This study aims to analyze the role of health surveillance in responding to cases of Haff disease (HD) in Brazil through published documents. This is a documentary, qualitative, retrospective, and exploratory study. Information was collected from governmental electronic platforms using the following keywords: "rhabdomyolysis," "rhabdomyolysis of unknown etiology," and "outbreak of food-and waterborne diseases compatible with Haff disease," published between 2008 and 2024. The inclusion criteria covered scientific articles, reviews, abstracts, news reports, and case reports. Data analysis was performed based on the principles of Bardins' content analysis. The final sample consisted of 21 publications, such as technical notes, epidemiological bulletins, epidemiological reports, manuals, booklets, and institutional collections. Four categories were then formed: HD-related health events in Brazil; Surveillance response to the emergency; Guidance for health professionals; and Guidelines for the population. It is concluded that government actions were implemented to contain outbreaks of the disease, but further efforts are needed to identify the etiological agent, improve clinical protocols, and strengthen coordination among health surveillance areas.
This study evaluated hunger in a Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Care Center (CAPSi) located in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro. The combination of qualitative and quantitative methods aimed to provide a comprehensive view of hunger at the CAPSi, considering the perspectives of both family members and staff. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which 214 family members were interviewed and completed a sociodemographic questionnaire along with the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale, allowing classification of food insecurity as mild, moderate, or severe (hunger). Qualitative strategies included participant observation with the preparation of field diaries, and three focus groups with 16 staff members. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while qualitative data were analyzed using the hermeneutic-dialectical method. Most participants were women (94.4%); 78.6% experienced some level of food insecurity, and 17.4% faced hunger. Qualitative analysis produced the following categories: (1) alienation from hunger; (2) resigned conformism; (3) matriarchy of misery; (4) worker overload; (5) loss of service identity. In the context of the dismantling ofpsychosocial care, caregivingis shaped by the management of misery.
This study aims to analyze the international communitys' response to the health crisis caused by the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa (2014-2015), addressed through the establishment of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). This unprecedented mission resulted from a process of securitisation of Ebola by the United Nations, in that it transformed the response to the disease into a form of threat containment through immediate medical care, rather than addressing the socioeconomic factors related to the emergence and recurrence of the illness. Through a narrative literature review on the securitisation of health within Critical Security Studies, as well as documentary research on the international response to Ebola, this research concludes that the securitisation of the disease resulted in neglectful outcomes in the international communitys' response to the outbreak, failing to reduce vulnerabilities faced by affected populations.
The objective of this study was to ascertain the relationship between food environments and adherence to the Brazilian Food Guide among residents of a capital city in the northeastern region of Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study that employs data on the food environment (food deserts and swamps) in Natal/RN and individual data on adults and older people from the BRAZUCA Natal study. The data set includes information on gender, age, the monthly income of the person responsible, and an adherence score to the Food Guide, which refers to eating practices in line with and opposed to national recommendations for adequate and healthy eating. The association between the variables was analyzed using multiple linear regression by backward stepwise. The findings indicate that residing in a food desert is associated with a 2.41-point reduction in the adherence score to the Food Guide, irrespective of income, age, and gender. Additionally, living in a food desert is linked to a 1.39-point decrease in the adherence score for practices that are contrary to the Food Guide. Food swamps were not associated with adherence to the Food Guide. Consequently, only food deserts were found to be associated with adherence to the Food Guide among adults and the elderly in Natal-RN. This understanding provides a basis for the development of strategies to promote adequate and healthy eating among this population.
This study aimed to compare the perception of different school actors regarding the acceptability and feasibility of actions about physical activity and health promotion which were based on the Health-Promoting Schools framework from the World Health Organization (HPS-WHO). This is a cross-sectional study, with convenience sampling from all five regions of Brazil. The "snowball" strategy was used. A standardized list with actions from the eight HPS-WHO categories was used, including 20 actions on governance and 16 on school organization. For each action, acceptability and feasibility scores were calculated with a standardized scale A total of 121 participants were included in this study from all regions of Brazil: 15 school managers, 23 researchers, 37 schoolteachers and 46 school health professionals. Lower acceptability scores were observed among managers in comparison to other groups for four actions on government policies, one action on school policies and resources, and one action on the school health services. In conclusion, reducing disparities between school actors on how HPS-WHOs' governance actions can be implemented is needed to promote physical activity and health in the school context.
