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Biomedical subjects

A Figueiras

Publications and source records attributed to A Figueiras.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Sociodemographic factors related to self-medication in Spain.

To identify the sociodemographic factors associated to self-medication (i.e. use of non-prescription medicines) and undesirable self-medication, a cross-sectional study was carried out using a sample (n = 20,311) representative of the population of adults of 16 years of age and older in Spain. Multivariate Cox's regression was used. The prevalence of self-medication in the sample was 12.7% during the two weeks preceding the interview. Self-medication is more prevalent among women, persons who live alone, and persons who live in large cities. For persons who reported acute disorders, self-medication prevalence was higher among those with higher educational levels. The prevalence of undesirable self-medication in the sample was 2.5% during the two weeks previous to the interview. Undesirable self-medication is twice as common among persons older than 40 years, as compared to persons younger than 27 years. Undesirable self-medication prevalence is 53.0% higher among those who live alone as compared to those who live with their partner (95% confidence interval (CI): 15.2-103.2) and 36.8% higher among students as compared to full-time workers (95% CI: 1.9-83.5). People over 40 years of age, people living alone, and students should be the priority target populations for public health education programs aimed at improving the quality of self-medication behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Diet and lung cancer: a new approach.

Lung cancer is one of major public health problems facing the world today, owing to the high incidence of the disease and its poor prognosis. Although the principal cause of lung cancer is tobacco use, smokers find it extremely difficult to quit the habit. Hence, there is a need to take action targeted at other risk factors for this disease. One such factor is diet, which is known to be able to raise or lower the risk of lung cancer. This paper seeks to complement other reviews in the field and to shed more light both on the influence that dietary factors may have upon the occurrence of this neoplasm and on the causes of this possible effect.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed1999

Influence of physicians' attitudes on reporting adverse drug events: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Voluntary physician reporting of adverse drug events (ADEs) in among their patients remains the single most important source of information on serious and rare ADEs. Yet, substantial under-reporting exists and the factors producing its causes are unclear. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study are to: (1) identify the practitioner's demographic and professional characteristics associated with ADE reporting; and (2) identify knowledge, attitudes, and opinions associated with ADE reporting. DESIGN: Case-control study. SUBJECTS: Physicians within the National Health Service in Galicia (Northwestern Spain). The 194 case doctors are those who reported at least one ADE to the regional drug surveillance center between 1991 and their enrollment in the study. The 498 controls were randomly selected among the remaining physicians. All were interviewed using a mail questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We used logistic regression to determine the ADE reporting odds ratio. RESULTS: The response rate was 63.7%. The probability of reporting ADEs increases with increasing volume of prescriptions and decreases with increasing patient load. The following attitudes are associated with a smaller probability of reporting: (1) belief that really serious adverse drug events are well documented by the time a drug is marketed; (2) belief that it is nearly impossible to determine if a drug is responsible for a particular adverse event; (3) only reporting an adverse drug reaction if one is sure that it is related to the use of a particular drug; and (4) belief that the one case an individual physician might see cannot contribute to medical knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Some physician attitudes regarding ADEs are associated with underreporting.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Regression models: calculating the confidence interval of effects in the presence of interactions.

The main goal of regression analysis (multiple, logistic, Cox) is to assess the relationship of one or more exposure variables to a response variable, in the presence of confounding and interaction. The confidence interval for the regression coefficient of the exposure variable, obtained through the use of a computer statistical package, quantify these relationships for models without interaction. Relationships between variables that present interactions are represented by two or more terms, and the corresponding confidence intervals can be calculated 'manually' from the covariance matrix. This paper suggests an easy procedure for obtaining confidence intervals from any statistical package. This procedure is applicable for modifying variables which are continuous as well as categorical.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Vaccination for the hepatitis B virus in primary care health staff: prevalence, affecting factors and need].

OBJECTIVE: To find out the extent of HB vaccination in Primary Care health workers. DESIGN: An observational crossover study. SETTING: The Santiago de Compostela Health Area. PARTICIPANTS: All the Primary Care health staff in the area (N = 475). INTERVENTION: Data collection by means of a questionnaire sent by post to the entire target population of the study. MEASUREMENTS: Data analysis by means of logistic regression, and comparison of means and proportions. RESULTS: 65.6% took part. 74.0% of these stated that they had been exposed to risk at work during the month prior to the survey. 47.1% had received at least three doses of vaccine, 5.7% started their vaccination without completing it and 47.1% had never been vaccinated. Of this last group 4.8% suffered or had suffered the disease, leaving 42.3% who could be vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: The present system of vaccination, in which the worker has to take the initiative, is not very efficient, even in highly motivated groups who are well aware of the risk. Vaccination programmes should be designed which offer the vaccine to all those healthworkers who can be vaccinated in their place of work.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[HIV/AIDS in primary care: the opinions and needs of Galician health professionals].

OBJECTIVE: To find the views and identify the needs of Galician primary health care (PHC) professionals concerning HIV/AIDS. DESIGN: An observational cross-sectional study. SETTING: Autonomous Community of Galicia. PARTICIPANTS: Primary care professionals from medicine (N = 1,523, n = 510), nursing (N = n = 220) and paediatrics (N = n = 249). METHODS: A postal questionnaire was used to gather data. Four mailings were sent. RESULTS: The percentage of replies was 64.6%. Less than 30% of the professionals were involved in specific activities with at-risk groups. Less than half were involved in recruitment and early diagnosis of persons with at-risk practices and their contacts. About 50% thought that the initiative was currently being left up to each individual professional, which only a third believed was desirable. CONCLUSION: Galician PHC professionals are in favour of a greater involvement of their health care level in questions of HIV/AIDS. They call explicitly for greater efforts from the health authorities to provide training, means and coordination.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1997

An algorithm for the design of epidemiologic studies applied to drug surveillance.

Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), although commonly used, is of limited efficacy for the establishment of causation, and must be complemented by more rigorous epidemiologic studies. This article presents a decision algorithm that could be used as a tool in the selection of the most appropriate study design to investigate the causal relationship between a given ADR and a drug. It is based on the incidence of the ADR, on the objective of the study--determination of all the adverse effects of a given drug, or all the drugs increasing the risk of occurrence of a given adverse event--and on the funds available to the researcher.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Self-medication: concept and "users'" profile].

Self-medication constitutes one of the most modern expressions of the always present need of men and women for care of their health. However, in contrast to other expressions of selfcare, the self-medication includes, for a good part of population and the most of the doctors, negative connotations. Contrary to this vision, the WHO marks the existence of a valid role for self-medication in developed societies. This article has two objectives: to revise the different concepts of self-medication proposed in literature; and to revise the socio-demographic and socio-medical factors connected with the practice of self-medication.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Explanatory variables of avoidable cost produced by not prescribing a cheaper equivalent drug].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the explanatory variables of avoidable cost produced by not prescribing a cheaper equivalent drug. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,500 primary care physicians in Galicia (northwest Spain). The sample consisted of 405 primary care physicians. The following independent variables were collected through a postal questionnaire physicians' training and specialty, physicians' perception of the quality of available drug information sources, type of practice, and number of patients. The environmental characteristics of the practice were obtained from secondary sources. Multiple regression models were constructed using as dependent variables two indicators based on unnecessary cost produced by not prescribing cheaper equivalents. RESULTS: The response rate was 77,4%. No association was found between prescription efficiency and the level of the physician's training, or with the variables of utilization or the quality of commercial and institutional information. The variable of health model was not significant. The only statistically significant variables were the number of identification cards and the percentage of pensioners' identification cards. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that physicians attach little importance to prescription efficiency. Thus, to decrease avoidable cost produced by not prescribing a cheaper equivalent drug, the medical curriculum should be modified to ensure that is contents reflect national health priorities and current resources.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The short-term effects of air pollution on mortality. The results of the EMECAM project in the city of Vigo, 1991-94. Estudio Multicéntrico Español sobre la Relación entre la Contaminación Atmosférica y la Mortalidad].

BACKGROUND: In the Autonomous Region of Galicia, no study has been made of the impacts of air pollution on human health, despite the fact that several of its major cities have moderate levels of pollution. Therefore, we have considered the need of making this study in the city of Vigo. The main objective of this analysis is that of analyzing the short-term impact of air pollution on the daily death rate for all reasons in the city of Vigo throughout the 1991-1994 period, by using the procedure for analysis set out as part of the EMECAM Project. METHOD: The daily fluctuations in the number of deaths for all causes with the exception of the external ones are listed with the daily fluctuations of sulfur dioxide and particles using Poisson regression models. A non-parametric model is also used in order to better control the confusion variables. RESULTS: Using the Poisson regression model, no significant relationships have been found to exist between the pollutants and the death rate. In the non-parametric model, a relationship was found between the concentration of particles on the day immediately prior to the date of death and the death rate, an effect which remains unchanged on including the autoregressive terms. CONCLUSIONS: Particle-based air pollution is a health risk despite the average levels of this pollutant falling within the air quality guideline levels in the city of Vigo.

Air Pollution↗
PubMedDate not supplied

GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms, tobacco and risk of lung cancer: a case-control study from Galicia, Spain.

BACKGROUND: Only 15% of heavy smokers go on to develop lung cancer, indicating the existence of individual predisposition. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using a case-control study, we ascertained whether there were differences between cases and controls in the frequency of GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms, and whether their effect might be linked to smoking habit. RESULTS: While a risk of lung cancer of 1.7 (1.0-3.0) was observed for GSTM1 gene deficiency, there appeared to be no such association for absence of the GSTT1 gene. The interaction observed with tobacco use indicated an excess risk of 24.5% (IC 95%-59.8-109.0) for the GSTM1 gene, with no such interaction in evidence for the GSTT1 gene. The highest risk for a combination of the different haplotypes was for subjects with the GSTT1 gene present and the GSTM1 gene deleted, with an Odds Ratio of 2.19 (1.18-4.07). CONCLUSION: The absence of the GSTM1 gene is, while that of the GSTT1 gene is seemingly not, implicated in susceptibility to lung cancer.

Case-Control Studies↗