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Biomedical subjects

M E Medina-Mora

Publications and source records attributed to M E Medina-Mora.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

The relationship of tobacco smoking with depressive symptomatology in the Third Mexican National Addictions Survey.

BACKGROUND: While an association between cigarette smoking and depression has been established in Anglo populations, replication of tobacco-depression associations in countries where smoking is growing may provide important new insights. The objectives of this study were to estimate the association of depressive symptomatology with tobacco smoking, number of cigarettes smoked daily, and smoking cessation in a representative sample of the Mexican population. METHOD: The data come from the Third National Addictions Survey (1998) conducted by the Mexican Ministry of Health, representative of Mexico's civilian population residing in cities and towns with 2500+ inhabitants, aged 18-64. Part of a multi-stage, stratified, probability sample, 1935 men and women answered a version of the survey that also included the CES-D depression scale. Analyses addressed the survey's complex design and controlled for income and educational evel. RESULTS: Among women only, current smokers had twice the odds of elevated depressive symptomatology than never smokers (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.5, p = 0.002). For men, only those smoking a pack or more a day had greater odds of depressive symptomatology (OR 5.9, 95% CI 1.6-21.9, p = 0.008). Overall, former smokers who ceased smoking within 6 months had lower odds of depressive symptomatology than current smokers (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.1-1.0, p = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: These findings add to the accumulating evidence for the association between smoking and depression in different cultures and populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Violence related injuries in the emergency room: alcohol, depression, and conduct problems.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to obtain epidemiological measures of the association between alcohol consumption and emergency room (ER) attendance due to violence, compared to the general population in the city of Pachuca, Mexico, during October-November, 1996 and June-July, 1997. METHOD: The study was a population-based case-control design. INTERVENTION AND MEASUREMENTS: Data consisted of an interviewer-administered questionnaire, collected on a 24-h basis, during the entire week. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cases were 127 patients (78% male) admitted to the ER because of an injury that was the result of violence (being in a fight or being attacked by someone). A sample of residents from Pachuca (n = 920) was the comparison group. RESULTS: Patients reporting drinking within 6h compared to nondrinkers were more likely to suffer a violence-related injury [34.0 (17.5-66.2)] and alcohol dependent patients were more likely to be involved in a violence-related injury [7.4 (3.5-15.6)] compared to noncurrent drinkers. When both alcohol prior and alcohol dependence were considered simultaneously in multiple models among current drinkers, patients with violence-related injuries were more likely to report alcohol prior but not to be positive for alcohol dependence. Depressive symptoms, but not conduct problem behavior, were also associated with violent injury in simultaneous regressions that included alcohol variables. CONCLUSIONS: In the city of Pachuca, Mexico, a large relationship between drinking prior to the event and violence-related injury, regardless of alcohol dependence, was found. Depression was also related to violence, suggesting the need for more comprehensive intervention with these patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Adolescent drug use in Mexico and among Mexican American adolescents in the United States: environmental influences and individual characteristics.

The authors compared high school students in Baja California Norte (BCN), Mexico (n = 775), with Mexican American students in Los Angeles (LA), California (n = 516). The students' use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, and other illicit drugs were compared, because these vary by gender, country, and their age of first drug use and are influenced by demographic variables, individual characteristics, and environmental influences. More BCN students than LA students had used alcohol, but more LA than BCN students had used illicit drugs and initiated drug use earlier. When demographic variables were influential, they were most powerful and increased the risk for drug use more than environmental factors or individual characteristics. Environmental factors were most influential for boys' drug use, whereas environmental and demographic variables were most influential for girls' drug use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The measurement of drinking patterns and consequences in Mexico.

The paper addresses the experiences of measuring and monitoring patterns of alcohol consumption and consequences in Mexico, provides an overview of alcohol use and problems, describes local cultural values that influence patterns of drinking, and discusses measurement implications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Drug use pathways among high school students of Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: This study surveyed high school student drug users in urban areas of Mexico to describe use patterns and drug-related behaviors among adolescents and to develop predictor models of pathways to underage drug use. SUBJECT/DESIGN: A National School Survey was conducted among high school students where data are provided by the State. Only urban sites were considered for this study (n = 40,521). Stratified two-stage cluster sampling was used; schools and groups within the schools were the sampling units. CONCLUSIONS: Male adolescents who have worked the previous year, have high exposure within the family and are affiliated with drug using peers are at increased risk of becoming drug users and subject to depression and suicidal ideation as well as drug-related social problems.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Alcohol consumption in emergency room patients and the general population: a population-based study.

Our purpose was to obtain epidemiological measures of the association between habitual alcohol consumption, alcohol consumption before the event and alcohol abuse/dependence, and emergency room (ER) attendance compared to the general population in Pachuca-Hidalgo, a city located in the central area of Mexico. The study was a population based case-control design. Data consisted of breath samples to estimated blood alcohol concentration, as well as an interviewer-administered questionnaire, collected on a 24-hr basis, during the entire week, in each of the three main ERs of Pachuca. Cases were all patients who visited the three main hospitals ERs during the study period, classified according to their status as an injured or noninjured (medically ill) patient (n = 1511). The general population sample (n = 920) serves as a comparison group for both types of patients. Injured patients in the ER sample were significantly more likely to report high frequency/high quantity of drinking during the last 12 months than the general population [odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals = 5.55 (1.72-17.97)] and to report drinking within 6 hr before the injury. These relationships did not hold for noninjured patients. Both types of patients were more likely to report high frequency of drunkenness during the preceding 12 months, to be positive for alcohol dependence and to report drug use. We found in the city of Pachuca, a large relationship between habitual alcohol consumption and ER injuries. These findings support associations of alcohol consumption and admission to an emergency room found in ER and general population studies in other countries. Due to the increases in the risk found for abuse/dependent in both injured and noninjured patients, they both would benefit with a brief intervention strategy for reducing their alcohol consumption.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

What happened to street kids? An analysis of the Mexican experience.

This paper documents some possible reasons of failure of programs for street children in Mexico, and provides background information on demographic and socioeconomic trends that underlay self-employment as well as a historical perspective of the social context of street children. It also describes the strategies used to survive in the streets, trends in drug use/misuse, the felt needs of children and the social responses to this problem. It documents how underlying failure there are unrealistic goals, a fragmented perception of the problem and consequently, a fragmented response to it. It also refers to the great pressure on institutions for results, lack of continuity of the programs and disregard of the perception and felt needs of working children who should benefit from these programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Alcohol consumption, low birth weight, and preterm delivery in the National Addiction Survey (Mexico).

In 1988 the Mexican General Directorate of Epidemiology and the Mexican Institute of Psychiatry carried out the first National Addiction Survey that provided prevalence estimates at national and regional levels of alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, and several other drugs use. In addition, a questionnaire included questions regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy and adverse outcomes. According to the results of logistic regression, women classified as suffering from Alcohol Dependence Syndrome had a very high risk of low birth weight and/or preterm delivery: Odds ratio = 12.1 with a 95% confidence interval of (1.3, 108.9) and p = .026. After controlling for several confounding variables, the findings remained basically the same.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Surveys that work and what they show in Mexico.

The drug abuse epidemiologic research program in Mexico does not differ from programs in other countries. At the same time some special features of the problem in Mexico influence the type of research undertaken, especially studies which help orient official policy. These features are related to the prevailing conceptions of drug abuse, the characteristics of the problem, the infrastructure available for conducting research, and human and economic resources. This paper includes a discussion of the conceptions of drug abuse and a description of the research strategies that have been used in Mexico over the past 15 years, their advantages, disadvantages and perspectives for the future, which are again linked to the characteristics of the problem and the available resources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Relationship between masculinity and feminity in drinking in alcohol-related behavior in a general population sample.

The relationship between gender-related personality traits, on one hand and drinking, permissiveness towards drinking, and social as well as personal problems associated to drinking on the other, was studied in a general population sample from the City of Morelia, Mexico. Four gender-related traits scales were used for measuring assertive and aggressive masculinity and affective and submissive feminity, in addition to a standardized questionnaire for assessing drinking and other associated behavior. Some of the main results showed that people with high scores in affective feminity were less willing to allow drinking. Men who adopted a submissive feminine role and women with high masculine aggressive scores were more permissive as regards drinking. Among men, assertive masculine and affective feminine traits were more characteristic among those who drank than among abtainers. Drinking among women was related to liberal attitudes towards drinking and to aggressive masculinity. As regards the number of drinks consumed per month, assertive masculinity and liberal attitudes among men and affective feminity and liberal attitudes among women predicted the number of drinks. Affective feminity was negatively related to drinking. Regarding drinking-associated problems, frequency of drunkenness and submissive feminity among males predicted greater personal and social problems. Among women, drunkenness frequency and number of drinks were the most significant predictors. Contrary to what has been found in other countries, gender was a better drinking predictor than gender-related personality traits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Epidemiologic status of drug abuse in Mexico.

Abuse of alcoholic beverages and tobacco appear to constitute priority public health problems in Mexico, while abuse of other drugs is sufficiently widespread to justify concern. More specifically, a recent national survey (11) found that over 10% of the male subjects 18 to 65 years old met established international criteria for alcohol dependence, while about a quarter of those surveyed were active smokers. A total of 4.3% said they had used one or more drugs other than tobacco or alcohol at some time in their lives.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Epidemiological status of drug abuse in Mexico].

As a country that produces marijuana and opium, and as a route for cocaine traffic to the United States of America, Mexico is experiencing serious social and health problems related to the trafficking, use, and abuse of these drugs and other dependency-producing substances. In 1988 a national survey of addiction was undertaken in which information was collected on the prevalence of the use of alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, opium, heroin, narcotic analgesics, sedatives, and tranquilizers. A sample was identified in the population between the ages of 12 and 65 living in urban areas of more than 2,500 inhabitants, which account for approximately 65% of the country's total population. This sample consisted of 12,557 persons. According to the results of the survey, 51% of the population between 18 and 65 years of age use alcoholic beverages and 24.7% of the entire study population are active smokers. In addition, 43% had used one or more drugs other than tobacco or alcohol at some time. Prevalence of marijuana use was 2.6%, while the rates for tranquilizers, inhalants, and amphetamines were identical (0.7%). For cocaine the rate was 0.3%, and for heroin, 0.1%.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[Prevalence of mental disorders and risk factors in a population of a general medical practice].

The present paper reports the most relevant results from an epidemiologic survey that was carried out in a hospital's general practice service in Mexico. The survey comprises several issues such-as: the validity and standardization of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), a screening instrument, designed for the early detection of mental disorders, which is validated against the clinical criteria expressed through the Standardized Psychiatric Interview (SPI), the prevalence of psychiatric disorders which includes type of syndromes and affected subgroups, the relation between the ratings of the SPI and the scales of the GHQ (somatic symptoms, sleep disturbances, social disfunction and severe depression) with demographic variables. From the population attending the service during a period of 5 weeks, a total of 619 patients, to whom the GHQ was administered, were randomly selected. From this sample 364 patients were separately interviewed by means of the SPI. No significant differences were found between the sample and the population regarding age, sex, and educational level. The prevalence of mental disorders obtained for the mixed population was of 34%, being of 26% for men and of 36% for women. The only risk factor found for both populations was the low educational level of the head of the family. In the multiple regression analysis, significant differences were found among some groups in spite of the low predictive power of the studied variables.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

The factor structure of the GHQ: a scaled version for a hospital's general practice service in Mexico.

This paper reports the factor structure of the symptoms comprising the GHQ when it is administered in the general practice service of a hospital. Two shorter versions are proposed: one with 6 scales and 30 items, and the other with 4 scales and 28 items. The latter is compared with the 28-item English version. Preliminary data concerning the validity of the scales are presented. In a comparison of the screening potentiality of the 60- and 28-item versions, no significant differences were found.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Validity and reliability of a high school drug use questionnaire among Mexican students.

This study was carried out to ascertain the validity and reliability of data generated through an internationally developed self-administered questionnaire. Data were collected from two student populations in which prevalence of drug use was known (high and low prevalence rates) and information obtained from the questionnaire checked through personal interview. The questionnaire covered both demographic characteristics and drug use items. A total of 474 students were tested and 335 students (70.7 per cent) retested. Although percentages of missing data and inconsistent responses were high, the questionnaire appeared valid and reliable when analysed on a group basis. It was less reliable on an individual basis. In conclusion, it is considered that with minor modifications the questionnaire can be used in the populations studied with enough confidence in validity and reliability to allow comparisons.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

[Inter-clinician reliability of the Mexican version of Goldberg's "Standardized Psychiatric Interview"].

The Standardized Psychiatric Interview (SPI) was developed by Goldberg et al., for use in community surveys. The authors made the translation and adaptation of this instrument to Spanish and in this paper they present the inter-rater reliability study of different clinicians using the SPI in a sample of 30 women psychiatric out-patients. The raters were 4 psychiatrists and 2 clinical psychologists. A one week training course was developed before the study in order to get acquainted with the instrument, discuss it and use the standard technique to elicit and record psychiatric symptoms on 5 audiotapes and 10 subjects with different degrees of pathology. The inter-rater reliability was tested using the product-moment correlation, the statistic Kappa and a descriptive index of association in order to show the agreement between raters when the symptom was present or absent. A two-way analysis of variance was also carried out in order to test if there were any differences among the raters. The results show a mean product-moment correlation of 0.90 and a mean Kappa of 0.82. In 20 of the interviews a psychiatrist and a psychologist acted as raters and the results were almost the same. The authors conclude that the SPI is an useful technique for further studies in general practice and community surveys in the hands of mental health personnel trained in the use of Standardized Psychiatric Interview.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

A methodology for intensive case-finding and monitoring of drug use in Mexican community.

An intensive case-finding model of drug use is presented with respect to its advantages and limitations. Two approaches were used: (a) direct, in which the questions concerning drug use were asked openly by the field-workers, and (b) indirect, where the field-workers obtained information about drug use from general conversation with interviewees. The indirect approach was found to be very useful in contacting new drug users and in assessing the psycho-social context of drug use. This research suggests that the intensive case-finding method is suitable for a community where the majority of drug users form cohesive groups, while it was found to be less effective for the study of isolated cases.

Adolescent↗