Abstract

COSSIO-TORRES, Patricia; CALDERON, Jaqueline; TELLEZ-ROJO, Martha  and  DIAZ-BARRIGA, Fernando. Factors related to health outcomes and health risk behaviors of adolescents with lead exposure: A pilot study. Salud Ment [online]. 2013, vol.36, n.1, pp.73-81. ISSN 0185-3325.

This pilot study was an approach to determine the health outcomes (nutritional status, cognitive status, mental health and educational status), and the presence of health risk behaviors (aggressive behavior/ delinquency, hazardous/harmful drinking, substance use/abuse and tobacco use) of adolescents who have been exposed all their lives to lead. Besides, we could identify individual, familial and social factors, such as lead exposure, that were related to them. The sample included 40 adolescents (25 females and 15 males), aged 12-19 years, who participated as children in the Childhood Lead Exposure Surveillance Program (CLESP), conducted in a metallurgical area of Mexico. The 100% of the participants were reported neurologically healthy by medical clinical examination. The 15% were below 70 points of the Full Scale Intelligence Quotient, higher than the expected percentage in the general Mexican population. Moreover, we detected the presence of health risk behaviors. The protective factors identified were mean cell volume, adolescent education, father education and living in an apartment. Risk factors identified were: sleep hours, mono-parental family, positive family history of substance use/abuse, residents by household, having social security, tibia bone lead, and childhood blood lead (p<0.05). The gender and exercise variables were accounted for both risk and protection. The health problems that we found were mostly related to individual factors, followed by familial and social factors. The lead exposure explained, in minor proportions, the multivariate models; however, for every 1 pg lead/g bone mineral increased in the tibia and 1 pg/dL increase in blood lead during childhood; the Perceptual Organization/Perceptual Reasoning Index and Processing Speed Index are decreased by 1.21 and 1.11~points, respectively. The detection of protective and risk factors enable the design of an intervention program as an extension of CLESP. The health of these adolescents can be improved by avoiding some risk factors and fostering protective factors at individual, family and community levels.

Keywords : Adolescents; health outcomes; health risk behaviors; protective and risk factors; lead exposure.

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