Abstract Objectives To assess alcohol use and perceived change in alcohol consumption (before and during the pandemic) in Brazilians during the COVID-19 pandemic, their correlates, and their associations with depressive, anxiety and co-occurring depressive and anxiety symptoms (D&A). Methods This is a cross-sectional study comprising 992 individuals in self-isolation. A self-report questionnaire was used to assess whether participants were drinking during self-isolation and whether they changed their drinking behavior (drinking less, more, or no change) from before to during the pandemic. D&A symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories (BDI and BAI). Results A total of 68.5% of participants reported alcohol consumption during the pandemic, and 22.7% of these reported increased alcohol use. Smoking was positively associated with alcohol consumption during the pandemic. Alcohol consumption was associated with anxiety (OR = 1.40, 95%CI 1.06-1.85, p < 0.01) and D&A (OR = 1.38, 95%CI 1.02-1.87, p = 0.033) symptoms. Conclusions Drinking during self-isolation was prevalent and was associated with risk factors for alcohol use disorders. The long-term effects of high drinking rates and increased consumption should be proactively monitored and assessed.

Abstract: Objective: To use a new methodology to classify the level of physical activity (PA) by combining the levels of PA and sedentary time (SED) in order to establish its association with metabolic syndrome (MS). Materials and methods: A representative sample of Chilean adults (≥18 years old) who participated in the National Health Survey (ENS 2009-2010) was included in this study (n=5 040). Four categories were created using a combination of PA and SED levels through the GPAQ questionnaire. MS was defined according to the norms established by NCEP ATP-III. Results: A lower probability of MS was observed only in the categories that comply with the international recommendations of PA, “active and low-SED” (OR=0.72 [0.57 to 0.91]) and “active and high-SED” (OR=0.63 [0.49 to 0.81]). While the level of SED (high/low) was not associated with a significant reduction of MS in any of the groups. Conclusions: This type of classification demonstrates that the main strategy to reduce the risk of MS should be associated with compliance with the recommendations of PA.

Resumen: Objetivo: Asociar una nueva e integradora clasificación de actividad física (AF) y sedentarismo con riesgo de síndrome metabólico (SM) en una muestra representativa de adultos chilenos. Material y métodos: Se incluyeron 5040 participantes de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud de Chile 2009-2010. Fueron creadas cuatro categorías mediante una combinación entre niveles de AF y sedentarismo (SED) usando el cuestionario GPAQ. El SM fue definido según las normas del NCEP ATP-III. Resultados: Se observa una menor probabilidad de presentar SM sólo en las categorías que cumplen con las recomendaciones internacionales de AF (p<0.05), “activo y bajo-SED” (RM=0.72 [0.57 a 0.91]) y “activo y alto-SED” (RM=0.63 [0.49 a 0.81]). El nivel de sedentarismo (alto/bajo) no se asoció con una reducción significativa de SM en ninguno de los grupos. Conclusiones: Este tipo de clasificación demuestra que la principal estrategia para reducir el riesgo de SM debiera estar asociada con cumplir las recomendaciones de AF.

Abstract: Objective: To use a new methodology to classify the level of physical activity (PA) by combining the levels of PA and sedentary time (SED) in order to establish its association with metabolic syndrome (MS). Materials and methods: A representative sample of Chilean adults (≥18 years old) who participated in the National Health Survey (ENS 2009-2010) was included in this study (n=5 040). Four categories were created using a combination of PA and SED levels through the GPAQ questionnaire. MS was defined according to the norms established by NCEP ATP-III. Results: A lower probability of MS was observed only in the categories that comply with the international recommendations of PA, “active and low-SED” (OR=0.72 [0.57 to 0.91]) and “active and high-SED” (OR=0.63 [0.49 to 0.81]). While the level of SED (high/low) was not associated with a significant reduction of MS in any of the groups. Conclusions: This type of classification demonstrates that the main strategy to reduce the risk of MS should be associated with compliance with the recommendations of PA.

Resumen: Objetivo: Asociar una nueva e integradora clasificación de actividad física (AF) y sedentarismo con riesgo de síndrome metabólico (SM) en una muestra representativa de adultos chilenos. Material y métodos: Se incluyeron 5040 participantes de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud de Chile 2009-2010. Fueron creadas cuatro categorías mediante una combinación entre niveles de AF y sedentarismo (SED) usando el cuestionario GPAQ. El SM fue definido según las normas del NCEP ATP-III. Resultados: Se observa una menor probabilidad de presentar SM sólo en las categorías que cumplen con las recomendaciones internacionales de AF (p<0.05), “activo y bajo-SED” (RM=0.72 [0.57 a 0.91]) y “activo y alto-SED” (RM=0.63 [0.49 a 0.81]). El nivel de sedentarismo (alto/bajo) no se asoció con una reducción significativa de SM en ninguno de los grupos. Conclusiones: Este tipo de clasificación demuestra que la principal estrategia para reducir el riesgo de SM debiera estar asociada con cumplir las recomendaciones de AF.

The frequency of conflicts about authorship of publications has increased along with the increase in the number of people involved in scientific work. Some of the factors that strongly influence the generation of conflicts and malpractices in authorship definition of scientific publications are the pressure of academia, economic incentives from the pharmaceutical industry in the field of biomedicine and authors’ wishes and expectations of recognition, among other factors. The article analyzes this problem, increasingly common in the field of medicine and related areas. Special attention is devoted to the prevailing laws in our country and international guidelines related to intellectual property and authorship of scientific publications, respectively. However, the ethical commitment, intellectual honesty and truthfulness of each of the authors about what is reported seems to be the decisive factor for the solution to these authorship conflicts.