Taísa Cortes | UERJ - Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Rio de Janeiro State University (original) (raw)
Papers by Taísa Cortes
PLOS ONE
Background Heat waves are becoming more intense and extreme as a consequence of global warming. E... more Background Heat waves are becoming more intense and extreme as a consequence of global warming. Epidemiological evidence reveals the health impacts of heat waves in mortality and morbidity outcomes, however, few studies have been conducted in tropical regions, which are characterized by high population density, low income and low health resources, and susceptible to the impacts of extreme heat on health. The aim of this paper is to estimate the effects of heat waves on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to sex, age, and heat wave intensity. Methods We carried out a time-stratified case-crossover study stratified by sex, age (0–64 and 65 or above), and by sex for the older group. Our analyses were restricted to the hot season. We included 42,926 participants, 29,442 of whom died from cardiovascular and 13,484 from respiratory disease, between 2012 and 2017. The death data were obtained from Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Health Depar...
Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 2021
Strategies for improving geocoded data often rely on interactive manual processes that can be tim... more Strategies for improving geocoded data often rely on interactive manual processes that can be time-consuming and impractical for large-scale projects. In this study, we evaluated different automated strategies for improving address quality and geocoding matching rates using a large dataset of addresses from death records in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mortality data included 132,863 records with address information in a structured format. We performed regular expressions and dictionary-based methods for address standardization and enrichment. All records were linked by their postal code or street name to the Brazilian National Address Directory (DNE) obtained from Brazil's Postal Service. Residential addresses were geocoded using Google Maps. Records with address data validated down to the street level and location type returned as rooftop, range interpolated, or geometric center were considered a geocoding match. The overall performance was assessed by manually reviewing a sample of addresses. Out of the original 132,863 records, 85.7% (n = 113,876) were geocoded and validated, out of which 83.8% were matched as rooftop (high accuracy). Overall sensitivity and specificity were 87% (95%CI: 86-88) and 98% (95%CI: 96-99), respectively. Our results indicate that address quality and geocoding completeness can be reliably improved with an automated geocoding process. R scripts and instructions to reproduce all the analyses are
Causal directed acyclic graphs (DAG) are known to constitute a useful tool to improve the methodo... more Causal directed acyclic graphs (DAG) are known to constitute a useful tool to improve the methodological and reporting quality of observational studies. At the same time, there are concerns that their (mis)use may lead to overconfident inferences. In this study, we investigate the reporting of study bias and limitations, and the use of hedging in articles with and without causal DAG. We performed a keyword search in two electronic databases (Medline and Web of Science) and one full-text repository (PubMed Central). The search strategy aimed to identify biomedical studies with an analytical observational design, that reported use of causal DAG. We selected a random sample of the articles that presented a graphic structure. We pair-matched individually 130 DAG with 130-Non-DAG papers on journal and issue. The number of research limitations acknowledged by the authors and of hedging terms per 100 words were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. From 2000 to 2020, we identif...
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia, 2013
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between television viewing and abdominal obesity (AO) ... more OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between television viewing and abdominal obesity (AO) in Brazilian women, according to smoking status. METHODS: Data of 13,262 adult women (18-49 years) from the 2006's Demographic Health Survey, a cross-sectional household study with complex probabilistic sample and national representativeness, were analyzed. AO, defined as waist circumference ≥ 80.0 cm, was the outcome. Television viewing frequency (≥ 5 times/week, 1-4 times/week, < 1 time/week) was the main exposure variable, and smoking status (yes or no) the main co-variable. Prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression models separately for smokers and non-smokers. RESULTS: A statistically significant interaction term was observed between smoking status and television viewing (p < 0.05). Prevalence of AO among smokers who reported television viewing ≥ 5 times/week amounted to 59.0%, higher than the 35.0% for those with < 1 time/week television viewing (p-valu...
Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 2016
Resumo: Apesar do crescente reconhecimento de seu potencial, os diagramas causais ainda são pouco... more Resumo: Apesar do crescente reconhecimento de seu potencial, os diagramas causais ainda são pouco utilizados na investigação epidemiológica. Uma das possíveis razões é que muitos programas de investigação envolvem temas sobre o qual há certo grau de incerteza sobre os mecanismos dos processos que geram os dados. Neste trabalho, a relação entre estresse ocupacional e obesidade é utilizada como um exemplo de aplicação de diagramas causais em questões relacionadas ao confundimento. São apresentadas etapas da seleção de variáveis para ajuste estatístico e da derivação das implicações estatísticas de um diagrama causal. A principal vantagem dos diagramas causais é tornar explícitas as hipóteses adjacentes ao modelo considerado, permitindo que suas implicações possam ser analisadas criticamente, facilitando, dessa forma, a identificação de possíveis fontes de viés e incerteza nos resultados de um estudo epidemiológico.
Background: Air pollutants induce the increase of inflammatory components in the lungs and the de... more Background: Air pollutants induce the increase of inflammatory components in the lungs and the decrease in pulmonary function. Genetic polymorphisms may modify the inflammatory and immunological response to the inhalation of those pollutants. Objective: To investigate effect modification by GST and TNF-α polymorphisms in the association between particulate matter (PM10) and lung function. Methods: This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study with 112 asthmatic children aged 6 to 14 years old. GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1, and TNF-α polymorphisms were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Spirometry tests were conducted. We tested associations using generalized linear models, adjusting for confounding variables. The effect modification of the genetic polymorphisms was assessed, including the genotypes and pollutants. Results: In carriers of the TNF-α-308 GA or AA genotypes, we found a reduction of 11.5% (95% CI: -19.08, -3.30) in FEV1 in the current exposure to PM1...
The aim of this study is to estimate the association between observed indicators of neighborhood ... more The aim of this study is to estimate the association between observed indicators of neighborhood physical disorder and common mental disorders in adolescents. The study population included 2506 adolescents from three Brazilian state capitals (Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Fortaleza) who participated in the Cardiovascular Risk Study in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional school-based study conducted in 2013–2014. Common mental disorders were assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Measures of neighborhood physical disorder were based on the 2010 Brazilian census data and were derived using principal component analysis. Although associations were found between some exposure components and CMD, there were no clear or consistent trends across exposure quartiles. Overall, there was no evidence of an association between observed indicators of neighborhood physical disorder and common mental disorders. Future studies should explore alternative tools for measuring ne...
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2020
Background Many factors related to susceptibility or vulnerability to temperature effects on mort... more Background Many factors related to susceptibility or vulnerability to temperature effects on mortality have been proposed in the literature. However, there is limited evidence of effect modification by some individual-level factors such as occupation, colour/race, education level and community-level factors. We investigated the effect modification of the temperature–cardiovascular mortality relationship by individual-level and neighbourhood-level factors in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods We used a case-crossover study to estimate the total effect of temperature on cardiovascular mortality in Rio de Janeiro between 2001 and 2018, and the effect modification by individual-level and neighbourhood-level factors. Individual-level factors included sex, age, colour/race, education, and place of death. Neighbourhood-level characteristics included social development index (SDI), income, electricity consumption and demographic change. We used conditional Poisson regression models...
Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 2021
Strategies for improving geocoded data often rely on interactive manual processes that can be tim... more Strategies for improving geocoded data often rely on interactive manual processes that can be time-consuming and impractical for large-scale projects. In this study, we evaluated different automated strategies for improving address quality and geocoding matching rates using a large dataset of addresses from death records in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mortality data included 132,863 records with address information in a structured format. We performed regular expressions and dictionary-based methods for address standardization and enrichment. All records were linked by their postal code or street name to the Brazilian National Address Directory (DNE) obtained from Brazil's Postal Service. Residential addresses were geocoded using Google Maps. Records with address data validated down to the street level and location type returned as rooftop, range interpolated, or geometric center were considered a geocoding match. The overall performance was assessed by manually reviewing a sample of addresses. Out of the original 132,863 records, 85.7% (n = 113,876) were geocoded and validated, out of which 83.8% were matched as rooftop (high accuracy). Overall sensitivity and specificity were 87% (95%CI: 86-88) and 98% (95%CI: 96-99), respectively. Our results indicate that address quality and geocoding completeness can be reliably improved with an automated geocoding process. R scripts and instructions to reproduce all the analyses are
Science of The Total Environment
Science of The Total Environment
Apesar do crescente reconhecimento de seu potencial, os diagramas causais ainda são pouco utiliza... more Apesar do crescente reconhecimento de seu potencial, os diagramas causais ainda são pouco utilizados na investigação epidemiológica. Uma das possíveis razões é que muitos programas de investigação envolvem temas sobre o qual há certo grau de incerteza sobre os mecanismos dos processos que geram os dados. Neste trabalho, a relação entre estresse ocupacional e obesidade é utilizada como um exemplo de aplicação de diagramas causais em questões relacionadas ao confundimento. São apresentadas etapas da seleção de variáveis para ajuste estatístico e da derivação das implicações estatísticas de um diagrama causal. A principal vantagem dos diagramas causais é tornar explícitas as hipóteses adjacentes ao modelo considerado, permitindo que suas implicações possam ser analisadas criticamente, facilitando, dessa forma, a identificação de possíveis fontes de viés e incerteza nos resultados de um estudo epidemiológico.
Acta obstetricia et …, Jan 1, 2010
Background. Excessive use of cesarean sections (CSs) is a serious problem worldwide. Objective. T... more Background. Excessive use of cesarean sections (CSs) is a serious problem worldwide. Objective. To estimate the frequency and identify factors associated with cesarean deliveries in Brazil. Design. Cross-sectional study conducted in 2006-2007 as part of the third edition of the Children's and Women's National Demographic and Health Survey. Setting. Brazil. Sample. Brazilian women in reproductive age. Methods. Socioeconomic and demographic data were utilized, including maternal age, education level, per capita income, skin color, smoking habit, marital status, age at first delivery, parity, and type of prenatal services. Main outcome measures. Adjusted estimate of the prevalence ratios of the type of delivery performed (cesarean or vaginal). Results. Cesarean prevalence was 43.9% (95% CI: 40.9-46.9), 68.7% for women who had per capita income greater than US$ 125 per month, and 77.2% for those who had attended private or privately insured prenatal services. In the adjusted analysis, the variables that presented significant prevalence ratios (95% confidence interval) were macro-region [southeast = 1.45 (1.21-1.73); south = 1.48 (1.24-1.77), and midwest = 1.43 (1.21-1.71)], maternal age above 25 years [26-30 years = 1.57 (1.25-1.97); ‡ 31 years = 1.77 (1.39-2.27)], education levels ‡ 9 years (PR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.55-2.23), and having attended private or privately insured prenatal services (PR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.65-2.12) and parity [primipara = 1.87 (1.47-2.36)]. Conclusions. CS rates are generally very high in Brazil. They are significantly higher than the average among women attending private/insured antenatal care, among the highly educated, and in provinces with higher socioeconomic levels.
PLOS ONE
Background Heat waves are becoming more intense and extreme as a consequence of global warming. E... more Background Heat waves are becoming more intense and extreme as a consequence of global warming. Epidemiological evidence reveals the health impacts of heat waves in mortality and morbidity outcomes, however, few studies have been conducted in tropical regions, which are characterized by high population density, low income and low health resources, and susceptible to the impacts of extreme heat on health. The aim of this paper is to estimate the effects of heat waves on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, according to sex, age, and heat wave intensity. Methods We carried out a time-stratified case-crossover study stratified by sex, age (0–64 and 65 or above), and by sex for the older group. Our analyses were restricted to the hot season. We included 42,926 participants, 29,442 of whom died from cardiovascular and 13,484 from respiratory disease, between 2012 and 2017. The death data were obtained from Rio de Janeiro’s Municipal Health Depar...
Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 2021
Strategies for improving geocoded data often rely on interactive manual processes that can be tim... more Strategies for improving geocoded data often rely on interactive manual processes that can be time-consuming and impractical for large-scale projects. In this study, we evaluated different automated strategies for improving address quality and geocoding matching rates using a large dataset of addresses from death records in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mortality data included 132,863 records with address information in a structured format. We performed regular expressions and dictionary-based methods for address standardization and enrichment. All records were linked by their postal code or street name to the Brazilian National Address Directory (DNE) obtained from Brazil's Postal Service. Residential addresses were geocoded using Google Maps. Records with address data validated down to the street level and location type returned as rooftop, range interpolated, or geometric center were considered a geocoding match. The overall performance was assessed by manually reviewing a sample of addresses. Out of the original 132,863 records, 85.7% (n = 113,876) were geocoded and validated, out of which 83.8% were matched as rooftop (high accuracy). Overall sensitivity and specificity were 87% (95%CI: 86-88) and 98% (95%CI: 96-99), respectively. Our results indicate that address quality and geocoding completeness can be reliably improved with an automated geocoding process. R scripts and instructions to reproduce all the analyses are
Causal directed acyclic graphs (DAG) are known to constitute a useful tool to improve the methodo... more Causal directed acyclic graphs (DAG) are known to constitute a useful tool to improve the methodological and reporting quality of observational studies. At the same time, there are concerns that their (mis)use may lead to overconfident inferences. In this study, we investigate the reporting of study bias and limitations, and the use of hedging in articles with and without causal DAG. We performed a keyword search in two electronic databases (Medline and Web of Science) and one full-text repository (PubMed Central). The search strategy aimed to identify biomedical studies with an analytical observational design, that reported use of causal DAG. We selected a random sample of the articles that presented a graphic structure. We pair-matched individually 130 DAG with 130-Non-DAG papers on journal and issue. The number of research limitations acknowledged by the authors and of hedging terms per 100 words were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. From 2000 to 2020, we identif...
International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
Revista Brasileira de Epidemiologia, 2013
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between television viewing and abdominal obesity (AO) ... more OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between television viewing and abdominal obesity (AO) in Brazilian women, according to smoking status. METHODS: Data of 13,262 adult women (18-49 years) from the 2006's Demographic Health Survey, a cross-sectional household study with complex probabilistic sample and national representativeness, were analyzed. AO, defined as waist circumference ≥ 80.0 cm, was the outcome. Television viewing frequency (≥ 5 times/week, 1-4 times/week, < 1 time/week) was the main exposure variable, and smoking status (yes or no) the main co-variable. Prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression models separately for smokers and non-smokers. RESULTS: A statistically significant interaction term was observed between smoking status and television viewing (p < 0.05). Prevalence of AO among smokers who reported television viewing ≥ 5 times/week amounted to 59.0%, higher than the 35.0% for those with < 1 time/week television viewing (p-valu...
Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 2016
Resumo: Apesar do crescente reconhecimento de seu potencial, os diagramas causais ainda são pouco... more Resumo: Apesar do crescente reconhecimento de seu potencial, os diagramas causais ainda são pouco utilizados na investigação epidemiológica. Uma das possíveis razões é que muitos programas de investigação envolvem temas sobre o qual há certo grau de incerteza sobre os mecanismos dos processos que geram os dados. Neste trabalho, a relação entre estresse ocupacional e obesidade é utilizada como um exemplo de aplicação de diagramas causais em questões relacionadas ao confundimento. São apresentadas etapas da seleção de variáveis para ajuste estatístico e da derivação das implicações estatísticas de um diagrama causal. A principal vantagem dos diagramas causais é tornar explícitas as hipóteses adjacentes ao modelo considerado, permitindo que suas implicações possam ser analisadas criticamente, facilitando, dessa forma, a identificação de possíveis fontes de viés e incerteza nos resultados de um estudo epidemiológico.
Background: Air pollutants induce the increase of inflammatory components in the lungs and the de... more Background: Air pollutants induce the increase of inflammatory components in the lungs and the decrease in pulmonary function. Genetic polymorphisms may modify the inflammatory and immunological response to the inhalation of those pollutants. Objective: To investigate effect modification by GST and TNF-α polymorphisms in the association between particulate matter (PM10) and lung function. Methods: This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study with 112 asthmatic children aged 6 to 14 years old. GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1, and TNF-α polymorphisms were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Spirometry tests were conducted. We tested associations using generalized linear models, adjusting for confounding variables. The effect modification of the genetic polymorphisms was assessed, including the genotypes and pollutants. Results: In carriers of the TNF-α-308 GA or AA genotypes, we found a reduction of 11.5% (95% CI: -19.08, -3.30) in FEV1 in the current exposure to PM1...
The aim of this study is to estimate the association between observed indicators of neighborhood ... more The aim of this study is to estimate the association between observed indicators of neighborhood physical disorder and common mental disorders in adolescents. The study population included 2506 adolescents from three Brazilian state capitals (Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Fortaleza) who participated in the Cardiovascular Risk Study in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional school-based study conducted in 2013–2014. Common mental disorders were assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire. Measures of neighborhood physical disorder were based on the 2010 Brazilian census data and were derived using principal component analysis. Although associations were found between some exposure components and CMD, there were no clear or consistent trends across exposure quartiles. Overall, there was no evidence of an association between observed indicators of neighborhood physical disorder and common mental disorders. Future studies should explore alternative tools for measuring ne...
Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2020
Background Many factors related to susceptibility or vulnerability to temperature effects on mort... more Background Many factors related to susceptibility or vulnerability to temperature effects on mortality have been proposed in the literature. However, there is limited evidence of effect modification by some individual-level factors such as occupation, colour/race, education level and community-level factors. We investigated the effect modification of the temperature–cardiovascular mortality relationship by individual-level and neighbourhood-level factors in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods We used a case-crossover study to estimate the total effect of temperature on cardiovascular mortality in Rio de Janeiro between 2001 and 2018, and the effect modification by individual-level and neighbourhood-level factors. Individual-level factors included sex, age, colour/race, education, and place of death. Neighbourhood-level characteristics included social development index (SDI), income, electricity consumption and demographic change. We used conditional Poisson regression models...
Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 2021
Strategies for improving geocoded data often rely on interactive manual processes that can be tim... more Strategies for improving geocoded data often rely on interactive manual processes that can be time-consuming and impractical for large-scale projects. In this study, we evaluated different automated strategies for improving address quality and geocoding matching rates using a large dataset of addresses from death records in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mortality data included 132,863 records with address information in a structured format. We performed regular expressions and dictionary-based methods for address standardization and enrichment. All records were linked by their postal code or street name to the Brazilian National Address Directory (DNE) obtained from Brazil's Postal Service. Residential addresses were geocoded using Google Maps. Records with address data validated down to the street level and location type returned as rooftop, range interpolated, or geometric center were considered a geocoding match. The overall performance was assessed by manually reviewing a sample of addresses. Out of the original 132,863 records, 85.7% (n = 113,876) were geocoded and validated, out of which 83.8% were matched as rooftop (high accuracy). Overall sensitivity and specificity were 87% (95%CI: 86-88) and 98% (95%CI: 96-99), respectively. Our results indicate that address quality and geocoding completeness can be reliably improved with an automated geocoding process. R scripts and instructions to reproduce all the analyses are
Science of The Total Environment
Science of The Total Environment
Apesar do crescente reconhecimento de seu potencial, os diagramas causais ainda são pouco utiliza... more Apesar do crescente reconhecimento de seu potencial, os diagramas causais ainda são pouco utilizados na investigação epidemiológica. Uma das possíveis razões é que muitos programas de investigação envolvem temas sobre o qual há certo grau de incerteza sobre os mecanismos dos processos que geram os dados. Neste trabalho, a relação entre estresse ocupacional e obesidade é utilizada como um exemplo de aplicação de diagramas causais em questões relacionadas ao confundimento. São apresentadas etapas da seleção de variáveis para ajuste estatístico e da derivação das implicações estatísticas de um diagrama causal. A principal vantagem dos diagramas causais é tornar explícitas as hipóteses adjacentes ao modelo considerado, permitindo que suas implicações possam ser analisadas criticamente, facilitando, dessa forma, a identificação de possíveis fontes de viés e incerteza nos resultados de um estudo epidemiológico.
Acta obstetricia et …, Jan 1, 2010
Background. Excessive use of cesarean sections (CSs) is a serious problem worldwide. Objective. T... more Background. Excessive use of cesarean sections (CSs) is a serious problem worldwide. Objective. To estimate the frequency and identify factors associated with cesarean deliveries in Brazil. Design. Cross-sectional study conducted in 2006-2007 as part of the third edition of the Children's and Women's National Demographic and Health Survey. Setting. Brazil. Sample. Brazilian women in reproductive age. Methods. Socioeconomic and demographic data were utilized, including maternal age, education level, per capita income, skin color, smoking habit, marital status, age at first delivery, parity, and type of prenatal services. Main outcome measures. Adjusted estimate of the prevalence ratios of the type of delivery performed (cesarean or vaginal). Results. Cesarean prevalence was 43.9% (95% CI: 40.9-46.9), 68.7% for women who had per capita income greater than US$ 125 per month, and 77.2% for those who had attended private or privately insured prenatal services. In the adjusted analysis, the variables that presented significant prevalence ratios (95% confidence interval) were macro-region [southeast = 1.45 (1.21-1.73); south = 1.48 (1.24-1.77), and midwest = 1.43 (1.21-1.71)], maternal age above 25 years [26-30 years = 1.57 (1.25-1.97); ‡ 31 years = 1.77 (1.39-2.27)], education levels ‡ 9 years (PR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.55-2.23), and having attended private or privately insured prenatal services (PR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.65-2.12) and parity [primipara = 1.87 (1.47-2.36)]. Conclusions. CS rates are generally very high in Brazil. They are significantly higher than the average among women attending private/insured antenatal care, among the highly educated, and in provinces with higher socioeconomic levels.