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- Assessing the health literacy level of students in higher education: Evolution throughout the trainingPublication . Luís, Luís; Assunção, Victor; Melo, Helena; Luis, HenriqueObjectives: This work has two objectives: contribute to evaluate the level of health literacy of students in higher education, in the area of health and to contribute to the formulation of strategies to adapt the content of training to the needs of students. Methods: In this longitudinal observational study, a health literacy assessment questionnaire (NVS) was applied to students from 3 Health Schools and 2 different courses (Nursing and Dental Hygiene), at the beginning of the first school year, and at the end of the third year. Results: Less than 5% of the students participating in this study had inadequate health literacy at the entrance to the course. Women had a better level of health literacy than men, although no statistical significance was found (p=0.153). The health literacy gains are different among the courses. Nursing students began with a higher level of health literacy but were overtaken by oral hygiene students at the end of the 3rd year. However, the level of health literacy did not differ statistically throughout the training, although an increase in the level of health literacy was observed. Conclusions: The relationship between health literacy and health is recognized. Higher education institutions need to formulate strategies to adapt the content of training to the needs of students and to the level of health literacy in order to train students for lifelong learning.
- Association between food choices motivators and physical activity in body image (dis)satisfaction in Portuguese adolescentsPublication . Dias, Sara Simões; Lages, Marlene; Frontini, Roberta; Luís, Luís; Dixe, Maria dos Anjos; Sousa, PedroConcerns about weight and body image are common among adolescents since they are particularly vulnerable to body-image dissatisfaction due to the normal physiological, social, and psychological changes they are going through. This study aims to analyse the relationship between food choice motivations and physical activity in body-image perception among adolescents. Twelve to sixteen years old adolescents were recruited from three school districts. The Portuguese version of the Food Choices Questionnaire (FCQ) was used to assess food choice motivators, and the Quantification de l’Activité Physique en Altitude Chez les Enfants was used to assess physical activity and to calculate daily energy expenditure (DEE). Body image perception was measured using Collins’ sequence of seven silhouettes. Body image (dis)satisfaction was estimated by the present body shape minus the desired body shape. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to compare groups, and the post-hoc Bonferroni test was used to compare target groups. A multinominal logistic regression was performed to analyse the association between gender, age, hours of sport’s competition, FCQ, and body dissatisfaction. All analyses were performed in IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0. The sample comprised 286 adolescents (51.4% females). Means of FCQ categories varied between 0.33 and 0.97 (range: −2 to 2). Regarding the categories of FCQ, statistically significant differences were found in the category of body satisfaction and weight control among the three groups (p = 0.004). A preventive effect was found of choosing food regarding body satisfaction and weight control, on body-image dissatisfaction.
- In vitro study of the effect of an essential oil and a delmopinol mouth rinse on dental plaque bacteriaPublication . Luís, Henrique Soares; Luis, Luis; Bernardo, MárioContext: Mouthrinses are used, by many of our patients, as a complement to daily dental hygiene routine. The use of a toothbrush and an interproximal cleaning method may not be enough to control dental plaque. Essential oils and delmopinol mouth rinses are effective for the prevention of dental caries and gingivitis. To study the effect of an essential oil and a delmopinol mouth rinse on dental plaque bacteria, an in vitro study was developed. Aims: The objective of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of an essential oil and a delmopinol mouth rinse on Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacilli, and aerobic and anaerobic dental plaque nonspecific bacteria. Design: Samples of human dental plaque were collected from consenting participants and bacteria isolated. Disk‑diffusion tests were performed to obtain the minimum concentration of the mouth rinses necessary to inhibit bacterial growth. The ability of the commercial mouth rinses to inhibit bacterial growth was studied in comparison to a positive control (0.2% chlorhexidine) and a negative laboratorial control (sterilized water). Results: The minimum inhibitory concentration was found to be inferior to the commercial essential oils and delmopinol mouth rinses concentrations. Delmopinol and essential oils have significant antibacterial properties shown in vitro only for aerobic bacteria, and for S. mutans, Lactobacillus, and anaerobic bacteria, the results were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Essential oils and chlorhexidine are statistically similar and better than delmopinol for aerobic bacteria growth inhibition. For the other bacteria, essential oils and delmopinol are not statistically promising. Results show that essential oils only may help patients to maintain good oral health as a complement to daily brushing and interproximal cleaning.
- The Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Substance Use and Mental Health in Portuguese Higher Education StudentsPublication . Oliveira, Ana Paula; Luis H, Soares; Soares Luis, Luis; Nobre, Joana Rita; Pinho, Lara Guedes; Albacar-Riobóo, Núria; Sequeira, CarlosThe mental health of higher education students is a constant concern, and the pandemic situation caused by COVID-19 has intensified this concern. The social measures imposed to control and minimize the disease have led, among other things, to the reconfiguration of higher education students’ academic life habits, which has naturally altered their emotional balance, mental health, and substance abuse. This cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study assesses the influence of higher education students’ personal characteristics on their (self-reported) use of addictive substances (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and pharmaceutical drugs) before and during their first compulsory confinement in Portugal, as well as its relationship with mental health. An online questionnaire was applied between 15 April and 20 May 2020, to students from various study cycles of higher education institutions in one region of Portugal (northern area of Alentejo), which included the Mental Health Inventory in its reduced version (MHI-5) and questions (constructed by the authors) on personal characterization and on the use of addictive substances before and during confinement. The convenience sample included 329 mostly female health care students between the ages of 18 and 24. In our results, we found a statistically significant decrease in tobacco, alcohol, and drug use; however, there was an increase in tobacco use among older students and an increase in anxiolytic use among students with higher academic achievement and among students who exhibited more active social behavior in the period prior to confinement. Students who took anxiolytics during confinement had higher MHI-5 scores and students who used the most addictive substances during confinement had lower MHI-5 scores than the other students.
- Social Media Use and Its Association with Mental Health and Internet Addiction among Portuguese Higher Education Students during COVID-19 ConfinementPublication . Oliveira, Ana Paula; Nobre, Joana Rita; Luis, Henrique; Luis, Luis Soares; Pinho, Lara Guedes; Albacar-Riobóo, Núria; Sequeira, CarlosThe use of social media was one of the most common way to keep in touch with friends and family during confinement. For higher education students, the fact that their universities were closed was a major change in their lives. The aim of this study is to relate the prevalence and type of social media with Internet addiction and mental health of university students in a district of Portugal during COVID-19 confinement. Mental health was studied by applying the reduced version of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and to measure the Internet use and dependence, the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was used. The study (cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational) used an online questionnaire, conducted on Google® Forms and the link was sent to 4450 students, in the months of April to June 2020, during the confinement. A total of 329 valid questionnaires were obtained. We can conclude that regarding mental health, students in the 18–24 age group, single or divorced and who are not in a relationship, and with worse academic results, show worse levels of mental health. It is noteworthy that the students with the same characteristics also have the highest levels of addiction to internet. © 2022 by the authors.
- Literacy and Mental Health of Portuguese Higher Education Students and Their Use of Health Promotion Strategies during Confinement in the COVID-19 PandemicPublication . Oliveira, Ana; Nobre, Joana Rita; Luis, Henrique; Luis, Luis Soares; Albacar-Riobóo, Núria; Pinho, Lara Guedes; Sequeira, CarlosThe pandemic of COVID-19 caused significant changes in economies and societies with a major impact on the entire education process. However, these changes did not invalidate a constant effort of adaptation. This cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational study used an online questionnaire administered to students from various study cycles at higher education institutions in Portugal, with the aim of exploring the influence of literacy and mental health on the use of mental health promotion strategies during COVID-19 confinement. A total of 329 students from higher education institutions participated in this study, mostly from the age group 18–24 years (n = 272; 82.7%) and female (n = 265, 80.5%). The most mentioned health promotion strategies during this period included studying (n = 170; 51.7%); physical activities (n = 151, 45.9%); social networking (n = 124, 37.7%); cooking activities (n = 120, 36.5%); and listening to music (n = 118,35.9%). Academic success is self-reported, and it is weakly correlated with the MHI5 (r = 0.103,p = 0.063). Students in the pre-graduate programs studied more during the times of the pandemicand used this activity as a mental-health-promoting strategy with a statistically significant difference (p = 0.033). Although it was difficult to improve health literacy related to COVID-19 in such a shortperiod of time, there was a very strong motivation to access, understand, evaluate, communicate,synthesize, and apply information and knowledge to maintain mental health through self-care using health promotion strategies.
- Portuguese Version of the HLS-EU-Q6 and HLS-EU-Q16 Questionnaire: Psychometric PropertiesPublication . Pedro, Ana Rita; Raposo, Beatriz; Luís, Luís; Amaral, Odete; Escoval, Ana; Simões Dias, SaraHealth literacy refers to the competencies of individuals and the general population to navigate all the areas of health care, making health decisions. Health professionals need a set of skills and information to adapt to people’s health literacy. To succeed, it is crucial to determine the health literacy level of a population, in this case, the Portuguese. This study aims to measure the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of HLS-EU-Q16 and HLS-EU-Q6 from the long form of HLS-EU-Q47, already validated for Portugal. To analyse these results, a comparison was made with the HLS-EU-PT index. Spearman correlation analysis was performed between the single items and scale scores. Cronbach’s alphas for all the indexes were calculated. For the statistical analysis, SPSS (version 28.0) was used. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for HLS-EU-PT-Q16 internal consistency was 0.89 overall, and for HLS-EU-PT-Q6 was 0.78 overall. Indexes were not normally distributed, and the Spearman correlation was computed. The correlation between G HL47 and G HL16 indexes was ρ = 0.95 (p < 0.001), and between G HL6 and HLS-EU-PT-Q6 was perfect. The HLS-EU-PT-Q16 and HLS-EU-PT-Q6 are concise and present adequate psychometric properties to measure the HL level of the Portuguese population. However, more similarities are found between the 47-item and the 16-item forms.
- Efeitos de sessões individuais de estimulação multissensorial em idosos dependentes institucionalizadosPublication . Santos, Rafaela M.; Sousa, Jenny; Luís, LuísIntrodução: São amplamente conhecidos os benefícios que as práticas de atividades de estimulação proporcionam ao idoso, seja na promoção do seu bem-estar como na preservação das funções cognitivas remanescentes. No entanto, os estudos conhecidos no âmbito da estimulação são essencialmente resultado de sessões em grandes grupos e onde as atividades desenvolvidas se limitam, essencialmente, à estimulação da cognição. O objetivo do estudo efetuado foi conhecer os benefícios da prática de sessões individuais de estimulação multissensorial no idoso dependente institucionalizado. Materiais e Métodos: Através de uma metodologia qualitativa e com contornos de investigação-ação foram realizadas 12 sessões individuais de estimulação cognitiva e sensorial a dez idosos institucionalizados. Nestas sessões foi utilizado como principal instrumento de trabalho um Kit Sensorial construído propositadamente para este estudo. Resultados: Foram identificados como principais contributos: a alteração do comportamento dos participantes, nomeadamente na diminuição de comportamentos disruptivos e de ansiedade, com recurso a momentos de escuta ativa e musicoterapia; aumento da capacidade de comunicação e socialização; melhorias na orientação espacial e temporal e nas funções cognitivas e sensoriais, manifestadas pelas evoluções obtidas na execução das atividades, nomeadamente na capacidade de memorização, rapidez na execução e autonomia nas tarefas; relaxamento e descontração dos sujeitos participantes, com recurso a momentos de escuta ativa, musicoterapia e iluminação do espaço. O presente estudo demonstrou a importância da individualização no cuidado ao idoso, seja na forma de estimulação, de apoio ou de comunicação. É essencial pensar além dos projetos conhecidos que se restringem à estimulação cognitiva e realizar projetos de intervenção individualizados, de forma a que os resultados e contributos destes sejam divulgados e reconhecidos pelos cuidadores formais e informais.
- Health literacy and oral health: The role of schoolteachers as health promotersPublication . Luís, Luís; Assunção, Victor; Luis, Henrique
- Controlled trial of an mHealth intervention to promote healthy behaviours in adolescence (TeenPower): Effectiveness analysisPublication . Miguel Lopes de Sousa, Pedro; Martinho, Ricardo; Reis, Catarina I.; Dias, Sara Simões; Gaspar, Pedro; Dixe, Maria dos Anjos; Luís, Luís; Ferreira, ReginaAim To evaluate the effectiveness on lifestyle change of an mHealth intervention to promote healthy behaviours in adolescence (TeenPower) and to analyse the predictors of the mHealth intervention effectiveness. Design This study is designed as a non‐randomized controlled trial with a two‐arm structure. Methods Adolescents of 12–16‐year old were recruited from three school districts, with access to the Internet and smartphone/tablet devices. The intervention group was invited to engage in the mHealth intervention (TeenPower) for 6 months in addition to a school‐based intervention. The control group only followed the school‐based intervention. A repeated measures factorial ANOVA was used and the main effectiveness outcome was the lifestyle change measured by the adolescent lifestyle profile. Results The outcomes of the mHealth intervention (TeenPower) show a significant effect on nutrition (ƞ2p = 0.03, p = .03), positive life perspective (ƞ2p = 0.04, p = .01), and global lifestyle (ƞ2p = 0.02, p = .05), with a dropout rate of 62.1%. The analysis of the effectiveness predictors of the mHealth intervention suggested that older adolescents tended to show a significant increase in the rates of stress management (r = .40; p < .05). Conclusions Although the considerable dropout rate, the mHealth intervention presented significant impact on multiple lifestyle domains, providing support for the effectiveness of mHealth interventions for health promotion as an add‐on to standard interdisciplinary interventions. Impact Adolescents must have the necessary and appropriate knowledge for the correct and responsible decision‐making regarding their health and lifestyle. Innovative strategies (mHealth intervention) were used to promote healthy behaviours. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an mHealth intervention (TeenPower) specifically designed for adolescents. We found a significant impact in several lifestyle domains such as health responsibility, nutrition, positive life perspective, and global lifestyle.