ObjectivesEvents such as the Beach Soccer World Cup 2015 (BSWC15) generate mass gatherings that pose special public health concerns. On average 1−2% of a crowd attending an event will need or access some type of first aid or medical observation; 10% of these are expected to need ongoing care on-site, and a further 1% hospital or emergency department admission. The BSWC15 was held in Espinho, a coastal city in the north Portugal. The competition occurred during summer time, encompassing 32 matches with a total attendance of 96.300 and an average of 3.009 spectators. The event included 2 venue sites.The aims of this paper are to inform and assist medical serv ices providers in planning medical care delivery at small sporting tournaments, and present descriptive data about medical assistance during the BSWC15.MethodsThe Health and Performance Unit of Portugal’s Football Federation was responsible for setting up medical care services delivery during the BSWC15. The event medical services set-up included a medical centre in the venue providing primary care for spectators and a medical office inside the stadium devoted for non -player staff and other accredited personnel. Protocols were established with designated emergency department to deal with medical emergencies of both audience and the accredited staff. Presentations at event medical services were systematically reported by the twomedical doctors that leaded the medical teams. Injury and illness data were collected using standardised forms, including the person’s origin (Local Office Committee (LOC)/FIFA official, staff member or spectator), presenting symptoms, wound location, treatment option, medicines prescribed and external referrals.ResultsThirty-six medical encounters were reported 25 (69.4%) occurred in the medical centre and 11 (30.6%) in the medical room. 22 (61.1%) general public attendants, 7 (19.4%) FIFA members, 5 (13.9%) LOC members and 2 (5.6%) BSWC organisation committee members received care during the tournament. Musculoskeletal complaints were the commonest, accounting for 25 (69.4%) out of 36 cases, followed by dermatologic alterations, heat-related symptoms and abdominal pain. Feet and head/face were the most frequent location of complaints. Treatment was administered in 26 (72.2%) of 36 medical encounters, being wound clean and protection the most frequent treatment option. There were 2 referrals for further medical evaluation and a case with complicated systemic disease was referred t o the emergency department. Medication was given in 11 (30.1%) of 36 presentations, being NSAID administration the most frequent therapeutic option. Risk assessment analysis backed the BSWC15’s medical services masterplan and acknowledged a minimal to mino r potential for public health threats.ConclusionMedical services at small mass gatherings similar to the BSWC15 should expect to treat minor musculoskeletal injuries and heat -related illnesses and have very small demand surges. The BSWC15’s risk assessment analysis demonstrated that possible health threats ...

ObjectivesBeach Soccer World Cup 2015 (BSWC15) was held in Espinho, north of Portugal, from 4 to 19th of July. Health and Performance Unit of Portugal’s Football Federation was in charge of planning and delivering medical assistance in the event. A heat stress monitoring programme was implemented and all heat-related medical forfeits during the event were recorded.MethodsBSWC15 hosted 192 athletes from 16 teams. A total 32 matches were played during the event. Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and relative humidity (RH) were measured on field before and after each match. The mean value obtained was used in this analysis. Heat stress was evaluated with two indices: WBGT and WBGT + RH. According to the first method, the level of risk associated with heat was evaluated as “unrestricted” (< 22°C), “low” (22–28°C), “high” (28–30°C), “very high” (30–32°C) and “stop play” ( > 32°C). As the venue was located in the beach, high humidity and moderate dry heat conditions were expected. WBGT alone could underestimate the risk of heat stress under such conditions, warranting the use of the second method (that categorises the risk of heat stress as low, moderate and high).A medical forfeit was defined as the withdrawal of an athlete from competition for medical reasons. In all cases the local medical office evaluated whether the withdrawal was prompted by symptoms of heat illness and/or dehydration. If so, the player was asked if he had suffered from diarrhoea or symptoms suggestive of gastroenteritis during any of the preceding five days. This information was annotated in a score sheet.ResultsMean air temperature was 22.0°C (min 18.9°C, max 30.1°C) with mean WBGT being 25.6°C (min 20.2°C, max 30.5°C). Mean RH was 83.6% (min 62.3%, max 90.2%). Taking into account WBGT only, 28 games were played under low, 2 under moderate and 2 under high environmental stress. Applying WBGT + RH classification system, over the 32 matches, 4 were played under moderate, 25 under high and 3 under excessive environmental stress.There were 3 cases of heat-related illnesses. Depending on the classification system, they all happened in games played under low (WBGT) or high (WBGT+RH) environmental stress conditions. Two of the reported situations involved players from Oman and Madagascar. The other was a Russian player who admittedly suffered from diarrhoea in the previous 2 days.ConclusionFew games were played under high environmental stress (according to WBGT) and none of the heat-related illnesses happened in those. This may either mean that top-level beach soccer players are adapted to these conditions or they are able to modulate their activity pattern during matches in a hot and humid environment. One of the cases is easily explained by the diarrhoea history. The others involved players from teams that were probably the most “amateur” in the tournament. The lack of physical conditioning may explain such occurrence.In humid environments WBGT alone may underestimate environmental stress, as shown by the fact that adding RH shifted most of the match...

A obesidade infantil é um problema de saúde pública considerado prioritário a nível nacional. Foram objetivos do presente estudo estimar a prevalência de excesso de peso, que inclui pré-obesidade e obesidade, na população infantojuvenil utilizadora dos Cuidados de Saúde Primários (CSP) de Matosinhos obtida através de medições objetivas e comparar com a codifi cação de diagnóstico clínico de excesso de peso ou obesidade, ambas constantes no processo clínico. Métodos: Estudo transversal com base nos registos clínicos e administrativos eletrónicos de crianças entre os 6 e 8 anos e os 15 e 17 anos, entre 2015-2017. As curvas de crescimento do Índice de Massa Corporal por sexo e idade da Organização Mundial de Saúde foram utilizadas para categorizar os indivíduos em pré-obesidade e obesidade. Resultados: A prevalência de excesso de peso em crianças entre os 6 e 8 anos e jovens entre os 15 e 17 anos estimou-se em 32,4% e 32,9%, respetivamente, sendo que 13,4% e 11,1% destas crianças apresentavam obesidade. O estudo demonstrou que 90,7% das crianças e 76,6% dos jovens com pré-obesidade não tinham qualquer diagnóstico de excesso de peso ou obesidade codifi cado no seu processo clínico eletrónico, assim como 67,0% e 36,6% das crianças e jovens com obesidade, respetivamente. Conclusão: Os resultados apontam para um importante problema de subcodifi cação e possível subdiagnóstico clínico de pré-obesidade e obesidade infantojuvenil ao nível dos CSP, com relevantes implicações para a governação clínica e de saúde, bem como para a identifi cação da obesidade infantojuvenil como um problema de saúde pública prioritário.