Health literacy, a more complex concept than knowledge, is a required capacity to obtain, understand, integrate and act on health information [1], in order to enhance individual and community health, which is defined by different levels, according to the autonomy and personal capacitation in decision making [2]. Medium levels of Health literacy in an adolescent population were found in a study conducted in 2013/2014, being higher in sexual and reproductive health and lower in substance use. It was also noticed that the higher levels of health literacy were in the area adolescents refer to have receipt more health information. The health literacy competence with higher scores was communication skills, and the lower scores were in the capacity to analyze factors that influence health. Higher levels were also found in younger teenagers, but in a higher school level, confirming the importance of health education in these age and development stage. Adolescents seek more information in health professionals and parents, being friends more valued as a source information in older adolescents, which enhance the importance of peer education mainly in older adolescents [3]. As a set of competences based on knowledge, health literacy should be developed through education interventions, encompassing the cultural and social context of individuals, since the society, culture and education system where the individual is inserted can define the way the development and enforcement of the health literacy competences [4]. The valued sources of information should be taken into account, as well as needs of information in some topics referred by adolescents in an efficient health education. Schizophrenia is a serious and chronic mental illness which has a profound effect on the health and well-being related with the well-known nature of psychotic symptoms. The exercise has the potential to improve the life of people with schizophrenia improving physical health and alleviating psychiatric symptoms. However, most people with schizophrenia remains sedentary and lack of access to exercise programs are barriers to achieve health benefits. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of exercise on I) the type of intervention in mental health, II) in salivary levels of alpha-amylase and cortisol and serum levels of S100B and BDNF, and on III) the quality of life and selfperception of the physical domain of people with schizophrenia. The sample consisted of 31 females in long-term institutions in the Casa de Saúde Rainha Santa Isabel, with age between 25 and 63, and with diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR). Physical fitness was assessed by the six-minute walk distance test (6MWD). Biological variables were determined by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay). Psychological variables were assessed using SF-36, PSPP-SCV, RSES and SWLS tests. Walking exercise has a positive impact on physical fitness (6MWD -p = 0.001) and physical components of the psychological test...

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Background: Addressing the long-term consequences of stroke is a top-ten research priority (Pollock, St George, Fenton, & Firkins, In Press), and understanding the views of different stakeholders is essential in designing appropriate patient-centred multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Permanent repository linkAims: This study reports on the perspectives of 38 individuals who live with or work with aphasia: people with aphasia (PWA), family members and friends (FM), and speech and language therapists (SLTs), about its consequences in the daily lives of people with aphasia. Method & Resources:Fourteen PWA, 14 FM, and 10 SLTs participated in the study. All participants were interviewed about the consequences of stroke and aphasia. Small focus groups were used with some participants. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used with other participants. Interviews were carried out in groups or individually in order to accommodate severe aphasic impairments, or respondents with fewer years of education. Interviews were video or audio-recorded. Verbal and non-verbal communication was transcribed and analysed qualitatively using content analysis. Data was coded and mapped onto the ICF framework. Outcomes & Results:All three groups reported consequences in Body Functions and Body Structures, primarily in Mental Functions (Specific Mental Functions and Global Mental Functions) Conclusions: PWA, FM and SLTs reported a considerable range of stroke and aphasia consequences in the daily life of those who live with it. They were concerned to different degrees with language, physical, and emotional changes, and impact on communication, mobility, self-care, relationships, leisure and work. Professionals' practices in Portugal need to be changed in order to consider these findings.Keywords: aphasia; consequences; ICF; family members; clinicians. INTRODUCTION BackgroundStroke is considered the third leading cause of death and permanent disability in developed countries (Direcção Geral de Saúde (DGS) -Portuguese "Central Health Agency" 2010). In Portugal, stroke is the first cause of death (DGS, 2008) and disability (DGS, 2010;Martins, 2006) and is therefore one of the most frequent diseases causing hospitalisation (Ferro & Pimentel, 2006). Aphasia is a common consequence of stroke, affecting one third of the stroke population (Darrigrand et al., 2011;Kelly, Brady, & Enderby, 2010), and has a significant onward impact on people's lives (Martin, Thompson, & Worrall, 2008). Addressing the long-term consequences of stroke is a top-ten research priority, and includes helping stroke survivors and their families cope with speech problems (Pollock et al., In Press).Qualitative interview-led research of the 1990s revealed diverse consequences of aphasia and stroke. People reported obvious difficulties associated with impaired language, including effort in communicating, and difficulties with speaking, speaking in a grou...

RESUMOIntrodução: As baterias clássicas de caracterização de afasia são demasiado longas para serem utilizadas no contexto do acidente vascular cerebral agudo ou como ferramenta de monitorização. O Aphasia Rapid Test é uma escala de 26 pontos desenvolvida como teste de cabeceira para avaliar a gravidade da afasia num doente com acidente vascular cerebral em menos de três minutos. O objetivo do estudo é adaptar e validar a escala para o português europeu. ABSTRACT Introduction: Classical aphasia evaluation scales are too long to use in the context of acute stroke or as a monitoring tool. The Aphasia Rapid Test is a 26-point scale developed as a bedside assessment to rate aphasia severity in acute stroke patients in less than 3 minutes. We aimed to adapt and validate this scale for European Portuguese. Material and Methods:We evaluated 56 acute stroke patients in the first and in the seventh days post-stroke. In the seventh day, patients were evaluated by two independent raters, to evaluate inter-rater agreement. To study concurrent validity, the Lisbon Aphasia Examination Battery was applied to a subset of 20 patients. The predictive ability of the Aphasia Rapid Test was assessed at six months, by the aphasia subscale of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Results: Translation to European Portuguese was based in the French and English versions, considering the words' utilization frequency. The Chronbach's alpha was 0.796. The concordance coefficient between the two raters was excellent (0.985). Correlation between Aphasia Rapid Test and the Lisbon Aphasia Examination Battery was strong (r = -0.958, p < 0.001). The study through BlandAltman graphs corroborated the good inter-rater agreement and concurrent validity of the test. The Aphasia Rapid Test score in the first day is an independent predictor of long-term outcome. Discussion: This study provides reliable results for European Portuguese, with adequate internal consistency, inter-rater agreement and concurrent validity. Conclusion:The Aphasia Rapid Test is a good tool for the evaluation and monitoring of aphasia in stroke patients.

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