Browsing by Author "Branco, Jaime C."
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Challenges of ageing in Portugal: data from the EpiDoC CohortPublication . Rodrigues, Ana Maria; Gregório, Maria João; Sousa, Rute Dinis; Dias, Sara Simões; Santos, Maria José; Mendes, Jorge M.; Coelho, Pedro Simões; Branco, Jaime C.; Canhão, HelenaPortuguese adults have a long lifespan, but it is unclear whether they live a healthy life in their final years. We aimed to determine the prevalence of multimorbidity and characterize lifestyle and other health outcomes among older Portuguese adults.
- Common evaluations of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis reach discordant classifications across different populationsPublication . Canhão, Helena; Rodrigues, Ana Maria; Gregório, Maria João; Dias, Sara Simões; Melo Gomes, José António; Santos, Maria José; Faustino, Augusto; Costa, José António; Allaart, Cornelia; Gvozdenović, Emilia; van der Heijde, Desirée; Machado, Pedro; Branco, Jaime C.; Fonseca, João Eurico; Silva, José AntónioThe classification of disease activity states in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be achieved through disease activity indices, such as the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), the Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI), and the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). Subjective measurements, such as patient reported outcomes have been incorporated into several of these indices alongside more objective assessments, such as increases in the ESR and C-reactive protein. Moreover, while they use similar criteria, different indices weight these criteria to different extents. Therefore, the classifications based on each evaluation may not always be the same. We aim to compare the performance of the three indices and their individual components in two different populations.
- Dietary Patterns Characterized by High Meat Consumption Are Associated with Other Unhealthy Life Styles and Depression SymptomsPublication . Gregório, Maria João; Rodrigues, Ana M.; Eusébio, Mónica; Sousa, Rute Dinis; Dias, Sara; André, Beate; Grønning, Kjersti; Coelho, Pedro S.; Mendes, Jorge M.; Graça, Pedro; Espnes, Geir A.; Branco, Jaime C.; Canhão, HelenaObjective: We aimed to identify dietary patterns (DPs) of Portuguese adults, to assess their socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle determinants, and to identify their impact on health. Design: EpiDoC 2 study included 10,153 Portuguese adults from the EpiDoC Cohort, a population-based study. In this study, trained research assistants using computer assisted telephone interview collected socioeconomic, demographic, dietary, lifestyles, and health information from March 2013 to July 2015. Cluster analysis was performed, based on questions regarding the number of meals, weekly frequency of soup con sumption, vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, dairy products, and daily water intake. Factors associated with DP were identified through logistic regression models. results: Two DPs were identified: the “meat dietary pattern” and the “fruit & vegetables dietary pattern.” After multivariable adjustment, women (OR = 0.52; p < 0.001), older adults (OR = 0.97; p < 0.001), and individuals with more years of education (OR = 0.96; p = 0.025) were less likely to adopt the “meat dietary pattern,” while individuals in a situation of job insecurity/unemployment (OR = 1.49; p = 0.013), Azores island residents (OR = 1.40; p = 0.026), current smoking (OR = 1.58; p = 0.001), daily alcohol intake (OR = 1.46; p = 0.023), and physically inactive (OR = 1.86; p < 0.001) were positively and significantly associated with “meat dietary pattern.” Moreover, individuals with depres sion symptoms (OR = 1.50; p = 0.018) and the ones who did lower number of medical appointments in the previous year (OR = 0.98; p = 0.025) were less likely to report this DP. conclusion: Our results suggest that unhealthy DPs (meat DP) are part of a lifestyle behavior that includes physical inactivity, smoking habits, and alcohol consumption. Moreover, depression symptoms are also associated with unhealthy DPs.
- Food Insecurity Is Associated with Low Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Adverse Health Conditions in Portuguese AdultsPublication . Gregório, Maria João; Rodrigues, Ana M.; Graça, Pedro; Sousa, Rute Dinis de; Dias, Sara; Branco, Jaime C.; Canhão, HelenaBackground: Food insecurity is a limited or uncertain access to the adequate food and is a significant public health problem. We aimed to assess determinants of food insecurity and the corresponding health impact in Portugal, a southern European country that faced a severe economic crisis. Methods: Data were derived from the Epidemiology of Chronic Diseases Cohort Study (EpiDoC), a population-based cohort of 10,661 individuals that were representative of the Portuguese adult population and followed since 2011. A cross-sectional analysis of the third wave of evaluation (EpiDoC 3) was performed between 2015 and 2016. Food insecurity was assessed with the household food insecurity psychometric scale. Socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle, adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD), self-reported non-communicable disease, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (EQ-5D-3L), physical function (HAQ score), and health resource consumption information was also collected. Results: The estimated proportion of food insecurity was 19.3% among a total of 5,653 participants. Food insecure households had low adherence to the MD (OR = 0.44; 95% IC 0.31-0.62). In addition, diabetes (OR = 1.69; 95% IC 1.20-2.40), rheumatic disease (OR = 1.67; 95% IC 1.07-2.60), and depression symptoms (OR = 1.50; 95% IC 1.09-2.06) were independently associated with food insecurity. On average, food insecure households had a lower HRQoL (OR = 0.18; 95% IC 0.11-0.31) and a higher disability (OR = 2.59; 95% IC 2.04-3.29). A significantly higher proportion of food insecure households reported being hospitalized (OR = 1.57; 95% IC 1.18-2.07) and had more public hospital medical appointments (OR = 1.48; 95% IC 1.12-1.94) in the previous 12 months. Conclusion: We found that food insecurity is highly prevalent in Portugal. Food insecurity was associated with low adherence to the MD, non-communicable chronic diseases, lower quality of life, and higher health resource consumption. Therefore, this study provides valuable insight into the relationship between food security and the diet and health of the population during an economic crisis.
- Validation of the Telephone-Administered Version of the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) QuestionnairePublication . Gregório, Maria João; Rodrigues, Ana M.; Salvador, Clara; Dias, Sara S.; Sousa, Rute D. de; Mendes, Jorge M.; Coelho, Pedro S.; Branco, Jaime C.; Lopes, Carla; Martínez-González, Miguel A.; Graça, Pedro; Canhão, HelenaA 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) questionnaire was developed and validated in face-to-face interviews, but not via telephone. The aims of this study were to evaluate the validity and reliability of a telephone-administered version of the MEDAS as well as to validate the Portuguese version of the MEDAS questionnaire. A convenience community-based sample of adults (n = 224) participated in a three-stage survey. First, trained researchers administered MEDAS via a telephone. Second, the Portuguese version of Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), and MEDAS were administered in a semi-structured face-to-face interview. Finally, MEDAS was again administered via telephone. The telephone-administered MEDAS questionnaire was compared with the face-to-face-version using several metrics. The telephone-administered MEDAS was significantly correlated with the face-to-face-administered MEDAS [r = 0.805, p < 0.001; interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.803, p < 0.001] and showed strong agreement (k = 0.60). The MEDAS scores that were obtained in the first and second telephone interviews were significantly correlated (r = 0.661, p < 0.001; ICC = 0.639, p < 0.001). The overall agreement between the Portuguese version of MEDAS and the FFQ-derived Mediterranean diet adherence score had a Cohen's k = 0.39. The telephone-administered version of MEDAS is a valid tool for assessing the adherence to the Mediterranean diet and acquiring data for large population-based studies.