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Objectives: Self-efficacy is an important factor in the acquisition of self-management skills in patients with chronic diseases. The present study provides a translation and cultural adaptation for the Portuguese population, as well as psychometric properties, of the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study. As a first stage, a translation and cultural adaptation were conducted. After preparation, a final version was applied initially to a sample of 30 participants with chronic disease in two phases, with a one-week gap between phases, to assess teste retest reliability. Subsequently, a sample of 217 participants with chronic di - sease, mean age 42.8 (10.7) years, participated in the study. Participants were supposed to be over the age of 18 and with at least one clinically diagnosed chronic disease. The questionnaire was applied electronically. Results: The results showed a good test retest reliability (ICC of 0.83, 95% CI: 0.65 - 0.92). Internal consistency met the criterion for a reliable measure (global Cronbach's alpha of 0.95). Item-total correlations of all items were above 0.30. A correlation matrix was considered favorable (KMO = 0.90; Bartlett's sphericity test = 1399.090, p <0.01). The results confirmed the permanence of the 6 items, as in the original scale. Conclusions: A Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale is a reliable and valid instrument to assess the patients' self-efficacy for managing chro nic diseases in Portuguese, enabling its use in clinical practice and in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of cognitive enhancement has been rising in recent years. While this increase is well-documented, most existing research primarily focuses on university students. This study aimed to assess the types and frequencies of cognitive enhancer use in the Portuguese population, the cognitive functions that participants intended to enhance, and the specific contexts of usage. A total of 623 Portuguese people completed an online survey distributed through social media and sent by web mailing. The survey focused on the frequency of cognitive enhancer use, the cognitive functions participants aimed to enhance, and the contexts in which enhancers were used. Except for electronic devices, the most common frequency of use for all cognitive enhancers was never. Among the cognitive enhancers that were used, the most prevalent were electronic devices, coffee, and sleep hygiene. There is a negative correlation between the participants' age and sleep hygiene and specific music for cognitive enhancement. Female participants were more likely to use natural products, specific foods, and supplements, while male participants were more likely to use physical activity and energy drinks. The most frequently enhanced cognitive function was attention, followed by memory. University students tended to enhance attention more frequently than employed participants and work-study participants. During more demanding periods of work or study, 21.1 % of participants always used strategies to enhance cognition, 24.6 % used them often, and 22.5 % never used them. Overall, the use of cognitive enhancement strategies in Portugal seems to be limited. However, achieving a more accurate quantification requires employing representative sampling techniques within the broader population. Among the various strategies used, non-pharmacological enhancers predominate. Coffee stands out as one of the more frequently used strategies. The consumption of prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement is very low, contrasting with studies in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Obesity is recognised as a serious public health issue, due to its associated morbidity and mortality. This study aimed at estimating the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Portuguese population through direct measurements obtained by the 1st National Health Examination Survey (INSEF 2015) and to identify its associated sociodemographic factors. INSEF was a nationally representative cross-sectional prevalence study conducted on 4911 Portuguese adults aged 25–74 years, in 2015. Height and weight were measured according to the European Health Examination Survey procedures. Poisson regression was used to estimate the adjusted prevalence ratios of overweight and obesity according to age, marital status, occupational activity, education, urbanization of living area and smoking status. Overall prevalences of overweight and obesity were 39.1% and 28.6%, respectively. The prevalence of overweight was higher among men (45.5% vs 33.2%) while the prevalence of obesity was higher among women (32% vs 25%). The sociodemographic factors associated with overweight and obesity were age, marital status and education. Smoking status was associated with overweight and obesity but only in women. INSEF suggests that a high prevalences of overweight and obesity are found in older individuals, married, with lower education levels and non-smoking women. Public health interventions are urgently required for obesity prevention, namely throughout health literacy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigate the accuracy of odontometric methods in sex determination, using a sample from the Portuguese population. Measurements were made on dental casts using a digital caliper, and various odontometric indexes have been defined using upper incisor and canine teeth. Comparison of the means in both sexes was performed using Student’s t-test. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in all variables except for the “Incisor Index”. The canine showed the greatest sexual discriminant characteristics. In the presence of one or both canines the distobuccal–mesiolingual crown diameter and the “Robustness Value” allowed discrimination between sexes in the studied population. We also provide further arguments on the debate on whether sex determination is population specific. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The importance of X-chromosome markers in individual identifications, population genetics, forensics and kinship testing is getting wide recognition. In this work, we studied the distributions of 25 X-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphisms (X-SNPs) in population samples from Northern, Central and Southern Portugal (n =305). The data were also compared with previous data from the Mediterranean area confirming a general genetic homogeneity among populations in the region. The X-SNP distribution in the three Portuguese regional samples did not show any significant substructure and the X-SNP distributions did not differ significantly from those of the majority of Mediterranean populations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]