Browsing by Author "Martins, Ana"
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- Acolhimento residencial em PortugalPublication . Rodrigues, Sónia; Leal, Mariana; Martins, Ana; Ribeiro, Rita; Azevedo, Sílvia; Campos, Joana; Dias, PedroIn Portugal there are 8000 children and young people in Residential Care (RC). The concept of RC quality emerges as the adequacy of the characteristics of the centres to the needs of children. Being a complex and multidimensional construct requires different perspectives and an evaluation by various sources, assuming the voice of children as the main reference in measuring the quality. The quality of the RC is closely related to psychological adjustment, well-being and satisfaction with life of children and adolescents. Until now it has not been performed in Portugal an assessment of the quality of the RC system. At this time there is an ongoing study that aims to assess the quality of Portuguese RC system through needs assessment and psychological adjustment of children in RC, the evaluation of the quality of services provided by centres and understanding of the relationship between these two variables. This symposium aims to present some emerging results of the pilot study of national character research, still in progress, which aims to assess the quality of the RC Portuguese system. In this sense, a brief contextualization of the RC will be in Portugal, followed by the presentation of the main methodology that is used for this assessment – A Comprehensive Evaluation System for Residential Care in Portugal (ARQUA-P). Subsequently, it will be presented the data related to the psychological adjustment of adolescents that are in RC, their self-esteem, well-being and happiness subjective, relating these variables with the quality of the RC.
- A conversational agent for enhanced self-management after cardiothoracic surgeryPublication . Martins, Ana; Lapão, Luís Velez; Nunes, Isabel L.; Giordano, Ana Paula; Semedo, Helena; Vital, Clara; Silva, Raquel; Coelho, Pedro; Londral, AnaBackground: Enhanced self-management is crucial for long-term survival following cardiothoracic surgery. Objectives: This study aimed to develop a conversational agent to enhance patient self-management after cardiothoracic surgery. Methodology: The solution was designed and implemented following the Design Science Research Methodology. A pilot study was conducted at the hospital to assess the feasibility, usability, and perceived effectiveness of the solution. Feedback was gathered to inform further interactions. Additionally, a focus group with clinicians was conducted to evaluate the acceptability of the solution, integrating insights from the pilot study. Results: The conversational agent, implemented using a rule-based model, was successfully tested with patients in the cardiothoracic surgery unit (n = 4). Patients received one month of text messages reinforcing clinical team recommendations on a healthy diet and regular physical activity. The system received a high usability score, and two patients suggested adding a feature to answer user prompts for future improvements. The focus group feedback indicated that while the solution met the initial requirements, further testing with a larger patient cohort is necessary to establish personalized profiles. Moreover, clinicians recommended that future iterations prioritize enhanced personalization and interoperability with other hospital platforms. Additionally, while the use of artificial generative intelligence was seen as relevant for content personalization, clinicians expressed concerns regarding content safety, highlighting the necessity for rigorous testing. Conclusions: This study marks a significant step towards enhancing post-cardiothoracic surgery care through conversational agents. The integration of a diversity of stakeholder knowledge enriches the solution, grants ownership and ensures its sustainability. Future research should focus on automating message generation and delivery based on patient data and environmental factors. While the integration of artificial generative intelligence holds promise for enhancing patient interaction, ensuring the safety of its content is essential.
- Development of an innovative laminated dough with half-fat contentPublication . Sousa, Sérgio; Coelho, Marta; Adlakha, Kritika; Martins, Ana; Correia, Marta; Pimenta, Ana; Monteiro, Maria João; Teixeira, Paula; Gomes, Ana; Pintado, Manuela
- Development of an innovative laminated dough with half-fat contentPublication . Sousa, Sergio; Coelho, Marta; Adlakha, Kritika; Martins, Ana; Correia, Marta; Pimenta, Ana; Monteiro, Maria João; Teixeira, Paula; Gomes, Ana; Pintado, Manuela
- Development of clean label bakery products with natural preservativesPublication . Coelho, Marta; Sousa, Sérgio; Azevedo, Inês; Martins, Ana; Correia, Marta; Pimenta, Ana; Monteiro, Maria João; Gomes, Ana Maria; Pintado, Manuela; Teixeira, PaulaBakery products are generally well-liked and in high demand around the world, owing to their organoleptic properties as well as the diversity of products they provide. Simultaneously, the consumer profile and level of knowledge about the health-food relationship have shifted in recent years. Furthermore, the nutritional imbalance and high energy density of some formulations have increased the association of many bakery products with unbalanced dietary patterns and their link to metabolic syndrome and chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In this sense, the aim of this work was to improve the nutritional and functional profiles of bakery products by developing a healthy product line designated "Healthyfat" and "Nutrihealthy," as well as to reduce the high number of synthetic additives in these products by developing a new line of"Clean Label" products in which preservatives, aromas, and synthetic dyes were replaced by natural alternatives that were multifunctional whenever possible.
- Emotional and behavioural problems and psychosocial skills in adolescents in residential carePublication . Campos, Joana; Barbosa-Ducharne, Maria; Dias, Pedro; Martins, Ana; Leal, Mariana
- Mental health characteristics and needs in children and adolescents in residential carePublication . Campos, Joana; Barbosa-Ducharne, Maria; Dias, Pedro; Martins, Ana; Leal, Mariana; Rodrigues, SóniaBackground: Residential Care (RC) consists of the placement of a child in an institution which has permanent facilities, equipment and a staff that guarantees the appropriate care of his/her needs and provides conditions to allow for his/her education, well-being and development. Several studies have showed that the prevalence and severity of mental health problems are greater in children and adolescents in RC than in the general population. The risk factors for the problems observed are related, not only to previous family contexts, but also to individual characteristics and contextual variables. Furthermore, there is a significant number of clinical cases that are not timely diagnosed, leading to emotional and behavioural problems and being a risk factor for psychopathology in adult life. Objectives: The main goals of this presentation is to analyse the frequency of Internalization Problems (IP), Externalizing Problems (EP) and Total Problems (TP) of adolescents in RC in Portugal; determine the degree of (dis)agreement between different informants regarding emotional and behavioural problems, and analyse gender differences for emotional and behavioural problems. Method: 256 adolescents (56.6% male), aged 11 to 18 (M = 15.14, SD = 2.08) participated in this study. The information was collected through the questionnaires that compose the ASEBA Battery (CBCL; TRF; YSR) using caregivers, teachers and the adolescents as informants. Results: The three informants classified a high percentage of adolescents as borderline or clinical cases for IP, EP and TP. This result shows the presence of psychological problems and maladaptive behaviours that indicate psychopathological symptomatology. Regarding the agreement between the informants, the highest correlations were found between the self-report and caregivers’ assessment on the EP scales. Moreover, significant differences associated to gender were found, with girls showing more problems and psychological maladjustment in Anxiety/Depression, Somatic Complains, IP and EP. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the need for RC professionals to be adequately aware of the signs and symptoms of mental health problems in adolescents. RC centres should adopt evidence-based prevention programmes, require careful assessment of adolescents’ needs, be culturally appropriate and integrate adolescents into psychosocial health policies. It is essential to implement measures to assess the quality of RC centres, provide specific training to caregivers in order to promote proper management of adolescents’ behaviour, build more positive interactions and respect the Children’s rights, thus enhancing well-being.
- Revolutionizing the bakery industry: creating low-fat, low-salt, puff pastry while preserving sensory and technological excellencePublication . Sousa, Sérgio; Coelho, Marta; Adlakha, Kritika; Martins, Ana; Correia, Marta; Pimenta, Ana; Monteiro, Maria João; Teixeira, Paula; Gomes, Ana; Pintado, Manuela