous survey. However, the students who have taken alcohol had an average onset age of 12.6 years. The problematic alcohol consumption measured with the long version of AUDIT found that in 7th to 9th grades, 17.1% of men and 16.3% of women reported having this type of consumption. In 10th to 12th grades, 36.5% of men and 28.5% of women also reported problematic use of alcohol. Regarding dangerous alcohol consumption, 7.2% of men and 6.7% of women presented it in 7th to 9th grades. Students from 10th to 12th grades had higher percentages being of 22.5% in men and 15.3% in women. The study shows a significant increase in drug consumption: during the last three years it has raised from 17.8% to 21.5%. Within each substance use, the consumption of inhalants, marijuana, hallucinogens, and methamphetamines has increased in comparison with the study of 2006. The preference by drug type has changed slightly over the past three years; in men marijuana has the first place of preference (14%), followed by inhalants (10.8%) and in third place of preference is cocaine (4.3%). Women prefer inhalants (10.0%), followed by marijuana (8.8%) and then tranquilizers (5.6%). In terms of additional behaviors evaluated on this study, it is noteworthy that the age of first sexual intercourse decreased by almost half a year in women. All other behaviors (suicide attempt, depressive symptoms, risky eating behaviors, antisocial acts) remained equal. Discussion In this context, the study results show a widespread use of drugs in the population, with major increases specially between women. Adding the presence of other problematic behaviors related to drug use, leads us to make a reflection on the general mental health problems experienced by the population and together they give a guideline for working immediately on various preventive actions. The work made with nursery and elementary boys and girls developing strategies and social skills that enable them to increase their personal and social resources; likewise, working with parents, teachers and health personnel, through positive parenting programs, in groups and teaching them directly effective strategies for interaction and discipline with their children or students under their charge through modeling, are factors that lead to better prevention in most sectors of population. A social policy that allocates more financial and human resources aimed to support these activities must be added to these efforts, especially to support research in general and particularly to support research that leads to develop optimal prevention practices for new generations. Therefore, the importance of translating these elements into action lies in the possibility of having healthier generations and a society with better expectations, approaches and opportunities for growing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the evaluation of the effectiveness of a selective prevention on drug use in adolescents, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior by Azjen. To develop this program, different theoretical models were evaluated considering their suitability to the institutional context in which it will be implemented. The criteria used to select a model that could be useful as a basis to design and evaluate a preventive intervention for drug use included: a) incorporation of protective and risk factors that could be malleable; b) consistency, parsimony and theoretical economy; c) a demonstrated explanatory and predictive capacity; d) empirical effectiveness; e) practical applicability. One of the models that complies with these requirements is the Model of Planned Behavior by Azjen, which proposes that the most immediate causes for drug use are the intentions of the subject to consume them or not. These intentions are determinated by the «attitudes» toward drug use, by the normative beliefs or «subjective norm» and by the Perceived Behavior Control. Attitudes toward the behavior are a person's overall evaluation of the behavior (i.e drug use) and the corresponding positive or negative judgments about it. The normative beliefs or subjective norms are a person's own estimate of social pressure to use or not to use drugs. Subjective norms have two interacting components: beliefs about how other people, who may be significant to the person, would like them to behave (normative beliefs), and the positive or negative judgments about each belief (outcome evaluations). Perceived behavioral control is the magnitude to which a person feels able to carry out the behavior. It includes two aspects: how much control a person has over the behavior; and how confident a person feels about being able to perform or not the behavior. It is determined by control beliefs about the power of both situational and internal factors to inhibit or facilitate the performance of the behavior. Perceived behavioral control, the last element introduced in the theory, along with the attitude to conduct, and the subjective norm, contribute, all of them, to predict the behavior intention. Generally speaking, there is important empirical evidence concerning the predictive and explicative capacity of this model in different populations. Once the theoretical model was chosen, indicators related to constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior were elaborated adapting these constructs to the features of middle education Mexican population by means of a series of interviews with focal groups. Based on these indicators, a scale was constructed to prove the explanatory capacity of the theoretical model in Mexican population. The reliability and validity of this self-applied questionnaire was proved. Once this was done, based on these antecedents, the model was adapted in a practical sense. This means that the content, objectives and techniques for a preventive intervention were developed. This preventive intervention was piloted and then evaluated through the aforementioned scale. The program included attitudinal and normative components, conformed by informative strategies and persuasive messages directed to an attitudinal change, as well as the development of strategies of behavioral control focused on social abilities that included components derived from social learning theory, and a series of cognitive behavioral techniques accorded to the Planned Behavioral Theory. It was expected a reduction in the drugs use intention by means of a change of drug use favorable beliefs as well as reinforcing unfavorable beliefs of drug use. It was also tried to change the perception about the magnitude of drug users in the subject's immediate surroundings and on its perception about social acceptance or tolerance for drugs. Also it was tried to increase the perception of self control, in order to the develop behavioral control skills to refuse the offer of drugs. The first sessions (devoted to work on subjective norm) were directed to create an interest in the participants regarding to their relation with favorable situations to drug consumption, and to modify their perception about the real magnitude of drug use and about approval and social tolerance to them, both topics frequently overestimated for some adolescents. These sessions were also devoted to identifying beliefs associated with drug use and the value that participants give to these beliefs, in order to question those that are established upon false premises. The next sessions (devoted to perceived behavioral control) had as an objective to learn appropriated behavioral responses to confront risk situations, in order to increase the perception of self-control in those circumstances. This was achieved by means of modeling, essay and reinforcing techniques. This model was designed to be applied in groups no greater than 15 persons, twice a week in five sessions of 50 minutes each. The program was applied by professional personnel such as psychologists or social workers with previous experience in drugs use prevention. The program was implemented in three groups (one for each grade) of five high schools in Mexico City and was applied to three groups of school, randomly chosen; other three groups, in the same grades, were used as control groups. The groups were randomly chosen. Other three groups, in the same grades, were used as comparison groups. Then, the final sample was composed by 250 participants (96 from intervened groups and 154 from comparison groups) from 12 to 15 years old, and with slightly more men than women, but equivalent for cases and control. The results showed that the intervened group had a statistical significant reduction in the intention of drugs use. On the contrary, the comparative group showed an increasing intention to use them. With respect to the set of variables that predicted the behavioral intention, the perceived behavioral control stands out as the variable that had the greatest change. There were no significant differences in pre-post measures in the control group. Differences between pre-post measurements were also contrasted between both groups using a Student's t test that showed significant differences in perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention variables. Finally, in order to get a greater control on the test scores, an ANCOVA analysis was applied using the post-test scores as dependent variable and the pre-test scores as covariables. This analysis was useful to corroborate the significance of the drug use intention in the future, mainly in situations that require an amount of self-control, while attitude and normative variables did not show significative changes. Outcomes confirmed the pertinence to give greater resources (time, quantity, and complexity of activities, didactic materials, etc.) to the sessions devoted to developing behavioral control skills. These results can be considered satisfactory, because the main objective of the program was to reduce the intention to use drugs; however, it is also necessary to strengthen the attitudinal and normative components. It is necessary to consider that the variable «subjective norm» obtained the lowest levels in confidence, possibly because of the use of self-reported answers in a variable so sensitive to the influence of social elements. For this reason, it is necessary to develop questions that diminish this element that, according to Doll and Azjen, can explain, even a 5% of variance in «behavioral intention». Finally, it must be considered that this evaluation shows the effectiveness of the program to achieve the expected changes in behavioral intention variable only in controlled situations. It is necessary to investigate if it is possible to obtain similar results in more usual conditions and with other populations. This means that as well as to grant the internal validity of the evaluation it is also necessary to establish its external validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the number of women who use tobacco has increased rapidly. Among youngsters, gender gap is closing, and the proportion of girls who smoke is already very similar to that of boys, with the added complication that the girls are more vulnerable to addiction, and tobacco use has severe consequences for their health and the well-being of their future children. The key to facing tobacco epidemic is prevention by strengthening protective factors and reducing risk factors that lead to smoking onset. School environment is the most valuable resource for anti-smoking programs. These efforts are commonly focused on elementary and secondary students because experimentation with tobacco and adoption of smoking behavior occur at this stage. There are three intervention models in schools: 1. Information model (or rational), 2. Social skills model (or affective), and 3. Social influence model, which emphasizes social environment as a critical factor in tobacco use. In this model the children are informed about the immediate negative effects of smoking (unfavorable effects on appearance, economic costs and social consequences such as rejection by others). The model also conveys a positive image of non-smokers as rational people, and a negative one of a smoker as someone vulnerable to advertising tricks. It uses the peer group for showing resistance to pressure and how to adopt and to maintain the decision not to smoke, and it teaches how to identify influences from tobacco advertising, peers and family. The social influence programs tend to be the most effective strategy for achieving at least some delay in onset of tobacco use. It is necessary to develop appropriate programs for each age and for a specific gender. Recently, researchers have begun using programs based on computer systems and Internet to prevent teen smoking. The aim of this study was to design, implement and evaluate two different types of tobacco prevention programs, tailored specifically for teenage girls. The programs were computer games and an interactive workshop, as well as the combination of both of them (games plus workshop). It was suggested that in treatment groups versus control group, smoking susceptibility scores (i.e., lack of a firm commitment to not smoke) would be lower in post test. It was also hypothesized that the games plus workshop group would affect the scores of the associated variables with susceptibility, and that changes would remain in the follow-up. Material and methods 537 student girls in the three grades of secondary school were asked to answer the Smoking Susceptibility Scale. Out of this group, 160 girls that obtained the highest scores were selected, because they were considered at risk of becoming regular smokers. Six variables related with smoking susceptibility were also measured: Belief in the addictive property of tobacco, beliefs in smoking benefits, empathy with smoking victims, negative attitudes toward tobacco industry, skills rejecting social pressure to smoke, and identification of diseases associated with smoking in women. The Smoking Susceptibility Scale was applied at three moments of the measurement: A pre test (one week before programs starting), a post test (the last day of the program or programs), and a follow-up (four months after implementing the post test). In the last two occasions, the instruments of variables related with susceptibility were also applied. The two types of prevention programs (computer games and interactive workshop) were based on the social influence model. The purpose of the games was that the girls acquire skills to recognize and resist social pressures to smoke exerted by both the tobacco industry through advertising strategies, and their peers. The interactive workshop was designed according to the strategies of anti-smoking messages that have proved to be effective in order to prevent smoking; the immediate negative consequences suffered by smokers and the physical and psychological vulnerability of women produced by smoking were also highlighted. A mixed 4 inter-groups X 3 intra-groups design was applied (4 treatments: Computer games, interactive workshop, games plus workshop, control, X 3 measurement times: Pre test, post test, followup). The 160 participants were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups. The study consisted of four phases: pre test, treatment (one week later), post test (on completion of program implementation) and follow-up (four months after the post test). Results There was an immediate effect of the three treatments on the smoking susceptibility by contrasting pre test versus post test, but games plus workshop group had more effect than games or workshop ones. When comparing post test and follow-up measurements in the games plus workshop group versus the control group, it was found that smoking susceptibility scores of the treatment group stayed unchanged. For related variables, the girls who participated in the games plus workshop group had higher scores than the control group in the belief of tobacco addictive property, in empathy with smoking victims, in the negative attitude toward the tobacco industry, in the refusal skills towards social pressure to smoke, and in the identification of diseases associated with smoking in women, and lower scores on beliefs in the benefits of smoking (attractive appearance, emotional well-being, popularity and social acceptance). At the follow-up, it was observed that attitudes toward tobacco companies became even more negative and that participants identified more diseases caused by smoking in women than in the post test, i.e., the treatment effect was strengthened. Discussion The main guideline in the construction of smoking behavior prevention programs evaluated in this study was its focus on adolescent girls. Furthermore, they were only addressed to those adolescents with high scores on smoking susceptibility, due to the intention of using the available resources more efficiently. Another criterion taken into a count in order to build these programs was the shortness of the intervention. The results showed that smoking susceptibility on the participants of each one of the three treatment groups decreased from the pre test to the post test, but the decline was even greater in the games plus workshop group. The smoking susceptibility of the games plus workshop group remained low in the follow-up after four months of its implementation, which did not occur with the workshop or games groups alone. It appears that the more elements used in the prevention programs the greater their impact will be. Compared with the control group, the majority of variables related with smoking susceptibility were affected by the games plus workshop treatment. In conclusion, the combination of preventive programs for smoking addiction constructed in this study specifically for girls with the implementation of psychosocial principles and the use of computer technology decreased the smoking susceptibility on participants, as well as most of the related variables. Moreover, their effects persisted at least for a period of four months. Computer games, which were of interest to participants, could be easily installed on computer rooms of secondary schools, and even uploaded in the Internet, and its effects could be enhanced by an interactive workshop, which promotes interpersonal contact and discussion of false beliefs regarding tobacco use that girls support. The girls at risk who change their smoking susceptibility as a result of their participation in these smoking prevention programs will avoid the severe consequences of using tobacco and will gain years of healthy life for themselves and their descendants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perinatal depression is increasingly recognized as a significant public mental health problem; consequently, there is a major interest in developing strategies to prevent postpartum depression that may help reduce its detrimental consequences. However, the unique experiences associated with the perinatal period make it more difficult to recruit participants at this stage and to retain them over time when assessing prevention interventions. The aim of the study is to examine retention rates and predictors of retention in a longitudinal, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to prevent postnatal depression. Method Participants: Pregnant women (N=377) at risk of depression were randomized to intervention or usual care condition and assessed during pregnancy and at 6 weeks and 4-6 months postpartum. Intervention: The intervention was designed by modifying a previously evaluated one and includes information on normal pregnancy and the postpartum period, from psychoanalytic and risk factors perspectives. It attempts to reduce depression levels by increasing positive thinking and pleasant activities, improving selfesteem, increasing self-care, learning skills to strengthen social support, and exploring unrealistic expectations about pregnancy and motherhood. It is delivered in eight two-hour weekly group sessions during pregnancy. Measures: Depressive symptoms were measured using the second edition of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II); anxiety symptoms with the corresponding subscale of the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (SCL-90) and social support with the Social Support Apgar (SSA). A short form of 12 items representing potential stressors was used as a measurement of stressful life events and the Abbreviated Version of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (A-DAS) measured partner relationship. Results Retention rates -defined in three ways- were: (1) Total retention (percentage of participants completing the 4-6 month postpartum interview) was 41.7% (31.2% intervention and 61.4% control); (2) Retention from randomization to (a) completion of initial evaluation and attendance of ≥ 1 intervention sessions was 42.4%; and (b) completion of initial evaluation (control) was 82.2%; and (3) Followup retention: (a) intervention participants attending ≥ 1 sessions that completed the intervention as well as the 4-6 months postpartum interview was 73.5%; and (b) control participants assesses in this period was 66.6%. For those who came to at least one intervention session 83% completed the intervention. The predictors of total retention were: being single, more educated, and poor partner relationship quality. For the intervention condition, predictors of (a) retention from randomization to attendance to ≥ 1 sessions were anxiety and stressful life events, and (b) for follow-up retention was being employed. Conclusions In the present study, retention of participants was even lower than what has been found in similar interventions. However, attendance rates of the course, once the participants had attended one session, were very good. In terms of predictors of retention, women at high risk of depression (single, with poor partner quality relationship, more stressful life events and high anxiety) were more committed to participating in the study. Consequently, in order to increase retention rates, future interventions should target women that present such risk factors. Nevertheless, those with low educational attainment and homemakers, who are a vulnerable group, were difficult to retain and thus remain a challenge in postpartum depression prevention studies. We conclude that rates and predictors of retention differed depending on points of measurement, suggesting different strategies to optimize participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction In Mexico, alcohol abuse involves overhead costs in terms of premature mortality caused by their related health problems. It is estimated that by itself it implies 9% of the total burden of disease in the country. Although effective interventions exist to treat this problem, national public policies are not integrated and in many occasions its real application is questioned. Cost-effectiveness studies are tools that permit to develop and to implement health public policies because they imply a rigorous economic evaluation and comparison of those in order to determine which obtains better balance between effectiveness and financial viability. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent and to control alcohol abuse in Mexico, based on the proposed methodology by the World Health Organization. It will permit to generate national public policies with local evidence and to carry out evaluations of their impact, as well as international comparisons. Method The World Health Organization methodology named WHO-CHOICE (CHOosing the Interventions that are Cost-Effective) was developed to evaluate and to select the most cost-effective interventions for the prevention or treatment of health problems. It is considered a generalized cost-effective analysis; therefore direct or tangible costs are particularly analyzed (vs. indirect or intangible costs). Procedure First, WHO-CHOICE analysis requires information from different sources about both the illness or problem and the preventive or therapeutic interventions to evaluate. Then, information is processed by special software. As annual standard discount of 3% is done to obtain and to compare the present supplies values; and age of individuals is praised, giving more weight to the young phases. Finally, the results are presented in terms of intervention cost-effectiveness to reduce the burden of disease, defined in terms of disability adjusted life years or DALYs. Interventions The following interventions were evaluated: 1. Current Setting: Taxes and random tests for the detection of alcoholic breath (breathalyzer); 2. Increment of 25% to taxes of products with harmful degree of alcohol; 3. Increment of 50% to taxes of products with harmful degree of alcohol; 4. Reduction of availability of products with harmful degree of alcohol; 5. Regulation of the associated publicity; 6. Brief preventive-persuasiveness intervention in the first level of attention; and 7. Random Tests for detection of alcoholic breath (breathalyzer). Results The independent measure with greater cost-effectiveness to avoid DALYs due to alcohol abuse was the increment of taxes, which is better when it reaches 50%. All increment of taxes avoids (with or without discount and adjustment by age) more than 150 000 DALYs per year. The increment of 50% surpasses even 300 000 DALYs per year (without adjustment neither discount). In contrast, none of the other interventions (with adjustment and discount) reaches 50 000 DALYs per year. Besides, the increments of taxes are always more economic than the interventions remainder. The extreme comparison of DALY avoided per year costs is among 50% taxes increment, which requires an investment of 567 Mexican pesos, and the brief intervention in the first level of attention, that implies an expense of 14,342 Mexican pesos. After taxes increment, effective independent interventions to reduce DALYs in Mexico include, in this order: reduction of the offering, integral prohibition of alcohol consumption publicity, brief intervention in the first level of attention, and the random test of alcoholic breath. Finally, the best integral strategy was a combination of the following measures: increment of taxes, greater proportion of people attended with brief interventions, control of publicity, and reduction of availability. Discussion In Mexico, as in many countries of the world, the increase of taxes was the most cost-effective intervention to reduce burden caused from abuse alcohol. This kind of interventions should consider the possible differential impacts according to the socio-economical status of individuals or groups. Another related problem could be an increment of informal market. Therefore, it is necessary to complement the intervention with strategies directed at reducing the volume of alcoholic beverages that do not pay taxes. All other interventions (not taxes increment) were less costeffective probably because they have considerably higher costs and smaller impact due their dispensation is eventual. Results of this exercise can have a positive impact among Mexican public policies on the field if the relevance of integral strategies is recognized, with political support, and having achieved a consensus of the population on the advantages of its orchestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction Since three years from now, in Mexico there has been several surveys and specific research regarding drug use. Over these years the national surveillance systems databases (SISVEA, CIJ) have shown that cocaine use has stabilized and marijuana use is still increasing, although there are some regional differences. Also, the results of the 2003 Mexico City Students' Survey revealed a similar inclination: an increase on marijuana use, a slight diminish on cocaine use and as a new stage: a rebound on inhalant use. However, these changes and trends on drug use are not the same all over the country. The results found in these databases suggest that the northern border behaves differently from the rest of the country, even all along the northern border itself. While drug use in Matamoros is lower than in other border cities, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Ciudad Juarez registered high cocaine and heroin use. On the other hand, even though the border cities of Sonora and Baja California have these same drug use problems, they also show high rates of methamphetamine use. Another important issue on border cities is that Ciudad Juarez has reached Tijuana's use levels, mainly among teens between 12 and 17 years old. These two cities have the highest substance use levels in the country, even above Mexico City. On the central region of the country, the drug use rates are halfway between. Even though Mexico City's drug use levels are among the central region and the two border cities mentioned before, in all the states that have been studied, there's been a general significant increase in drug use. In southern states, especially Yucatan (where there's a household and a students' survey), the drug rates are the lowest in the country. However, the women's drug use rates keeps increasing. Specifically the 2003 students' survey showed that in some Mexico City's counties women have higher alcohol and tobacco prevalence, and their illegal drug use trends begin to be alike to men's illegal drug use trends. Objective To present drug use prevalence results from the 2006 Mexico City Students Survey. Material and methods This survey used a 10523 Mexico City students random sample. The sample design was stratified (by county), with two stages (by school) and clustered (by groups). This data is representative by State County and by educational level. The design is comparable with previous student's surveys made by the National Psychiatric Institute (INP) and the Mexican Board of Education (SEP). The marijuana, cocaine and inhalants variation coefficients (VC) were determined according to the 2003 survey. The variable with the highest VC, a non-response rate and a design effect of two were considered as in previous surveys. With all these parameters, it was considered a 15% non-response rate, the same found in previous studies. The sample's accuracy level was 95%, with an absolute error average of 0.004. The questionnaire was made with drug use indicators that the World Health Organization used in their own surveys. Besides, some youth behaviors were explored: suicide attempt, depression, eating risk behaviors, sexual behavior, etc. Results From this sample 49.9% were women and 50.5% male. As for Tobacco «Ever use», it affected the same both men and women, and remained similar in comparison to 2003. Also, 68.8% of the adolescents have consumed alcohol at least once in their life and 41.3% has drunk it in the previous month, being women and men equally behaved. The total drug use prevalence was 17.8%, statistically higher than in the 2003 survey, with a 2.6% difference. Men use more drugs compared to women. Of the total sample, 12.9% is an experimental user and 4.9% is a regular user (have used drugs five or more times). As for medical drugs (tranquillizers and amphetamines), their use is higher in women, while illegal drugs use (marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, methamphetamine and heroin) is higher in men.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific information is available on the relationship between diet, physical activity and chronic-degenerative diseases. To prevent overweight and obesity in childhood, coordinated interventions including private and government sectors are required in an ecological context. It is necessary to transform obesogenic environments where children live, as well as to change their dietary habits and physical activity. At present, in many families the intake of simple sugars and saturated lipids is high, whereas fruits and vegetables are much less included in the diet. On the other hand, sedentarism and obesity have become a civilization symbol for society, and very few are aware of obesity risks and consequences on human health. The ENSANUT 2006, a national survey on nutrition and health, it is proposed as a tool to design public health policies to prevent obesity by modifying, when possible, community environment, and by transforming the unhealthy atmosphere of school into a healthy one. Healthful tile styles must be taught and inherited from parents to their children. No country has under control this epidemic; however, there is a good expectative from experiences of countries such as Germany, Great Britain, Spain and Chile. The importance to put into practice the guidance system for healthy beverage consumption, especially in schools, and to regulate food and beverage advertising in mass media is highlighted for Mexico. The WHO global strategy on diet, physical activity and health is suggested as the guide to be adopted by the Mexican Health Ministry to perform important changes in dietary and physical activity, and to include all social actors to prevent overweight and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last years obesity has had in Mexican school children an annual increment of ∼0.8 percent, which is the highest incidence among all age groups. Because this disease is an example of therapeutic failure and predisposes to suffer chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, prevention, better than cure, is the important issue. In this review is stressed the importance that all children every morning before leaving to school have breakfast at home, in order to prevent learning problems and obesity. Furthermore, some recommendations are given to parents about healthy foods that must he included in breakfast as welt as in lunch children take to school. We discuss the possibility to transform the scholar cooperative in a place where children could buy healthy foods instead of industrialized foods and beverages. The analysis of the scholar curricula indicates that the information that students receive is insufficient to acquire healthy life habits related with healthy diet and physical activity, although it may be improved. It is important to promote the practice of physical activity inside and outside of school because is beneficial for children health. Given that children physical growth is an outcome of feeding habits and physical activity, it is crucial to establish a periodical growth measurement informing the parents its meaning in terms of children health. From the experience of randomized controlled trials, it is known that lowering body mass index is difficult even though the intervention is long and multilateral. Mexico has a national system of textbooks for scholar children that could be used as a huge platform to deliver messages to acquire healthy life habits and reach nearly every home. To accomplish this purpose, it is necessary to enrich the curricula content, to prepare appropriate educational materials, to work in teacher training on nutritional topics, and, eventually, to evaluate the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide occurrence is ever more often amongst 15-24-year-old youngsters, and it ranks as the second or third cause of death in some countries. Likewise, suicide attempts are more frequent amongst teenagers than amongst any other age group. Several studies agree that the portion of population with the highest suicide risk is that ranging from ages 15 to 24 and that Mexico is one of the countries wherein this trend, and suicide in general, is more rapidly increasing. On the other hand, almost 5% of all the country's suicides take place in the State of Guanajuato. The process of suicide is a complex and dynamic one that goes through a series of stages before culminating in the life-ending act. These phases, from merely picturing the idea to brandishing it as a verbal threat, planning and executing it, may very well be identified in advance, hence allowing for adequate intervention. Therefore, understanding suicide dynamics and identifying risk factors reduce the likelihood of suicide in specific populations: this is the core of suicide prevention. Such prevention programs take place within the every day environment of the people to whom they are targeted and their efficiency increase as the acknowledgement of both their needs and resources is more precise. It is because of this, and as a response to the lack of information pertaining suicide prevention programs in Mexico, that this report is presented. It stems from a preventive experience amongst high school youths in the State of Guanajuato. The aim of the aforementioned preventive workshop was to awaken risk prevention amongst high school students through a psycho-educative strategy. The workshop, called «Saving Lives», inspired in the «Gatekeeper» model and based on previous studies of that same population, consisted of ten hours spliced in five two-hour sessions throughout which scientific information on suicide was presented, suicide-related myths analyzed, attendants were trained for detecting people at stake, and intervention, channeling and selfcare suggestions were made. Suicide awareness was assessed both prior and upon workshop ending; furthermore, the workshop itself was evaluated through a questionnaire. Trained psychology students cursing the tenth semester were appointed coordinators and high school students of both sexes attended the workshop. The invitation was open to the general public and those who completed all five stages were certified «Informed Guardians». The workshop was carried out in eight of the ten high schools administered by the Universidad de Guanajuato in the state. Sixty-nine students attended and completed all five set sessions. The average age of attendants was 16.1 years old; standard deviation was 1.3 years; 69% of them were female. Out of 22 possible points included in the suicide knowledge evaluation questionnaire, the average result on first answering was 12.59 correct answers, which rose to 15.97 upon completing the workshop. The range of grades was increased one point for both the minimum and the maximum values and standard deviation was reduced from 2.62 to 2.49. The increase in suicide knowledge was then proved through a «T» test for two dependent samples since it showed the significance of the result increase (p<0.001). The benefits of the workshop were tested through attendants' comments and coordinators reports analyses.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency worldwide. In Mexico, in 2006, 37.8% of children under 2 years of age were diagnosed as anemic. Similarly, 20% of children between 2-5 years of age, as well as 16.6% of children between 5-11 years of age were diagnosed with anemia. Children 1-4 years of age consuming a Mexican diet ingest an adequate amount of iron (≈ 6.2 mg/day), but the intake of heme-iron is low, and ingestion of iron absorption inhibitors is high; thus, the overall iron bioavailability in the diet is poor (3.85%). Strategies to prevent and treat iron deficiency and anemia may be focused on either increasing the amount of ingested iron or lowering iron losses; whereas in the newborn, delayed umbilical cord clamping is advised. These strategies require a comprehensive and concerted aproach among institutions, governmental sectors, community active members, educators, risk groups, families, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the importance of research on the sexual health of adolescent students. A description is given of the most relevant findings of sexual conduct and high-risk sexual conduct in a Mexico City sample of 478 adolescent students between ages thirteen and nineteen. A proposal is made to analyze the barriers presented during the study, and strategies are suggested for working on this topic in school scenarios. Emphasis is place on the school's role as a facilitator of preventive actions in the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista ADM is the property of Asociacion Dental Mexicana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista ADM is the property of Asociacion Dental Mexicana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

No doubt, the context of the current México, has been influenced by a very important factor, which is the culture of professional success. The conception of success, mainly among young people, has charged great relevancy principally in the aspect of professional life, being the conception that has of success a determinant factor in the accomplishment of work, which is human indispensable way to reach the transcendency. The aim of this article is to think around work tied directly to employment and influenced by the culture of professional success, understood as power and wealths, more than as quality of life and attitude of satisfaction, which have brought as consequence a disease of our time: workaholism. Education has a fundamental role against this social problematic, that still in Mexico has not totally profiler at least in a conscious way, that is to propose concrete strategies concerning education of how to manage success, that can be a good alternative of prevention against this addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Yucatán, Mexico, women have increased their participation in the Aids epidemy. In spite of that, no campaigns aimed at this group or at indigenous mayan females have been implemented. The purpose of this research was to explore risk perception regarding HIV/Aids in a group of indigenous mayan fertile age females. By means of a bilingual key informant translator (Maya-Spanish), females of two indigenous communities were invited to participate in 6 focus groups of 8 women each. The majority of the participants had scarce knowledge on HIV/Aids, although two thirds mentioned that it was acquired by means of sexual intercourse. There are erroneous beliefs related to HIV's transmission mechanisms. Regarding their sexual life, the main referent was their sexual partner, with an implicit acceptance of these partners' extramarital activities. Although the majority considered they were at risk of being infected with HIV, having only one sexual partner, was considered a preventive measure. Among conclusions are that the majority of the participants in this group perceived the risk of HIV infection, but do not undertake adequate preventive measures, apparently due to sociocultural aspects and gender stereotypes. It is important to implemet preventive strategies from a gender perspective aimed at indigenous mayan females in their own language and cultural context, specially considering that Yucatan is one of the states in Mexico with the highest VIH incidence rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study compares and analyzes the performance of a cognitive and a conduct scale used to evaluate children sexual abuse prevention programs in preschoolers. Method: Preschoolers (n=150) completed one cognitive scale (Children's Knowledge Abuse Questionnaire, Spanish version) and a conduct scale (Role Play, Mexico). Results: Lower levels of assertive and selfdefense skills correspond to a smaller correlation between the cognitive and conduct scales. The conduct or behavior instrument showed a better sensitivity to the different experimental conditions, as well as a better reliability. Conclusion: This study offers evidence to recommend conduct scales models over cognitive ones for preschoolers. Also, evaluating cognition of concepts does not guarantee selfprotective skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Research focused on drug consumption in schools has been developed in Mexico since 1976 and has allowed for a constant monitoring of this behavior in the population. The National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente (INP) and the Public Education Administration (SEP) have been the pioneering institutions in these efforts, where other interested institutions and states add their contributions to the assessment of the problem in this social sector. Due to the need of developing local preventive programs to reduce drug consumption, several regions of the country have carried out, in a first stage, situational diagnoses of drug consumption. These data, in addition to other community information sources, have helped to enhance efforts in terms of prevention. To date, the main investigations related to students are the Fourth National Survey on Addictions, the National Survey from the National System for the Integral Family Development, regional surveys with young students from 7th to 9th grades (Queretaro; Ríoverde, San Luis Potosi; Sinaloa; Tamaulipas and Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco.), from 10th to 12th grade (same states, except for Ciudad Guzman and the study done in Guanajuato whose results have not been published yet) and college (Ríoverde). The main findings for adolescents and youths obtained from these studies show an increase in drug consumption, especially for alcohol, cannabis and metamphetamines, although the general index of consumption remains steady since 2001, especially in the case of cocaine. There have also been changes in men and female contributions to the consumption index, giving similar prevalences for alcohol and tobacco in both. Regional variations have been observed, where drug consumption is higher in more urbanized cities. However, new generations are more affected by this phenomenon regardless of the level of urbanization of the place where they live. Also, as it has been previously established, being in a scholastic environment is a protective factor against drug consumption, because consumption is higher among adolescents who do not study, and it is a differential factor that protects men more than women. As a consequence, these sources and different students' surveys point out that the probability of drug consumption increases when a minor is working. Additionally, studies report that an early consumption onset for tobacco and alcohol, mainly before 13 years old, increases the possibility of consuming other drugs. This fact is important because several reports on the literature show that age of onset for consuming these drugs is becoming earlier. It is relevant to consider that drug consumption is not an isolated factor. It is known that some precursors for drug consumption are the same for other behaviors, such as sexual intercourses without protection, antisocial, delinquent behaviors or suicide attempt. In behalf of this, prevention programs must be designed in an integral way considering the global environment of adolescents, and not just focused on drug consumption. From this point of view, results from the survey on drug use carried out among students in Mexico City in autumn, 2003, are presented. This survey is the most recent diagnosis about this problem in Mexican adolescents, and keeps the methodological standards of previous surveys. Objective: The aim of the present work is to give a recent and complete view about this problem and prevention opportunities for adolescents of Mexico City and the whole country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of geriatric evaluation is to determine the potential health, mental, functional and social problems of people older than 60 years old. Objective: To describe a population of retired workers using the instruments of the geriatric evaluation. Material and methods: Descriptive study with direct interview, performed by trained geriatricians using validated scales of mental status, depression and functional status. Results: 400 individuals were interviewed 158 women (39 5%), 242 men (60 5%). Age range 45 to 91 years: mean age 65.62 years. Diagnosis number: 67 individuals (16 75%) without diagnosis, 152 (38%) with one diagnosis, 124 (31 %) with two diagnoses, 31 (7.75%) with three pathologies. 17(4 25%) with four, 6(1 5%) with five and 3 (0 75%) with ten 30% of the patients took 3 or more medications. Mini-mental state exam (MMSE) scores showed 25 individuals (6 25%) with scores 0 to 20. Global determination scale (GDS) scores had a mean of 1 67 AVD scores with a mean of 5.8. Conclusions: Survey shows a population with expected number of diagnosis and medication use. Geriatric areas are mostly intact. Emphasis in this population should be placed on preventive measures and health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the second most frequent cancer among women in Mexico. The only method that improve survival is the early diagnosis together with a rational therapeutic intervention. Recently, new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques have been developed, which have improved survival rates. This article reviews the main aspects of this disease with emphasis in surgical therapeutic modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is a common morbidity cause in Mexico and influenza virus is one of its several etiologic agents. Each year, influenza virus causes ARI epidemics of variable magnitude, spanning from November to March. People of all ages are affected during these epidemics and mortality is high in aging and chronically iII, debilitated persons. Yearly epidemics are due to antigenic variation of influenza virus. An inactivated virus vaccine is available for preventing this infection, however, its efficacy is not optimal and ranges from 60-90% depending on the relatedness of the vaccine strains to wild type virus circulating on a given year. Thus, vaccine composition changes every year and includes the three strains of virus which most recently had worldwide circulation. It Is recommended to apply this vaccine to healthy people 50 years or older, or persons of any age suffering chronic debilitating medical conditions. September-October is the best vaccination time. Authors briefly describe drugs used for influenza prophylaxis and treatment. Epidemiological considerations regarding the expected and unavoidable influenza pandemic are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors of the image chapters of the National Association of Cardiologists of Mexico (ANCAM) and the Mexican Society of Cardiology (SMC), as well as personnel from the Department of Medicine and Nutrition of the University of Guanajuato, together with prominent experts in cardiovascular imaging from Mexico, have collaborated in the review, analysis and expansion of the various health strategies published in the first year of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, to safely perform cardiac imaging studies. This update aims to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission among patients and health-care personnel in the CT, MRI, and nuclear cardiology services. This work was expanded with supplementary information available free of charge on the website www.ancam-imagen.com.

In Mexico, suicidal behavior is a matter of concern because, although the rates of death by suicide are below global mean (11.4 vs. 4.1 x 100,000 population), between 1970 and 2007 they increased by 175 %, especially among young people, in whom it is the third leading cause of death. For this reason, several preventive actions have been developed but have not had the expected success, because they are poorly designed. They lack a uniform and clear case definition. Their approach is reductionist, it focuses only on the public health aspect and does not go beyond traditional plans of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. This review aims to offer different options, such as adopting the case definition provided by Atlanta's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It aims to broaden the vision in order to include philosophical, psychosocial and psychiatric aspects, as well as to include, as a theoretical framework, the "diathesis-stress" psychological model and propose a population-based intervention preventive strategy., (Copyright: © 2021 Permanyer.)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the agent that causes more hospitalizations and deaths due to lower acute respiratory infection. Its distribution is widespread, and almost every child has been infected by the age of two years. Different risk populations have been identified: preterm newborns (NB), children with congenital heart disease, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, asthmatics, neuromuscular diseases, among others. However, preterm NBs, children with congenital heart disease or bronchopulmonary dysplasia show higher rates of hospitalization and death from RSV. In the late 90s, monoclonal antibodies against RSV were developed, with demonstrated efficacy and safety for the prevention of RSV hospitalizations in these populations. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this therapy for the prevention of severe infection in the population at higher risk. Economic evaluations have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of immunization, resulting favorable for palivizumab. Immunization in Mexico has resulted cost-effective in NBs under 32 gestation weeks. Mexican authorities should discuss the inclusion of palivizumab in their clinical guidelines., (Copyright: © 2020 Permanyer.)

The prevalence of pregnancy in adolescent women is high in Mexico and represents a public health problem. The pregnant teenager with heart disease has a high probability of complications during pregnancy and the delivery, which carries a risk of death of both the mother and the product. In many cases the pregnancy should have been avoided, planned or interrupted, however the majority at this age is vulnerable and although certain cases must be interrupted by their high risk of maternal-fetal death, prevention and legal aspects should be considered. In some cases the woman wants a pregnancy although her health condition does not allow it, but there are options of adoption or recourse to a surrogate belly. In response to this growing social problem, the National Cardiology Institute Ignacio Chávez and National Institute of Perinatology, with the coordination of Ministry of Health in Mexico, started a pregnancy prevention module within a clinic of follow-up of cardiopathy and pregnancy. This review raises the global problem in our country that occupies the first place in pregnancies in adolescents, with more than 400,000 pregnancies a year and the form of immediate response in a multidisciplinary way., (Copyright: © 2019 Permanyer.)