The relationship between asymptomatic shedding of bacterial enteropathogens and the hygiene habits of families who have had a child with typhoid fever (TF) are investigated. The sample was made up of 80 families: 40 families in which one child had had TF (Group A) and 40 in which no children or either of the parents had had a history of TF (Group B). In each group 20 families belonged to a low socioeconomic status (SES) and 20 to a high SES. A structured interview was used to evaluate the SES and the hygiene habits of the child; observations were made to measure the hygiene habits of the family (toilet, kitchen and food preparation) and bacteriological studies (fecal samples and hand markers). Results show that carriers were more frequent in Group A than in Group B. The bacterial species found were significantly more numerous in Group A than in Group B (fecal samples: E. coli, the classic serotypes, Shigella ssp, and hand markers: E. coli). Families of Group A had higher carriage rates than those of Group B. Finally there exists a significantly higher association between inadequate hygiene habits and carrier families. These results show the need to teach specific habits of proper hygiene to the entire population, because the fact of belonging to the high SES does not in itself preclude inadequate hygiene habits.

The relationship between the hygienic habits of children who had typhoid fever (TF) who had recently begun attending school and their family group, is assessed. It is supposed that children, independently of their SES, acquired TF because of inadequate habits which facilitated the oral-fecal cycle. The sample was formed of 40 child-mother dyads: 20 of low SES (group A) and 20 of high SES (group B), the child of each of which had had TF. Results showed that the hygienic habits of children with respect to the oral-fecal cycle, their perception of school toilet cleanliness as well as the mothers' explanation of their children's hygienic habits is very similar in the two groups. The importance of these results is that the SES is seem to be irrelevant in the case of TF but that the hygienic habits of the children are of importance. Public health policy should be modified to include the teaching of proper hygienic habits (oral-fecal cycle).

No abstract

The socio-cultural factors that might be influencing the normal psychomotor development of the undernourished infant are studied. The sample consisted of 32 mother-infant dyads: 16 having normal DQ (Group A) and 16 having a below normal DQ (Group B) according to Bailey's Test applied to infants who entered a Nutritional Recuperation Center. Results showed that there were some differences in the infants' backgrounds: infants of Group A were the product of a wished-for pregnancy (p less than .05), and were separated less from their mother's side (p less than .007) than was the case in Group B. No differences were found in the socio-cultural and demographic background of the mothers. The infants' external environment was different in aspects observed within the neighborhood: there were fewer negative aspects in Group A than in Group B (p less than .003) and more positive in Group A than in B (p less than .001). The infant's internal environment as related to the mother was also different. Mothers of Group A perceived more affection from their partner (p less than .008), were more sensitive (to feelings of joy and suffering) (p less than .003) and stimulated their infant (p less than .004) more than those of Group B. These results show that the internal and external environments in which the infant with normal and below normal DQ evolves were different between the two groups. This could explain the differences in psychomotor development among undernourished infants belonging to the lower socioeconomic strata.

Information about sexual matters among adolescents according to sex, parent -adolescent communication and religious practices were studied in a sample that is representative of school-children from various socioeconomic levels at metropolitan Santiago, Chile (n = 1.782). Girls get more information from mothers than do boys (p < 0.0001) which in turn obtain more information from teachers (72.3%), father (50.8%), friends (50.3%) and communication media (39.8%) than girls. Females usually know less about age at wich both sexes are able to procreate and become responsible parents than boys (p < 0.00001). Only about one half of girls and one third of boys regularly practice religion (p < 0.0001). These results may be related with persistent high rates of pregnancies in adolescent girls in spite of generally declining biith rates and may indicate a need to provide sexual education, which should be given by mothers and teachers, specially among girls. (Key words: sex education, gender, adolescents.) La adolescencia es el periodo del desarrollo transforman al niflo en un adulto con capacidad del ser humano en el que se producen una serie reproductiva 1 ' 2 . Algunos de los cambios que imde cambios fisicos, psiquicos y sociales, que pactan al adolescente son los de supropiocuerpo, porque generalmente son esperados, pero muchas veces sin saber las funciones que traen apareja-1. Institute de Nutricion y Tecnologia de Alimentos, das > tales como la capacidad de engendrar 0 Universidad de Chile, procrear un hijo. Volumen 61 Numero 2Educacidn sexual \ 03