Yasmin Marques Castro

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence, associated factors, and the relationship between the existence of school violence prevention policies and physical aggression victimization among Brazilian adolescents. Methods: Cross-sectional study based on data from the 2015 National School Health Survey (PeNSE). The sample included 15,954 adolescents aged 11–19 years, enrolled in public and private schools across all regions of Brazil. Victimization was measured through self-reported experiences of physical aggression in the past 12 months. Sociodemographic, behavioral, relational, and schoolrelated variables were analyzed. The association between these variables and victimization was estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance. Results: The prevalence of physical aggression victimization was 17.1%. Factors associated with higher prevalence included male sex, Black or other non-White ethnicities, reports of bullying, alcohol and cigarette use, high screen time, and being physically active. In contrast, older age and having a larger number of friends were protective factors. The presence of integrated actions with primary health care was associated with a lower likelihood of victimization (PR 0.82; 95%CI 0.74–0.90; p<0.001), whereas formal school policies showed no significant association. Conclusions: Physical aggression victimization among adolescents is a relevant and multifactorial problem. Intersectoral actions between health and education have the potential to reduce school violence, whereas isolated policies are ineffective without community engagement and a contextualized approach.

Objective: To evaluate the association between self-reported COVID-19 and the occurrence of severe mental health symptoms such as anxiety, stress, and depression among high school students in southern Brazil. Methods: Cross-sectional study with high school adolescents from the Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The outcomes were anxiety, depression, and severe stress assessed through the “Adolescent Anxiety, Depression, and Stress Scale” (DASS-21), and the diagnosis of COVID-19 was obtained through self-report. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment and multinomial logistic regression were used to verify associations. Results: Of the 462 participants, 16.6, 15.6, and 9.9% reported severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively, and 41% reported a diagnosis of COVID-19. In the adjusted analysis, adolescents diagnosed with COVID-19 were more likely to have severe anxiety symptoms (prevalence ratio — PR 2.12; 95% confidence interval — 95%CI 1.35–3.33) and three times more likely (OR 2.98; 95%CI 1.35–6.56) to develop severe symptoms of two of the three disorders investigated. Conclusions: Adolescents who reported a COVID-19 diagnosis experienced worse mental health outcomes, with associations observed for severe anxiety and for the presence of multiple severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or stress. These findings highlight the need for further clinical and epidemiological research to better understand and address the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent mental health.

Objective: The study aims to examine the association between interactive screen use and language development in children up to 6 years of age through a systematic review of observational studies. Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The literature search included four databases and used the PECOS strategy. Observational studies—either cross‐sectional or longitudinal—that investigated the relationship between the use of mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets) and language development in children aged 0–6 years were included. Duplicate records were removed using Rayyan software. Screening was carried out in pairs in two stages: title/abstract review and full‐text reading. Results: Most of the evidence suggests a negative association between excessive screen time and language development, particularly in expressive language and vocabulary. However, some studies found no statistically significant association, suggesting that factors such as exposure time, quality of interactions and family context influence the observed outcomes. Methodological heterogeneity limited direct comparisons between findings. Conclusions: Although the results are not consistent, there is evidence of negative effects of prolonged and unsupervised use of electronic devices on young children's language development.

Introduction: Although the benefits of regular physical activity on mental health parameters and cognitiv performance are evident, there is a high prevalence of physical inactivity among adolescents. Therefore, it is important to identify exercise strategies that encourage greater participation within this population. Objective: To evaluate the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program on the mental health and cognitive performance of school-aged adolescents. Methods: This is a single center, two-arm (intervention and control) cluster randomized trial protocol. Adolescents aged 15 to 18 years were exposed to the intervention for 6 weeks. The primary outcomes are mental health symptoms, measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale for adolescents, cognitive profile, inhibitory control, and executive function, measured by the General Cognitive Assessment Battery – Cognifit, Stroop Color Test and Trail Making Test, respectively. Secondary outcomes include weight and Body Mass Index, waist circumference and cardiorespiratory fitness. The results will be analyzed according to the protocol and on an intention-to-treat basis. The effects of the intervention will be analyzed with Generalized Estimating Equations, using linear and Poisson models, incorporating time variables, group, an interaction term and adjustment covariates. A significance level of 5% will be adopted for all two-tailed tests. Final considerations: This study is expected to produce results that can recommend HIIT as an effective training strategy for mental health and cognitive performance of adolescents. Trial record: Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials - ReBEC (RBR-733y6zq).

Introdução: Embora sejam evidentes os benefícios da prática regular de atividade física em parâmetros de saúde mental e no desempenho cognitivo, existe uma alta prevalência de inatividade física entre adolescentes. Assim, a busca por estratégias de exercício que possam gerar maior adesão a este público é importante. Objetivo: Verificar os efeitos de um programa de treinamento intervalado de alta intensidade (HIIT) na saúde mental e no desempenho cognitivo de adolescentes escolares. Métodos: Trata-se de um protocolo de ensaio randomizado por cluster, unicêntrico de dois braços (intervenção e controle). Adolescentes com idade entre 15 e 18 anos foram expostos a intervenção durante 6 semanas. Os desfechos primários são sintomas de saúde mental, mensurados pela Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Estresse para Adolescentes, o perfil cognitivo, controle inibitório e função executiva, mensurados pela Bateria de Avaliação Cognitiva Geral – Cognifit, Teste de Cores Stroop e Teste de Trilha, respectivamente. Os desfechos secundários incluem: o peso e índice de massa corporal, a circunferência da cintura e a aptidão cardiorrespiratória. Os resultados serão analisados por protocolo e intenção de tratar. Os efeitos da intervenção serão analisados com Equações de Estimativas Generalizadas, utilizando modelos lineares e de Poisson, incorporando variáveis de tempo, grupo, um termo de interação e covariáveis de ajuste. O nível de significância aceito para testes bicaudais será de 5%. Consideração final: Espera-se que este estudo produza resultados que possam recomendar o HIIT como uma estratégia de treinamento eficaz na saúde mental e desempenho cognitivo de adolescentes. Registro do ensaio: Registro Brasileiro de Ensaios Clínicos - ReBEC (RBR-733y6zq).

The objective is to analyze the association between depression and sweets consumption. Cross-sectional study carried out with data from VIGITEL (Brasil 2021). Surveillance of Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases by telephone survey, a system for monitoring the frequency and distribution of risk factors and protection against chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Brazilian adults ≥18 years. Crude Poisson regression, adjusted for sociodemographic and behavioral covariates, was used to verify the association between depression and sweets consumption. The total sample included 54.170 Brazilian adults. The consumption of sweets was reported by 25.6% and the diagnosis of depression by 11%. Consumption of sweets was associated with a statistically significant protection of 8% for the diagnosis of depression (95%CI 0.85-0.98). This finding can be seen as positive, as it encompasses a widely adopted, non-drug behavior. However, a warning should be raised about the harm caused by the exaggerated consumption of sweets.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the association between participation in fitness-related exercises (FRE) and body image dissatisfaction (BID) in adolescents and evaluate the interaction between physical exercise and nutritional status in this association.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of clinical manifestations of post COVID-19 condition, also known as long COVID, in children hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods: This is a systematic review of observational studies. We conducted the search on the databases of PUBMED and EMBASE (up to March 15, 2023). We used the following search strategy: ”long COVID” OR ”post COVID-19” OR ”post-acute COVID-19” OR ”long-term COVID” OR ”COVID-19 sequelae” OR ”persistent COVID-19” OR ”chronic COVID-19”. We included observational studies (case-control, cross-sectional, cohort, or case series) that investigated the clinical manifestations of post COVID-19 condition in children (<18 years) admitted with COVID-19. We used the WHO case definition of post COVID-19 condition (ICD-10 U09). Four authors independently assessed the studies. We performed the meta-analysis of prevalence using a random-effects model. Results: Eleven studies involving 2279 patients were included. In the period between ≥3 months and <12 months after acute COVID-19, the most frequent symptom was exercise intolerance with a pooled prevalence of 29% (95% CI: 7-57%), followed by nonspecific respiratory symptoms (12%, 95% CI: 0-48%) and nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms (10%, 95% CI: 0-37%). In the period ≥12 months after the initial infection, the pooled prevalence of post COVID symptoms was lower, with 6% (95% CI: 2-10%) for exercise intolerance and 3% (95% CI: 0-8%) for fatigue. Conclusions: Clinical manifestations of post COVID condition in hospitalized children include symptoms across multiple organ systems, with higher prevalence in the period up to 12 months after the acute phase of COVID-19.

O objetivo do estudo foi verificar a associação entre percepção subjetiva da memória, nível de atividade física (AF) como lazer e sintomas psicológicos de trabalhadores de uma universidade do sul do Rio Grande do Sul. Trata-se de estudo transversal, conduzido com 297 participantes da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (UFRG). A percepção da memória foi avaliada por meio da questão “Como você classifica sua memória hoje?”, categorizada em excelente/muito boa, boa/razoável ou ruim. Foram considerados com pior percepção aqueles que a apontaram como ruim. Participantes que reportaram praticar 150 minutos ou mais de AF/semana foram classificados como ativos. Sintomas de depressão, ansiedade e estresse foram avaliados através da escala DASS-21, e os participantes, classificados como sem sintomas ou com sintomas. As razões de odds (RO) e intervalos de confiança (IC95%) foram estimadas por meio de regressão logística ordinal, bruta e ajustada. A prevalência de percepção ruim da memória foi de 6,4%. Ser insuficientemente ativo aumentou duas vezes a chance de percepção ruim. Sintomas de depressão, ansiedade e estresse aumentaram 5,9, 3,3 e 2,6 vezes a chance de percepção negativa. Concluiu-se que ter percepção ruim da memória esteve associado à falta de AF e presença de sintomas psicológicos nos trabalhadores avaliados.